First LPG carrier reaches Mumbai since war began

With a crew of 27, all Indian, the vessel carries 23,653 tonnes of propane and 22,926 tonnes of butane for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.

MUMBAI: An LPG carrier, the BW TYR, docked in Mumbai on Tuesday, the first LPG tanker to drop anchor in the city after the war in West Asia began just over a month ago. The vessel arrived at the port at 6.23pm.

Representational image. (AP)

With a crew of 27, all Indian, the vessel carries 23,653 tonnes of propane and 22,926 tonnes of butane for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).

Another LPG carrier, the BW ELM, is bound for New Mangalore and is expected to dock there on Wednesday at 12 noon. Manned by a crew of 28 seafarers, all Indian, the vessel is carrying 23,860 tonnes of propane and 23,139 tonnes of butane. The cargo is meant for Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).

Both Indian-flagged LPG vessels, they transited north of the troubled Strait of Hormuz and cleared the Ras Al Kuh South TSS exit, outside the high-risk area, on Saturday.

Last week, two other Indian LPG carriers, the JAG Vasant and Pine Gas, transited through the strait, a focal point in the war zone. While the JAG Vasant reached Kandla with 47,612 tonnes of LPG, the Pine Gas arrived in New Mangalore with 45,000 tonnes of LPG.

An official with the directorate of shipping said three other Indian-flagged LPG vessels –Jag Vikram, Green Asha and Green Sanvi – are drifting north-east of Abu Musa Island as per instructions from the Indian Navy, awaiting further instructions for transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Seven West Asia-bound vessels are waiting at major ports.

Around 21,000 Indian seafarers are in the wider Gulf region, of which 583 (485 in the Persian Gulf region and 98 in the Gulf of Oman) are on board Indian-flagged vessels.

A total of 959 seafarers have been evacuated by various shipping companies as of March 31.