India, Iran Coordinate Tanker Transits Through Hormuz

India is working closely with Iran to secure the safe passage of crude oil and LPG tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, with vessel movements currently being cleared individually on a ship‑by‑ship basis amid heightened tensions in West Asia. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Financial Times that no formal blanket arrangement has yet been put in place for all Indian‑flagged ships, underscoring that each transit is being handled case by case, even as energy security concerns sharpen around one of the world’s most vital oil routes.

The ongoing diplomatic engagement has already facilitated the movement of key India‑bound energy cargoes through the chokepoint, according to senior officials. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said LPG tanker Shivalik, carrying about 46,000 tonnes of LPG, docked at Mundra port around 5 pm with priority berthing arranged to ensure rapid discharge of its cargo. Another Indian‑flagged vessel, Jag Laadki, loaded with roughly 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude from Fujairah, safely departed the UAE terminal and is expected at Mundra, reinforcing crude inflows despite recent attacks and security concerns in the wider Gulf region.

In parallel, two India‑bound tankers carrying a combined 3 million barrels of Iraqi and Arab crude transited the Strait between March 5 and March 10 with their AIS transponders switched off, highlighting the discreet operational measures being used to keep oil moving as geopolitical risks escalate. Nearly 90% of India’s LPG imports and around half of its crude oil imports move through the Strait of Hormuz, making continued access to this corridor central to India’s fuel security strategy. Responding to questions on whether Tehran is selectively allowing Indian ships to pass, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stressed that India’s engagement with Iran is grounded in longstanding diplomatic ties rather than any transactional arrangement linked to current tensions.

New Delhi has also clarified that it is not engaged in bilateral discussions with the United States on deploying Indian naval assets for joint security operations in the Strait. While Washington has urged oil‑importing nations to contribute warships to help secure the waterway, India has so far limited its response to diplomatic and operational channels, even as it closely tracks deliberations taking place among other countries. Jaiswal noted that India is aware of these talks but has had “no such bilateral discussion yet” with the US on Hormuz naval deployments.

On the domestic front, authorities are moving to fortify supply chains and build buffers against potential disruptions. Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the petroleum ministry, said LPG production in India has risen by around 36% since March 5 after refineries were instructed to maximise cooking gas output as a precautionary measure. The government has appealed to households and commercial users in pipeline‑connected areas to switch from LPG cylinders to piped natural gas wherever possible, with city gas distributors such as Indraprastha Gas, Mahanagar Gas, GAIL Gas and BPCL rolling out incentives like free introductory gas credits or waivers on security deposits to accelerate PNG adoption.

Officials emphasise that supplies of compressed natural gas and PNG remain protected for priority sectors, though gas allocations to some industrial and commercial consumers have been moderated to preserve availability for essential use. The petroleum ministry has also assured that India’s overall fuel supply position remains stable, with refineries operating at high utilisation and adequate crude inventories in place, and no reports of retail fuel stations running dry. Data from the shipping ministry shows that 22 Indian‑flagged vessels carrying 611 seafarers are currently positioned west of the Strait of Hormuz, including LPG and LNG carriers, crude oil tankers, container ships and bulkers, underlining the scale of Indian maritime exposure in the region.

To support ship operators and cargo interests caught up in the crisis, India has announced a range of port‑side reliefs and facilitation measures. Sinha said Indian ports are offering concessions on anchorage, berth hire and storage charges for stranded vessels, while the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority has created temporary transhipment storage for West Asia‑bound containers. At JNPA, a 100% rebate on ground rent and dwell‑time charges and about 80% relief on reefer plug‑in charges for up to 15 days have been extended to containers originating at the port, as terminals, Customs and other stakeholders coordinate to keep cargo operations flowing despite the uncertainty around Hormuz.