An Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker, Green Asha, was transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (5 April), vessel tracking data showed, making it the eighth India-flagged merchant ship to cross the strategically critical waterway since the West Asia war began - all eight of which have been LPG tankers.
As of 12.30 pm India time, the vessel was moving through Iranian waters between Iran's Larak, Qeshm, and Hormuz islands, Indian Expressreported.
Green Asha is reportedly carrying approximately 20,000 tonnes of LPG.
The tanker is a mid-sized gas carrier (MGC) owned by MOL India, the Indian arm of Japan-based global shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines, with a deadweight capacity of over 26,000 tonnes.
The seven Indian LPG tankers that preceded it through the Strait were very large gas carriers (VLGCs), with more than double the LPG carrying capacity of an MGC.
India-flagged tanker Green Sanvi had crossed the Strait on Friday.
After Green Asha's departure, 16 India-flagged vessels will remain in the Persian Gulf, including at least two more LPG tankers, four crude oil tankers, one LNG tanker, one chemical products tanker, three container ships, two bulk carriers, and a few vessels under routine maintenance.
While transiting the Strait, Green Asha was broadcasting its identity as an Indian ship with an Indian crew - a practice that has become standard among vessels crossing in coordination with Iranian authorities, who are regulating all vessel movements through the chokepoint.
Rather than taking the conventional central route through the Strait, Green Asha sailed through Iranian territorial waters between the Larak and Qeshm islands, mirroring the unusual routes taken by other vessels that have recently managed to cross -- a pattern that signals Tehran is effectively running a checkpoint and controlling maritime traffic flow.
India has been engaging with Iran diplomatically to secure safe passage for its ships.
Last week, Iran said non-hostile vessels linked to countries other than the US, Israel, and their allies could cross the Strait in coordination with Iranian authorities.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi specifically named China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan among the nations whose vessels had been permitted to move through the waterway.
The effective closure of the Strait has dealt a significant blow to India's energy supplies.
Approximately 40 per cent of India's crude oil imports, over 50 per cent of its LNG imports, and around 90 per cent of its LPG imports came from West Asia through the Strait.
India's annual LPG consumption stands at just over 33 million tonnes --roughly 90,000 tonnes a day -- with an import dependency of 60 per cent.
Given that 90 per cent of India's LPG imports transit the Strait, the chokepoint effectively accounts for around 54 per cent of the country's total LPG consumption, making its closure particularly acute for Indian households and industry.