New Delhi: Two India-bound vessels chartered by state-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), carrying 66,392 Million Tonnes (MT) of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), have crossed Strait of Hormuz in the midst of heightened tension in the region, said a senior official. Addressing the media at an inter-ministerial press briefing on Thursday, Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said that a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, carrying 19,965 MT of LPG cargo, crossed Hormuz on May 13 along with 21 foreign crew members onboard. It is expected to arrive at Kandla power on May 16.
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“Another vessel — NV Sunshine, an LPG carrier and a Vietnam-flagged vessel carrying 46,427 metric tons of LPG cargo for India, with 24 foreign crew members on board — safely transited the Strait of Hormuz on May 14th and is expected to arrive at New Mangalore on May 18, 2026,” said the Additional Shipping Secretary.
The senior official said that a “tragic incident” was also reported involving an Indian ‘Dhow,’ a mechanised sailing vessel typically constructed of wood, named Haji Ali, which was on a voyage from Somalia to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The vessel reportedly came under attack in Omani waters on the early hours of May 13 which resulted in a fire and the subsequent sinking of the vessel.
“All 14 crew members on board were safely rescued by the Omani Coast Guard and have reached Diba Port in Oman. The crew is reported to be safe, and necessary formalities with the local authorities have been completed. The Government of India remains in close coordination with the authorities in the Sultanate of Oman, Indian Mission officials, and relevant maritime agencies,” said Mangal.
“In the past 72 hours, with the exception of the MSV Haji Ali incident, no other incidents have been reported,” he added.
A total of 13 vessels have so far passed through the Strait of Hormuz — 12 LPG carriers and one crude oil tanker — said the Additional Shipping Secretary. The passage of two India-bound LPG vessels comes against the backdrop of a deadlock in negotiations between Iran and the United States (US) to end the war and the arrival of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New Delhi for the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
Symi emerged in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday after turning off its transponder, while NV Sunshine, loaded with LPG at the UAE’s Ruwais refinery, followed suit hours later after transmitting its location east of Iran’s Larak Island before going dark.
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Officials have declined to comment reliably on the number of foreign-flagged vessels bound for India which are currently stuck in Strait of Hormuz. As far as Indian-flagged vessels are concerned, a total of 12 vessels continue to be stranded in the critical global chokepoint in the Persian Gulf.
