Kutch: India's LPG tanker, Shivalik, which crossed the war-hit Strait of Hormuz, arrived at Gujarat’s Mundra Port on Monday.
Shivalik was carrying roughly 40,000 metric tonnes of cooking gas from Qatar, a critical delivery at a time when the West Asia conflict has caused LPG shortages across India.
Earlier, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Shipping Ministry, had informed on Saturday that the vessels Shivalik and Nanda Devi were expected to arrive on 16 and 17 March, respectively.
The vessel, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India, sailed from Ras Laffan in Qatar and docked at around 9 am. Iran had been restricting movement through the Strait of Hormuz amid the war with the United States and Israel, but eventually granted special transit clearance to Shivalik and to a second tanker, Nanda Devi, after intensive diplomatic talks between New Delhi and Tehran. The Indian Navy escorted both ships through the volatile corridor.
Earlier in an interview with the Financial Times UK, EAM S Jaishankar said New Delhi is engaging with Iran to facilitate the reopening of the crucial waterway, which handles nearly 20 per cent of global oil trade.
