The Marshall Islands-flagged Sarv Shakti — laden with around 45,000 tons of LPG, commonly used as cooking fuel — appeared to move northward through the waterway, toward and then past Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands on Saturday, in the direction of the Gulf of Oman, according to ship-tracking data
The Sarv Shakti was seen transiting the Strait of Hormuz early Saturday.
New Delhi: An India-linked LPG carrier has exited the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing tensions in West Asia, according to marine traffic data.
The Marshall Islands-flagged very large gas carrier Sarv Shakti, carrying about 45,000 tonnes of LPG and crewed by Indians, entered the Gulf of Oman on Saturday, the data showed.
The vessel had remained in the Persian Gulf since the outbreak of the conflict on February 28 and departed from Ghantoot in the UAE on March 3. It is the first India-linked vessel to transit the strait after the United States imposed a blockade on April 13 following a breakdown in negotiations with Iran.
During its passage through the strategic chokepoint between Iran and Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, the vessel broadcast “India/Indian crew” on its automatic identification system, a precautionary measure adopted by ships operating in the region amid heightened tensions.
Tracking data indicated that the vessel sailed close to the Iranian coastline, following a route cleared by Iranian authorities. Iran had earlier designated parts of the strait near the Oman coast as a “hazard zone”.
The tanker is among the vessels considered critical to India’s energy supplies during the conflict. Reports said Indian Oil Corporation was the charterer, though there was no official confirmation.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle with agency inputs )
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