India’s Hormuz bottleneck: 11 tankers carrying 2.2 MMT of energy cargo stranded

An estimated 2.2 MT (Million Tonnes) of critical energy reserves are currently immobile on the West of the Strait of Hormuz as 11 Indian-flagged tankers remain stranded in one of the world’s most volatile maritime corridors.

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The 11 Indian flagged vessels carrying a substantial chunk of India’s energy assets consists of 1.67 million tonnes of crude oil, 0.32 million tonnes of LPG, and 0.2 million tonnes of LNG, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways during an Inter-Ministerial press briefing on Wednesday in New Delhi.

Also read: Strait of Hormuz: ‘Jag Laadki’ carrying 80,886 MT of crude oil reaches Adani Ports Mundra

Earlier this week, the Shipping Ministry, highlighting the status of Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz said that 22 Indian flagged vessels are carrying critical energy supplies, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil and other commodities.

Of the 22 vessels, 6 consists of LPG tankers, 4 crude oil tankers, 1 LNG tanker, 1 tanker carrying chemicals, 3 container ships, 2 bulk carriers and 1 dredger, Secretary Sinha added.

Apart from the 22 ships, LPG tankers Shivalik and the Nanda Devi—each carrying 46,000 metric tonnes of LPG— which were expected on March 16-17 respectively, have begun discharging LPG at the ports of Mundra & Kandla on a priority basis, according to the shipping ministry.

The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important oil transit narrow, with roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passing through it daily.

For India, which imports over 80% of its crude oil requirements, any prolonged friction in the Gulf represents a significant inflationary risk and a threat to energy security.

The situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains a focal point for global markets, as the 33-mile-wide waterway serves as the transit point for nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil consumption.

For India, which relies on imports for over 80% of its crude requirements, any prolonged delay in this region poses a direct threat to domestic fuel price stability and the replenishment of strategic petroleum reserves.

While the Ministry has successfully facilitated the recent arrival of two LPG carriers, MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi, to Indian shores, easing immediate cooking gas demand, the remaining 11 tankers and their crews remain in a high-risk zone under close government monitoring.