New Delhi, India. India has sought safe passage for 22 of its vessels stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign affairs ministry said on Saturday, after Iran allowed some Indian ships to sail through in a rare exception to the blockade.
Diplomatic outreach and energy security
Foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has stayed in touch with major parties in the Middle East, including Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran, the United States and Israel, to convey its priorities, particularly on energy security.
Iran confirms limited transit for Indian vessels
Iran’s Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, confirmed that Iran has allowed some Indian vessels to sail through the Strait of Hormuz. He made the remarks at broadcaster India Today’s conclave in New Delhi.
Blockade and impact on supplies
Since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iran, Tehran has largely halted traffic through the strait, which runs past its coast and through which around 20% of global oil and seaborne liquefied natural gas is supplied.
The blockade has triggered India’s worst gas crisis in decades, with the government cutting supplies for industries to shield households from any shortage of cooking gas.
Details of stranded ships and recent passage
Special secretary at the Indian shipping ministry Rajesh Kumar Sinha said the stranded ships include four crude oil vessels, six liquefied petroleum gas carriers and one liquefied natural gas vessel.
Sinha said two Indian vessels, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, chartered by Indian Oil Corp IOC.NS, had safely passed through the strait and would reach the western Indian ports of Mundra and Kandla on March 16 and 17. The two vessels together carry more than 92,000 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas, he said.
BRICS coordination
Jaiswal said India is also trying to build consensus among BRICS members for a position on the Middle East conflict. India is current chair of the BRICS group comprising original members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which has expanded to include Iran and others.
What impact do you expect disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz to have on energy supplies and prices in India?