Two more India-flagged LPG carriers, BW Tyr and BW Elm, started transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a person aware of the development said, requesting anonymity.
The ships are not disclosing their destination ports through transponders for security reasons, and more details can’t be immediately revealed, the person said. Both ships loaded their cargo in the Persian Gulf more than a fortnight ago and were looking for safe passage by Iran, the person added.
If this latest pair transits the strait, six LPG carriers will have been permitted safe passage by Iran. No other details were immediately available.
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So far, four India-flagged LPG carriers have reached the country after being cleared by Iranian authorities to transit the Hormuz waterway, a vital sea conduit through which a fifth of the world’s crude passes, along with gas and precious commodities.
Iran has attacked several vessels in the strait, effectively shutting the channel critical for global maritime trade, in retaliation for the US and Israel’s strikes.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian twice since the hostilities began, calling for de-escalation and dialogue. On Tuesday, he called for the crucial strait to “remain open for the world” for the passage of essential commodities and energy.
India imports nearly 60% of the cooking gas, most of it from the Persian Gulf countries. It has ramped up production of liquefied petroleum gas by nearly 50% to tide over energy shortages due to the West Asian war, a petroleum ministry official said, briefing reporters this week.
