India-linked LPG carrier crosses Hormuz via Iran-approved shipping lane

India-linked vessel Tara Gas has crossed the Iranian blockade, opting for the Iran-approved route. But the vessel has a history of ferrying Iranian cargo.

In Short

• The vessel’s last recorded port was Sharjah Anchorage before transit began
• Ship Atlas places it in a 53,208 MT deadweight category
• Bloomberg reported the carrier had previously moved Iranian cargoes on earlier voyages

A Panama-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier is identifying its crew and ownership as Indian while transiting the Strait of Hormuz through a route cleared by Iran, according to ship-tracking data.

The LPG carrier Tara Gas was seen moving past Iran’s Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz after departing from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, according to Ship Atlas tracking data. The vessel has a listed deadweight of 53,208 MT, placing it in the same broad size class as LPG carriers such as Shivalik that have previously called at Indian ports.

Ship-tracking data also lists the vessel’s last known port as Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, before it moved through the Strait of Hormuz past Iran’s Larak Island. Ship Atlas lists Tara Gas with a deadweight of 53,208 MT, placing it in the same broad size class as LPG carriers such as Shivalik, which have previously reached Indian ports.

The vessel’s movement is being closely watched amid heightened tensions around Iranian shipping routes and ongoing scrutiny of cargo traffic passing through the Gulf region. According to a Bloomberg report, Tara Gas has previously ferried Iranian cargoes and still has to navigate the US-enforced blockade targeting Iranian shipping.

On May 2, the India-bound LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, chartered by IOC, reached the Indian coast after crossing what has been described as a twin blockade in the region. The transit came weeks after an April 18 incident in which IRGC gunboats opened fire on two vessels, Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald, while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Since the conflict escalated, vessels stranded inside the Persian Gulf have adopted a range of tactics to secure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, including switching off AIS transponders, altering destination signals, and navigating amid GPS jamming and possible spoofing.

Governments including India, Thailand and Malaysia have also opened diplomatic channels with Tehran to secure the release or safe transit of energy cargoes moving through the region.

According to the Equasis database, the vessel’s owner is listed as UAE-based Global Gas Inc, while its manager is listed as Matrix Maritime Solutions FZE that shares Global Gas’s address.

- Ends