30 India-Bound Ships Cross Strait Of Hormuz As Gulf Shipping Recovers, 26 Vessels Still Await Transit

Thirty India-bound ships have safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz, while another 26 vessels linked to India are still waiting to pass through the strategic waterway, according to shipping ministry sources.

The movement comes as commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has started improving after the recent US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU).

The strait is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, with nearly one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies passing through it.

Sources told The Times of India that the 30 vessels have either reached or are on their way to Indian ports. Of these, 15 were carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG), eight were transporting bulk cargo and seven were crude oil tankers.

Officials said shipping activity has increased in recent days. Between March 1 and June 17, 19 India-bound ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz. After the US-Iran MoU was signed, another 11 vessels completed the transit safely.

Among the 30 ships that crossed the strait, 17 are foreign-flagged vessels. Five of them sail under the Marshall Islands flag, the highest among the foreign registries.

According to shipping ministry sources, the 26 vessels still waiting in the Persian Gulf include both Indian-flagged ships and foreign-flagged vessels carrying cargo for India.

Three of these ships are carrying energy cargo, 10 are transporting fertilisers and the remaining 13 are carrying other cargo.

The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

It is one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, particularly for oil and gas exports from Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE and Iran.

For India, the route is especially important because the Gulf region is a major supplier of LPG and LNG. Safe movement through the strait is also important for crude oil imports and other cargo shipments.

International shipping data also shows that commercial traffic through the waterway is recovering.

According to AFP, citing maritime tracking firm Kpler, 25 commodity ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, while another 17 had crossed by 1500 GMT on Wednesday.

Although this was lower than the 38 commodity ships recorded on Monday, shipping activity has improved compared with the period before the US-Iran agreement.

Kpler data showed that an average of 22 commodity ships have crossed the strait each day since June 15, compared with fewer than 10 daily crossings between March 1 and June 14.

AFP also reported that around 120 ships normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz every day during peacetime, carrying about one-fifth of global oil and LNG exports.

Commercial ships have also started using newly approved International Maritime Organization (IMO) evacuation routes announced earlier this week.

One route runs close to the Omani coast for ships leaving the Gulf, while another passes through Iranian waters for vessels travelling in both directions.

Traffic by Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) has also increased since the US-Iran MoU.

Three VLCCs, including one empty tanker, crossed the strait on Wednesday carrying a combined 4.1 million barrels of crude oil out of the Gulf. On Tuesday, five VLCCs crossed the waterway, three of them carrying crude oil.

Shipping authorities continue to monitor the remaining India-linked vessels waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz as commercial traffic through the key global shipping route continues to improve.

References: news18, ndtvprofit