Second ship carrying crude oil reaches Mumbai

A Liberian ship carrying 1.35 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil reached Mumbai, marking the second vessel to cross the Strait of Hormuz amid regional conflict.

Mumbai: A Liberian-flagged ship, Smyrni, carrying 1.35 lakh metric tonne crude oil for the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) reached Mumbai on Sunday, becoming the second India-bound ship to safely navigate across the Strait of Hormuz amid the escalating war in the Middle East.

Representational image. (REUTERS)

The vessel arrived in the morning from Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia, and it will start discharging the crude oil to the HPCL refinery in Mahul once it gets berthing space on Monday, Jitendra Jadhav, shipping agent with the Atlantic Shipping Company told Hindustan Times.

Earlier, on March 11, Liberia-flagged oil tanker Shenlong Suezmax docked at Mumbai’s Jawahar Dweep, becoming the first India-bound ship to cross the Strait of Hormuz since shipping through the crucial maritime corridor was suspended on account of the United State-Israeli war on Iran.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, an Indian flagged vessel, Jag Laadki, escaped an attack at the Fujairah oil terminal near Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a press note from the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said.

The ship, carrying about 80,800 metric tonne crude oil, had left Fujairah when the terminal was attacked and all Indian seafarers onboard were safe, the PIB press note said.

A status report from the shipping ministry on Sunday evening said that 24 Indian vessels were currently navigating through the Persian Gulf region, to the west of Strait of Hormuz, among which five vessels belonged to the Shipping Corporation of India.

A senior officer from the shipping directorate said that out of the 24 ships, two were carrying about 92,712 metric tonne liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The ships were scheduled to arrive at the Mundra and Kandla ports on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, the officer noted.

The status report said approximately ⁠23,000 Indian seafarers in Indian-flagged vessels were stranded in the Persian Gulf region, while 276 seafarers had been evacuated by various shipping companies from the region till March 15.

Since the activation of the DG Shipping Control Room, it has handled 2,995 phone calls and 5,357 emails from seafarers, their families and maritime stakeholders seeking information and assistance.