The ongoing Middle East crisis has shaken global oil and gas supplies, with the Strait of Hormuz coming under intense pressure amid tensions between Iran and the US. At a time when one of the world’s most critical energy corridors is under severe strain and supply chains remain disrupted, India is making a push to secure essential cooking fuel.An India-linked supertanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas is attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that has seen almost no movement since a US blockade on Iran-linked shipping sharply reduced traffic.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Sarv Shakti, carrying about 45,000 tons of LPG, was tracked on Saturday moving through the strategic waterway past Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands toward the Gulf of Oman. The vessel, which has previously sailed between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, is signalling India as its destination and is also broadcasting that it has an Indian crew, a security measure widely adopted since the Iran war began, Bloomberg reported.According to the agency, state-run Indian Oil Corp is the buyer of the cargo, though it is not confirmed by the company as of now.But with other tankers having already reached Indian shores since the Middle East conflict began, what sets Sarv Shakti apart?If the tanker completes the journey, it would become the first known Indian vessel to successfully cross the Strait of Hormuz since the US intensified its crackdown on ships tied to Iran weeks ago, a move that had pushed traffic through the crucial corridor to near-zero. Its passage would mark a major breakthrough at a time when most vessels have avoided the route altogether. Sarv Shakti is also among the largest carriers to attempt the outbound crossing since last month’s brief and chaotic reopening of the strait, when uncertainty and military threats forced many ships to retreat.
What it means for India:
For India, the stakes are high.As the world’s third-largest oil importer and second-largest LPG consumer, the country has been grappling with major supply disruptions after Middle Eastern producers were hit by conflict. Shortages of LPG, a key household cooking fuel, have led to panic, queues and scaled-back menus.Since US and Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February, New Delhi has placed heavy emphasis on ensuring LPG shipments continue, including instructing Indian ports to prioritise LPG tankers for berthing and unloading while simultaneously ramping up domestic production.Those efforts suffered a setback in April when Iran first indicated Hormuz was operational again, only for its military to open fire on vessels trying to cross, forcing many ships to retreat. During that period, one India-linked crude tanker, Desh Garima, was able to pass only after going dark by switching off its transponder.Since then, Hormuz traffic has remained largely frozen, though India has still managed to move eight LPG carriers through the passage during the conflict through direct negotiations with Tehran. At the same time, authorities have been exploring additional supply routes.India has also expanded domestic LPG production by 60% to 54,000 tons, while daily demand has fallen by 10,000 tons to 80,000 tons, according to oil minister Hardeep Puri on Friday.Sarv Shakti entered the Persian Gulf in early February and later took on its cargo through a ship-to-ship transfer near Dubai, according to Bloomberg.The vessel’s complete transit through Hormuz is expected to take between 10 and 14 hours, though ship movements in the region can be obscured by electronic interference, false positioning or vessels deliberately switching off tracking systems.Database Equasis lists Dubai-based Foresight Group Services Ltd. as the ship’s manager, while ownership is attributed to Zhe Yin Shan Zhou No. 4 Tianjin, registered at the same address. Foresight Group did not immediately respond to a request sent through its website.