The conflict in West Asia has resulted in numerous fatal attacks and events. However, there is currently also an important victory occurring on the sea.
The Indian LPG tanker called Green Sanvi recently went through the Strait of Hormuz and is headed to Mumbai, becoming the seventh Indian ship to cross since the conflict began. This indicates that the diplomacy by the Indian government to secure its energy supply is working.
The vessel transported approximately 46,650 metric tonnes of LPG and had the Indian Navy on standby to assist merchant vessels as they passed through the Strait. The cargo on board the Green Sanvi is about half a day's worth of LPG consumption in India before the onset of the conflict, underscoring the importance of maintaining a constant flow of goods through this chokepoint for the Indian economy.
Of the seven Indian vessels that crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began, all were LPG tankers. This demonstrates that the Indian government's top priority in securing its energy supplies is to maintain the independence of its domestic cooking fuel supply. Two additional LPG tankers, the Green Asha and Jag Vikram, will make their passage through the Strait soon.
Due to years of diplomatic negotiations, the waterways have stayed open to the passage of ships by countries that are friendly to Iran: India, China, Russia, Iraq and Pakistan, as long as those vessels coordinate with the authorities in Iran. An example of this coordination is the ship Green Sanvi, which was allowed to cross into Iranian territorial waters using a pre-defined route, indicating both the nationality of the ship and that of its crew. This type of protocol has become common for vessels wanting safe passage.
The control room for the Directorate General of Shipping has received over 4,000 calls and 10,000 emails since being established and continues to work 24/7. Approximately 1150 Indian seafarers have been able to return home safely from the Gulf so far; 155 have been evacuated in the last 24 hours.
While receiving LPG to cook food may not seem important, for many Indian families who rely on LPG, every ship travelling through the Straits will make a LARGE difference in their lives!