2 India-bound tankers cross Strait of Hormuz

NEW DELHI: Two Indian-flagged tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) have safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz, India's shipping ministry said on Saturday, marking a rare exception in the critical naval chokepoint disrupted by the Mideast war. 'They crossed the Strait of Hormuz early morning safely and are en route to India,' Rajesh Kumar Sinha, India's special secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, told reporters at a news briefing in New Delhi on Saturday.
The tankers 'Shivalik' and 'Nanda Devi', carrying around 92,700 metric tonnes of LPG, are expected to arrive in the next couple of days and are bound for the western ports of Mundra and Kandla. India is the world's fourth-largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and second-largest buyer of LPG, which is used for cooking and predominantly sourced from the Middle East. As supplies dwindle, New Delhi ordered tighter controls on Tuesday over natural and cooking gas following import disruptions.
India's Ministry of Petroleum said the new rules would 'ensure equitable distribution and continued availability for priority sectors'. The ministry ordered that LNG supplies be prioritised to supply households, transport sectors and the production of LPG.
The safe passage of the two Indian vessels follows talks between New Delhi and Tehran in recent days. Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar made two posts to X this week, confirming talks with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and discussed the transit of goods and energy from the Gulf. — AFP