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First post-conflict tanker that reached India via Strait of Hormuz to return to UAE
The crew of the Liberia-flagged Shenlong transited the strait overcoming the absence of electronic navigational equipment.
The first oil tanker to reach India through the Strait of Hormuz after the West Asia conflict started will return to the war-torn region after unloading the ship’s cargo of crude in Mumbai even as another vessel that transited the now-perilous waterway neared the Indian coastline.
The crew of the Liberia-flagged Shenlong, which arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday after leaving the Ras Tanura terminal in Saudi Arabia on March 3, transited the strait overcoming the absence of electronic navigational equipment, relying on seamanship skills and pure courage.
In response to attacks by the US and Israel on February 28, Iran has struck merchant ships, other than those owned by or headed to China, and choked the transport of energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly a fifth of the world’s crude passes the strait to enter or exit the Persian Gulf.
Signals from the ship’s transponders and AIS, or automatic identification system, were not detected sometime during the voyage, a person familiar with the matter had told HT on Wednesday.
An official from the shipping ministry and members of the crew said the ship experienced instances of GPS spoofing and jamming during its transit.
Also Read | India in touch with Iran for safe passage of vessels through Strait of Hormuz
The ship’s captain, Sukshant Singh Sandhu -- a Mohali resident – had said on Wednesday that the ship lost GPS signals many times along the way, but were lucky to not to face any hostile attacks, “although there were many uncertainties”.
Second officer Abhijit Alok said on Thursday it was a challenge to navigate the vessel without GPS, which made the journey tough. “We were lucky to have reached safely and happy to have been able to carry some vital resources (crude oil) for the country at a time when supplies are short,” said Alok. “Captain Sandhu is a seasoned officer and knows how to navigate when there are no GPS signals; we sailed on in the manner it was done in an era when there were no signals -- with secondary options.”
Alok added that they saw some fighter planes flying overhead in Saudi Arabia but no military conflict.
The ship has 29 Indian, Pakistani and Filipino crew on board.
The ship is set to sail for Fujairah port on Friday night after delivering 1,35,335 metric tonnes of crude at Jawahar Dweep or Butcher Island, off the coast of Mumbai, according to the ship’s agent, Jitendra Jadhav. The crude will then go to refineries in Mahul, in eastern Mumbai.
Fujairah is on the eastern coast of the UAE, outside the Strait of Hormuz. But it has not been immune from the conflict. Debris from a drone interception by UAE defence forces sparked a fire at Fujairah on March 9. The oil storage terminal at Fujairah was also struck last week by falling debris.
For the time being, the Shenlong’s crew is relieved to be in Mumbai after leaving the conflict zone.
“We had full stock of food. Both the crew and the captain were a big support. The captain assured us that we would be alerted during a time of emergency,” third officer Osman Arshad, a Pakistan national and resident of Karachi, said.
Arshad added that his contract with the shipping company expires next month, “which gives me an opportune time to take a four-month vacation, at least, to work off the stress”.
Another member of the crew, who did not wish to be named, said he “used to send messages to his family in India whenever possible and feels safe to be back in the country”.
Meanwhile Jadhav said that another vessel carrying crude oil, the Smyrni, was reaching Mumbai on March 14.
