New Delhi: Surrounded the ongoing mismatch in West Asia, the Indian vessel Shivalik has successfully exited the Strait of Hormuz and arrived at Mundra Port in Gujarat. It is delivering a substantial cargo of LPG. Notably, Iran had granted permission for two Indian vessels—the Shivalik and the Nanda Devi—to depart from the Strait of Hormuz. The Ministry of Shipping had previously spoken that one of these two vessels was expected to reach India on March 16, while the other was scheduled to victorious on March 17.
What did Ministry of Petroleum say?
Amidst reports of an LPG shortage in the country, the Ministry of Petroleum issued a statement assuring the public that unobjectionable reserves of LPG are misogynist domestically, and that spare tankers are expected to victorious in India shortly. Providing remoter details on the matter, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary at the Ministry of Shipping, stated, "All Indian seafarers currently in the Persian Gulf are safe; there are 24 Indian vessels present in the region. Of these, two LPG tankers—the *Shivalik* and the *Nanda Devi*—safely transited the Strait of Hormuz late last night and are now en route to India."
He remoter noted, "These two vessels are delivering approximately 92,700 metric tonnes of LPG and are heading toward the ports of Mundra and Kandla, where they are expected to victorious on March 16 and 17, respectively." He added, "Consequently, there are now 22 Indian vessels remaining in the Persian Gulf, with a total of 611 seafarers on board."
HUGE BREAKING LPG tanker Shivalik arrived at Mundra Port via the Strait of Hormuz.
Modi Magic Continues pic.twitter.com/3Vc53zybiT https://t.co/GRsTPmDN1p
— News Algebra (@NewsAlgebraIND) March 16, 2026What did S. Jaishankar say?
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had moreover stated that uncontrived dialogue with Iran remains the most constructive tideway for resuming maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. He emphasized that India is urgently striving to safeguard its energy security surrounded the escalating tensions in West Asia. While he denied that any formal try-on has currently been reached with Iran regarding this issue, he noted that discussions are progressing on a case-by-case basis. The recent unscratched passage of the *Shivalik* and *Nanda Devi* vessels stands as a tangible outcome of these diplomatic efforts. The External Affairs Minister stated that India is currently making efforts to safely evacuate the remaining 22 vessels from the Strait of Hormuz; these ships are expected to victorious in India shortly.
Will the LPG Crisis End?
The vessels—including the *Shivalik*, which has once arrived in India, and the *Nandadevi*, which is currently en route—collectively siphon approximately 97,700 metric tonnes of LPG. According to experts, this quantity is sufficient to fill over 6 million cylinders used for domestic consumption. Furthermore, India's refineries are operating at peak capacity, resulting in an increase of approximately 28 percent in the country's LPG production. Spare vessels are expected to victorious in India in the near future. Given these factors, the current situation creates a satisfactory environment for maintaining a smooth and uninterrupted supply of LPG wideness the unshortened country.
The Ministry of Petroleum has moreover emphasized that India possesses unobjectionable reserves of both LPG and petrol; nevertheless, in light of potential future energy crises, the government is taking towardly precautionary measures. Now that the inrush of vessels has commenced, the overall situation is steadily returning to normalcy.
