India is prioritising the safe return of its vessels stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz before allowing ships to resume fuel-loading operations in the Gulf, a senior government official said on Thursday amid ongoing regional tensions.
“Our priority is to get all our ships out of the Strait of Hormuz,” said Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, during a press briefing.
Mangal stated that India would consider sending vessels back to the west of the Strait “whenever the situation becomes conducive.” The shipping ministry is coordinating closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, and a decision on resuming voyages for energy cargo loading will be taken only after the stranded ships safely return.
According to the ministry, 13 Indian-flagged vessels and one Indian-owned vessel remain stranded on the western side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The disruption follows the effective closure of the Strait amid escalating conflict triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Since then, only 13 vessels carrying energy cargoes — mainly liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) — have successfully transited out of the strategic waterway.
The crisis has severely impacted India’s energy supply chain. Before the conflict, more than 40% of India’s crude oil imports and nearly 90% of its LPG imports passed through the Strait of Hormuz. LPG is widely used across Indian households for cooking fuel.
With shipments through the Strait largely suspended, India is now facing one of its most significant cooking gas supply disruptions in decades, raising concerns over fuel availability and import logistics in the coming weeks.
