The government said on Saturday that two Indian-flagged ships carrying LPG have safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are expected to reach India by next week.
“In the Persian Gulf, west of the Strait of Hormuz, there were 24 Indian-flagged ships, of which two ships – Shivalik and Nanda Devi – carrying LPG safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday morning and are heading towards India,” Rajesh Kumar, Special Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said during an inter-ministerial press conference on the West Asia War.
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“These vessels are carrying approximately 92,700 metric tonnes of LPG, and their ports of call will be Mundra and Kandla, with expected arrival dates of March 16 and 17 respectively. Hence, there are now 22 Indian-flagged vessels remaining in the Persian Gulf, carrying a total of 611 sailors,” the minister added.
He also said that all Indian sailors in the Arabian Gulf region are safe and no untoward incidents have been reported in the last 24 hours.
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“Avoid panic booking”
The Center also urged citizens not to engage in LPG reservation and panic buying of petrol and diesel.
After extensive discussion on commercial cylinders, “a decision has been taken to allocate a certain amount of LPG to commercial cylinders,” Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said at the same press conference.
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“In this context, discussions have also been held with the State Governments. Hence, these commercial cylinders have been placed at the disposal of the State Governments to give priority to consumers. In this regard, distribution of the commercial cylinders has already begun in around 29 states and union territories, and have reached the consumers. Online booking currently stands at around 84%; however, this number needs to improve to almost 100%…”
The Ministry of Petroleum said in a statement that fuel supplies are stable and sufficient throughout the country, and advised citizens not to store fuel in loose containers because it may pose serious safety risks.
“Petrol and diesel are sufficiently available in retail outlets across the country,” the ministry said.
