India and Pakistan Offering Escorts as Ships Pass Through Strait of Hormuz
Indian officials confirmed that they have sent warships west toward the Persian Gulf region to provide escorts as they work to gain safe passage for ships and especially for critical supplies of oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). India’s efforts mirror those of Pakistan, which began its first escorts last week.
There was reportedly an appeal to release two LPG carriers as concern was growing in India about the supplies. The government insists it has increased production and that the supply remains adequate, but media reports highlighted a growing concern. Many households in India use LPG for cooking. India is reported to be the second largest buyer of LPG, with its supplies coming from the Middle East.
India reportedly sent three warships, Visakhapatnam Class destroyers, west. They did not proceed into the Strait of Hormuz or the Persian Gulf, but remained in the northern reaches of the Gulf of Oman. They met up with two Indian-flagged LPG carriers operated by the state-owned Shipping Corporation of India. Video posted on Indian TV showed a warship sailing near at least one of the LPG carriers as they began the transit to India.
The first of the vessels, Shivalik, docked at the Mundra Port on Monday, March 16. The vessel, built in 2008, is 54,534 dwt and, according to media reports, was carrying at least 40,000 metric tons of LPG. Following close behind and expected to dock on Tuesday is the Nanda Devi. Built in 2001, the vessel is 53,500 dwt. With 92,700 metric tonnes of LPG arriving, fears of a shortage were addressed for now.
The agreement for the safe passage of the two LPG carriers might have been part of Iran’s attempt to win the release of three vessels from India. India’s Shipping Ministry has said there are 22 Indian-flagged vessels with over 600 seafarers in the western Persian Gulf. There are three ships with an additional 76 Indian seafarers east of the Strait of Hormuz.
A still from a video taken from the bridge of the Nanda Devi of its Indian Navy escort off to starboard (Times of India)
The Indian warships are also likely monitoring the passage of the crude oil tanker Jag Laadki. The 164,716-dwt tanker built in 2010 was loading on Saturday in Fujairah, UAE, and was still there on Sunday when Iran struck the oil terminal. The Indian government announced the crew and tanker were not injured, and the ship, owned by Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping, is reported to be underway for India. Another of the company’s vessels, product tanker Jag Prakash (47,848 dwt), loaded gasoline in Oman. It is sailing west to Tanzania.
Pakistan had reported last week that its navy had begun escorting ships in the Arabian Sea. Bloomberg tracked the crude oil tanker Karachi (109,990 dwt) as it made its transit from Sunday into Monday through the Strait of Hormuz. It reports that the Pakistan-flagged tanker had loaded a partial load in the UAE. The vessel took an unusual route through the Strait of Hormuz close to the Iranian coast, leading to speculation that it is part of the Iranian agreement to provide safe passage to a limited number of ships.
While the reports have been conflicting, Iran, in some statements, said it would permit agreed transits to ships that were not linked to the United States and its allies. Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group highlighted that three bulk carriers (two owned by Greeks and one from India) took a similar path to transit the Strait on Monday.
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There have been varying reports of a handful of ships, including one from Turkey, and several from Greece, making the transit. China is reported to have also been pressing Iran to provide safe passage to crude oil tankers and Qatar's natural gas carriers.
India is calling its effort Operation Sankaip, which it reported would use warships to monitor the sea lanes. When requested, it said it would also provide escorts.
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