Sailing through the Strait of Hormuz does not require permission from any country, a senior government official said on Tuesday, even as more Indian vessels prepared to transit the conflict-hit corridor linking the oil-rich Persian Gulf with open oceans.
Rejecting claims that stranded Indian ships needed clearance from Iran, which controls the narrow shipping lane, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said navigation through the strait is governed by international conventions and operational decisions are left to shipping firms.
“No permission is required to sail through the strait,” Singh said at a media briefing on developments in West Asia.
He added, “There is freedom for navigation through the strait. Since the strait is narrow, only the entry and exit lanes are demarked which need to be followed by shipping lines.”
“The decision to sail (through the strait) is taken between the shipping company and the one which has chartered the ship... it is the decision of the charterer and shipping company when to sail or when not to sail,” he said. “Since these are special circumstances, they assess the situation with regard to safety, etc., before deciding. No permission is required.”
Ship movement in the strait had slowed sharply after the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, triggering retaliation from Tehran that targeted US bases in the Gulf and Israeli territory.
Amid the tensions, two Indian-flagged LPG carriers, Pine Gas and Jag Vasantm, crossed the strait on Monday carrying a combined 92,612 tonnes of cooking gas, roughly equivalent to a day’s supply for India.
Pine Gas, carrying about 45,000 tonnes, is expected to reach New Mangalore port on March 27, while Jag Vasant, with 47,612 tonnes, will arrive at Kandla in Gujarat on March 26. The vessels have 33 and 27 Indian seafarers onboard, respectively.
According to ship tracking data, both vessels passed through waters between Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands, possibly to make their identity clear to Iranian authorities before transiting the strait.
The two ships were among 22 Indian-flagged vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf after hostilities in West Asia nearly shut the critical shipping route.
Earlier, LPG carriers MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi, carrying about 92,712 tonnes of LPG, had safely reached Indian shores. Shivalik arrived at Mundra on March 16, while Nanda Devi reached Kandla the following day.
At the onset of the conflict, 28 Indian-flagged vessels were present in the strait region, 24 on the western side and four on the eastern side. In recent days, two vessels from each side have managed to move to safety.
Another oil tanker, Jag Laadki, carrying 80,886 tonnes of crude oil from the UAE, reached Mundra on March 18. Jag Prakash, transporting gasoline from Oman to Africa, also crossed the strait earlier and is en route to Tanzania.
Of the remaining 22 vessels in the region, 20 are on the western side of the strait with 540 seafarers onboard, while two are on the eastern side.
The stranded fleet includes five LPG carriers holding about 2.3 lakh tonnes of cooking gas, one LNG tanker, four crude oil tankers, one chemical carrier, three container ships, two bulk carriers, and three vessels in dry dock for maintenance. An additional empty vessel has begun loading LPG.
The LNG tanker is chartered by Petronet LNG Ltd, while LPG carriers are hired primarily by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. Crude tankers are chartered by Indian Oil Corporation, Reliance Industries Ltd and BGN International.
Overall, nearly 500 tanker vessels remain confined within the Persian Gulf, including 108 crude oil tankers, 166 oil product tankers, 104 chemical/product tankers, 52 chemical tankers and 53 other types.
Analysts indicated that Iran may be allowing select vessels to transit after verification, with some ships taking a short diversion via the Larak-Qeshm channel. This process appears aimed at confirming that vessels and cargo are not linked to the US or other restricted entities.
India remains heavily dependent on the route, importing about 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of natural gas and 60 per cent of LPG. Before the conflict, more than half of India’s crude imports came from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the UAE, all of which rely on the strait for exports.
As much as 85–95 per cent of LPG and around 30 per cent of natural gas imports pass through the route. While crude supplies have been partly diversified through sources like Russia, West Africa, the US and Latin America, disruptions have curtailed gas and LPG availability for industrial and commercial users.
(With inputs from PTI)