Centre Says Two LPG Ships 'Shivalik and Nanda Devi' with 92,700 Tonnes of Gas Will Reach India Soon

Two LPG carriers bound for India have cleared the Strait of Hormuz without incident, easing some supply fears for now, the Centre said. The vessels, together transporting 92,700 metric tonnes, are expected to berth between March 16 and March 17. Officials still flagged LPG as a concern, though no distribution centre has reported running dry.

The government linked this caution to unrest in West Asia, which has shaken global oil and gas routes. At the same time, officials reported a sharp jump in panic booking by customers across India. This surge comes even though authorities said there has been no stockout at any domestic LPG bottling location so far.

LPG supply, LPG vessels and Indian-flagged vessels in Persian Gulf

Explaining ship movements, Special Secretary in the Shipping Ministry, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, said two India-flagged LPG vessels, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, had both passed the Strait of Hormuz safely and were now sailing towards Indian ports. “Their ports of arrival will be Mundra and Kandla, with expected arrival dates of March 16 and March 17, respectively,” Sinha said.

Sinha stated that all Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf region were safe at present. No incident involving Indian crew had been reported over the last 24 hours. “Consequently, there are now 22 Indian-flagged vessels remaining in the Persian Gulf, carrying a total of 611 seafarers,” Sinha added, referring to the wider fleet still in those waters.

LPG supply, LPG vessels and DG Shipping communication on Indian-flagged vessels

The Special Secretary said the Ministry and the Directorate General of Shipping were working closely with ship owners to support Indian crew. “The Ministry, specifically the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) is closely monitoring the situation regarding all these Indian-flagged vessels and the Indian seafarers on board, in coordination with ship owners, RPSN agencies, and Indian diplomatic missions. Over the past 24 hours, DG Com--the communication centre of DG Shipping received 312 phone calls and 460 emails,” Sinha said. “These communications were received from seafarers, their family members, and other stakeholders within the maritime sector, and appropriate responses have been issued. Looking at the past 15 days in this context, we have received over 2,500 phone calls and approximately 5,000 emails, all of which have been duly responded to,” Sinha added.

Addressing the domestic fuel situation, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Joint Secretary Sujata Sharma said consumer behaviour was adding stress to the LPG system. “Regarding the LPG supply, I must state that it remains a matter of concern for us in light of the prevailing geopolitical situation; however, no stockouts have been reported thus far. I would like to re-emphasise one specific point: instances of panic booking remain excessively high. The figure I shared with you yesterday, approximately 7.5 to 7.6 million bookings, has now risen to nearly 8.8 million,” Sharma said, noting that supplies were still reaching customers.