Khaberni - The Indian government announced on Saturday that a tanker flying the Indian flag loaded with liquefied petroleum gas safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz.
Following the American-Israeli strikes on Iran that ignited the war in the Middle East, Tehran has disrupted navigation in the vital Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for oil and gas supplies, for over a month.
However, India, which is the second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas, managed to secure several of its flag-bearing ships' crossing in the last three weeks.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Shipping confirmed that the liquefied petroleum gas tanker "Green Sanvi" crossed the vital passage.
A statement said "Green Sanvi safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz, carrying 46,650 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas and with 25 sailors on board," without providing further details.
The ministry noted that 17 ships flying the Indian flag with 460 Indian sailors "are still in the west of the Persian Gulf."
Marine traffic monitoring group "Marine Traffic" confirmed that "Green Sanvi" is a tanker flying the Indian flag.
"All India Radio," the public broadcaster, reported that the ship is "the seventh" to cross the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East.
On Saturday, the Indian Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas indicated that Indian refining companies purchase crude oil from Iran and other countries to help resolve the global energy crisis.
It posted on X that "Amid supply disruptions in the Middle East, Indian refining companies have secured their crude oil needs, including from Iran," adding that "there are no problems with payments for crude imports from Iran."
The ministry reported that a tanker loaded with approximately "44,000 metric tons of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas" berthed and "is currently unloading its cargo" at the Mangalore port in the southwest of the country.
This comes almost two weeks after the US Treasury Department announced the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil loaded in tankers temporarily in an attempt to contain the global crisis.
India imports about 60% of its liquefied petroleum gas and has faced a shortage in its supplies since March.
The Indian government imposed restrictions on the use of gas, with caps on industrial supplies.
New Delhi maintains good relations with Tehran, but has recently expanded its cooperation with Israel, especially in the fields of agriculture, technology, and cybersecurity.
