India's second LPG carrier 'Nanda Devi' crosses ‘strait of Hormuz’, arrives at Gujarat port

Ahmedabad: India’s second LPG carrier, Nanda Devi, reached Vadinar port in Gujarat safely on Tuesday, delivering 46,500 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas after passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, an official said.

This follows the arrival of the first vessel, Shivalik, which docked at Mundra port on Monday, reported PTI.

Nanda Devi berthed at Vadinar in Devbhumi Dwarka district, where arrangements are underway to transfer the LPG cargo to a daughter vessel, Deendayal Port Authority Chairman Sushil Kumar Singh said.

"A consignment of 46,500 metric tonnes of LPG has been brought in; this cargo will be transferred to a vessel named BW Birch, which will subsequently proceed to discharge portions of the consignment at the ports of Ennore (Tamil Nadu) and Haldia (West Bengal) along the eastern coast," he said.

"The transfer process takes place at a rate of 1,000 tonnes per hour; consequently, the entire operation is expected to take two days to complete," he added.

Singh said authorities at Vadinar are responsible for ensuring the smooth execution of these operations in line with directives from the Ministry of Ports.

"This constitutes a standard operational procedure that we have consistently carried out here at Vadinar. However, the current directive issued by the ministry mandates that incoming LPG vessels be accorded top priority; we must ensure that their transfer and discharge processes are completed as expeditiously as possible," he said.

He added that all operational aspects are being closely monitored, with multiple agencies involved in the process.

"We visited the vessel and met with its crew members. The 'daughter vessel' is currently en route; upon its arrival, it will berth alongside the 'mother vessel' Nanda Devi, at which point the ship-to-ship transfer operation will commence," he said.

Singh further said that the ministry has instructed that all future LPG vessels be handled on priority while strictly following safety norms and avoiding any shortcuts.

"Our objective is to eliminate any procedural bottlenecks and ensure that the cargo is discharged as quickly as possible," he added.

On Monday, Gujarat minister Jitu Vaghani said the LPG carrier Shivalik was able to safely reach Mundra port from the Strait of Hormuz amid the crisis due to India’s strong diplomatic ties under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He told the state assembly that the vessel navigated the strait safely despite global tensions involving Iran, Israel and other countries.

India depends heavily on imports, sourcing about 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of natural gas and 60 per cent of LPG requirements. Prior to the US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28 and the subsequent retaliation by Tehran, over half of India’s crude imports, around 30 per cent of gas and 85–90 per cent of LPG imports came from Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The conflict has disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit route for Gulf supplies. While India has partially offset crude disruptions by importing from countries like Russia, gas supplies to industries have been reduced and LPG availability for commercial users such as hotels and restaurants has been curtailed.

Officials said that currently 22 Indian-flagged vessels carrying 611 seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf, and efforts are ongoing to ensure their safe passage.