Why Iran’s Foreign Minister Arrived in Delhi Just as the 15th Indian LPG Tanker Successfully Pierced the Strait of Hormuz Blockade

Symi is carrying LPG from Qatar’s Ras Laffan, while NV Sunshine picked up the fuel from the UAE’s Ruwais refinery. According to the Shipping Ministry, Symi is carrying 19,965 tonnes of LPG, and is expected to arrive at Kandla in Gujarat on May 16, while NV Sunshine is carrying 46,427 tonnes of LPG and is expected to arrive at New Mangalore on May 18. The cargo on both vessels belongs to the country’s largest refiner and fuel retailer Indian Oil Corporation.

Ever since the West Asia war began—leading to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz—India has been engaging with Iran at the diplomatic level to facilitate safe passage of the Indian vessels and even India-bound foreign vessels carrying critical cargoes like LPG.

While a few Indian ships made their way through the strait over a weeks-long period starting mid-March, transits of Indian and India-bound vessels were badly hit after the April 18 incident in which a couple of Indian ships were fired upon by Iranian forces as they attempted to cross the waterway.

Iran suddenly closed the strait on that day—within a day of announcing unimpeded vessel movements through the waterway—leading to confusion among vessels that had lined up to cross the chokepoint. This incident, and subsequent similar ones with Iran and the US running their own blockades in the region, further hit the already constrained vessel movements through the strait.

The last India-bound vessel to have transited the chokepoint was the Marshall Islands-flagged LPG tanker Sarv Shakti, which made the crossing on May 2.

So far, 10 India-flagged vessels—nine LPG tankers and one crude oil tanker—have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since early March. Additionally, a few foreign-flagged energy tankers had also arrived in India from the Persian Gulf after crossing the Strait. Currently, there are 14 Indian vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf, and a number of others that are foreign ships but carrying cargo for India.

As per vessel tracking data, Symi, which had turned off its location transponder, started transmitting its location from the Gulf of Oman on Thursday; it is likely that it exited the Persian Gulf by crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.

NV Sunshine, on the other hand, had just crossed the strait when it stopped transmitting its location post midnight (India time). It began transmitting its location on Thursday afternoon from the Gulf of Oman.

Switching off the transponder is referred to as “going dark” in shipping parlance, and is usually done by vessels in a bid to avoid detection. It has become common among vessels attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

Data from ship tracking and maritime intelligence firm MarineTraffic shows that NV Sunshine sailed close to Iran’s Larak island, taking a route that has been prescribed by Tehran for transiting the chokepoint, where vessel movements have reduced to a trickle amid the west Asia war.

While the two tankers are estimated to be carrying just under a day’s worth of India’s LPG consumption, their transit springs hope for more energy supplies making their way to India in the coming days.

Around 40% of India’s crude oil imports, 60% of its LNG imports, and a whopping 90% of its LPG imports came from West Asia through the strait, making the chokepoint particularly critical for India’s LPG supplies. That’s primarily the reason why India has prioritised the movement of LPG tankers over its other vessels through the Strait.