India-Flagged LPG Tanker Completes Perilous 9-Day Journey from Qatar
An Indian-flagged LPG carrier, the Shivalik, has successfully docked at Mundra Port in Gujarat after a nine-day voyage from Qatar’s Ras Laffan Port. The vessel transported approximately 46,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and navigated through the conflict-affected Strait of Hormuz en route to India.
The Shivalik, along with another LPG carrier, the Nanda Devi, is owned by the state-run Shipping Corporation of India. The Nanda Devi, also carrying roughly 46,000 tonnes of LPG, is expected to arrive at Kandla Port in Gujarat early Tuesday.
Additionally, the Indian-flagged crude oil tanker Jag Laadki is scheduled to reach Mundra Port on Tuesday afternoon. This vessel departed from the UAE’s Fujairah port on Saturday—coinciding with an attack on the oil terminal there—and is carrying around 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude, a grade produced in the UAE.
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Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the shipping ministry, confirmed that all Indian seafarers operating in the Persian Gulf region remain safe.
According to details accessed by The Times of India, Indian Oil Corporation has ordered 20,000 tonnes of LPG from the Shivalik shipment, which will be unloaded at Mundra. The remaining 26,000 tonnes are slated for discharge at New Mangalore Port. For the Nanda Devi, the LPG will be transferred at sea to two smaller vessels at Vadinar—a facility associated with Kandla Port near Jamnagar—before onward distribution to various destinations.
Mundra Port features dedicated storage infrastructure, from where the gas is piped to the Mithi Rohar site in Gandhidham for handover to GAIL and integration into the National Gas Grid.
Government-owned major ports are actively tracking vessel movements and supporting cargo operations amid the challenging environment. They are providing concessions on anchorage fees, berth hire, storage charges, and temporary transshipment facilities, including at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority.
In response to directives to ramp up domestic LPG production, refineries such as HPCL Mittal Energy in Bhatinda and Reliance refinery in Jamnagar have requested additional rail rakes to handle increased output and distribution needs.
These arrivals come against the backdrop of heightened maritime risks in the region, underscoring India’s ongoing dependence on Middle Eastern energy supplies and the efforts to maintain secure import channels.