LPG tanker Jag Vasant docks in Gujarat's Kandla Port

Amid Hormuz closure, LPG vessel Jag Vasant docks in Gujarat's Kandla Port

On Monday, Jag Vasant, along with another LPG tanker named Pine Gas, started heading for India. The two ships took an unusual route to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Ship carries 42,000 metric tons of LPG
  • Jag Vasant and Pine Gas took unusual route via Qeshm–Larak channel
  • Ships avoided conventional Strait of Hormuz path due to Middle East conflict

Another LPG cargo ship named Jag Vasant docked in Gujarat's Kandla Port on Friday amid the prevailing conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the energy corridor Strait of Hormuz. The ship carried a total of 42,000 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and the mid-sea transfer of the LPG is expected to begin shortly.

On Monday, Jag Vasant, along with another LPG tanker named Pine Gas, started heading for India. The two ships took an unusual route to cross the Strait of Hormuz. India Today tracked the positions of LPG tankers in the Gulf and found that these vessels were crossing the Strait of Hormuz via the Qeshm–Larak channel, rather than taking the shorter and straighter conventional path into the Arabian Sea.

As they began their journey home, both vessels sailing close to one another changed their onboard messaging, shifting from generic identifiers such as “IND SHIP AND CREW” and “ALL INDIA CREW” to more specific signals like “PINE GAS INDIAN SHIP” and “JGVASNTINDSHIPINDCRW” while transiting via the Larak channel.

This indicated that these tankers had possibly received prior approval from Iranian authorities to cross and were explicitly broadcasting their identities to reduce the risk of being targeted while passing through the channel.

Earlier, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said in a press briefing that Jag Vasant safely transited through the Strait of Hormuz and was expected to arrive on March 26.

Jag Vasant became the third Indian LPG tanker to arrive in India. Prior to Jag Vasant, two other LPG tankers, Nanda Devi and Shivalik, also docked in Gujarat ports. Shivalik reached Gujarat's Mundra Port on March 16, and Nanda Devi docked in Gujarat's Vadinar Port a day later. The two ships jointly carried over 92,000 metric tons of LPG.

- Ends