Strait of Hormuz, Middle East: Following assurances from Iran for safe passage, two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers have successfully traversed the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime corridor that carries around 20 percent of global oil and gas exports.
Government sources confirmed that the LPG tanker ‘Shivalik’, escorted by the Indian Navy, has reached open waters and is expected to dock at either Mumbai or Kandla within the next two days.
A second tanker, ‘Nanda Devi’, carrying over 46,000 metric tons of LPG critical for India’s energy supply, has also safely exited the strait under naval supervision.
Officials noted that both vessels are being closely guided by naval assets to ensure secure transit through the strategically sensitive waters, amid the ongoing US-Israel conflict that had previously disrupted shipping in the region.
The move follows high-level discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on maintaining the flow of energy and goods through the Gulf.
In the Persian Gulf region, 24 Indian flagged vessels are currently operating, with no new incident reported in the last 24 hours. Two LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, carrying 92,700 metric tonnes of LPG, are sailing towards India and are expected to arrive at Mundra and… pic.twitter.com/YVFR3SHbE5
— PIB India (@PIB_India) March 14, 2026
Iran’s Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, emphasized the shared regional interests between India and Iran, stating that, “Yes, because India is our friend. You will see it within two or three hours. We believe that Iran and India share common interests in the region. As an ambassador in India, I say that the Indian government, in this situation, after the war, helped us in different fields.”
Earlier, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi had confirmed that Tehran would permit vessels from certain countries to transit the strait, easing the standstill that had affected international shipping through one of the world’s most vital energy routes.
According to India’s Ministry of Ports and Shipping, the total number of Indian-flagged vessels operating in the Persian Gulf remains 28, all under active monitoring.
Of these, 24 ships with 677 Indian seafarers were west of the Strait of Hormuz, while four vessels with 101 crew members were located to the east.
The safe passage of Shivalik and Nanda Devi not only ensures continuity in India’s energy supply chain but also highlights the importance of diplomatic engagement and naval coordination in protecting commercial shipping in geopolitically sensitive regions.
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