In a much-needed boost amidst the ongoing oil crisis caused by the West Asia conflict, a cargo ship carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Texas, the United States, arrived at New Mangalore Port on Sunday morning.
The Singapore-flagged Pyxis Pioneer, which departed from Nederland, Texas, on February 14, docked at Berth No. 13 at around 6 am. The vessel’s arrival comes a day after the Shipping Ministry announced a temporary waiver of all cargo-related charges for crude oil and LPG from March 14 to March 31 at New Mangalore Port.
Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary of the Shipping Ministry, confirmed that all 22 Indian ships and 611 sailors in the Persian Gulf are safe amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
On Wednesday, the Indian-flagged crude oil tanker Jag Laadki successfully arrived at Adani Ports Mundra in Gujarat. Prior to that, two Indian-flagged LPG carriers—MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi—safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz and arrived in India on March 16 and 17, respectively. Together, the two vessels carried approximately 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has reported a significant decline in panic booking of LPG cylinders.
"There is no panic booking now. Only 5.5 million LPG bookings were reported yesterday," said Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary of the Ministry, on Friday.
On Saturday, the government approved an additional 20 per cent allocation of commercial LPG to states and Union Territories, taking the total allocation to 50 per cent, increased domestic output is helping the situation crawl back to normalcy.
The additional allocation will be subject to commercial establishments registering with oil companies and applying for a piped natural gas connection, according to a letter written by the oil secretary to states.
India imports around 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of its natural gas, and 60 per cent of its LPG. However, the West Asia conflict has led to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial transit route for Gulf energy supplies.
Before the war began on February 28, more than half of India’s crude oil imports, about 30 per cent of its natural gas, and 85-90 per cent of its LPG came from Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.