Kandla port once again became the hub for good news after MT Jag Vasant, an Indian-flagged LPG tanker, docked at the Vadinar terminal of Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in Jamnagar, Gujarat, on Saturday. MT Jag Vasant was carrying 47,000 metric tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
The tanker arrived under Indian Navy escort, through one of the most contested shipping lanes on the planet as of today. After docking at Vadinar, it is undergoing a Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfer at anchorage, where the LPG is being transferred at sea from the large mother vessel to smaller tankers that will carry it to refineries and plants across India.
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MT Jag Vasant had to navigate the Strait of Hormuz at a time when the Middle East conflict had turned the region into a minefield of uncertainty. Even though Iran stated it would allow ships of "friendly nations" like India to pass, the Navy warships were kept on standby to escort merchant vessels through the passage.
Jag Vasant is the latest in a growing parade of Indian LPG tankers completing this nerve-wracking run. MT Nanda Devi arrived at the same Vadinar terminal on March 17 carrying 46,500 MT of LPG. MT Shivalik docked at Mundra port on March 16. Apollo Ocean reached New Mangalore port on March 26.
Together, India’s tanker fleet has now ferried in over 1.8 lakh metric tonnes of LPG in a fortnight. With the Centre already directing oil marketing companies like Indian Oil, BPCL, and HPCL to prioritise domestic household LPG over commercial supply, many hope that this event would turn into good news for commercial kitchens, where the supply of the bigger 19kg commercial cylinders has taken a massive hit.