Two India-flagged liquefied petroleum gas tankers, the Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, set sail from the UAE on Monday, tracking close to the Iranian coastline through the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels are headed for undisclosed Indian ports, with the Indian Navy set to escort them once they enter international waters.
One of the tankers is likely bound for Gujarat's Dahej port, but the destinations may change due to dynamic traffic and operational situations amid the West Asian conflict.
The Jag Vasant has been chartered by the Bharat Petroleum Corp, while the Pine Gas is hauling gas for the Indian Oil Corp. Iran allowed two India-flagged LPG carriers to sail through the strait last week.
Three major west-coast ports - Kandla, Mundra, and Dahej - are being kept ready for the ships, but Mundra's portside LPG storage facilities are currently full.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on March 21, ramping up diplomatic engagement.
The tankers are making their way through a narrow corridor between the Iranian islands of Larak and Qeshm, a conduit Iran has designated for vessels it permits.
The safe passages for the India-destined tankers are among the very few allowed by Iran through the vital waterway, which handles a fifth of the world's crude flows.
