Two LPG carriers and one oil tanker – Shivalik, Nanda Devi and Jag Laadki – were evacuated earlier, escorted by the Indian Navy from the Gulf of Oman region
| Photo Credit: Reuters
22 India-bound vessels in the Persian Gulf region have been identified for evacuation and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz by the Indian government. Of these, 20 vessels have been assessed as critical to India’s energy security, carrying some 2.15 lakh metric tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), 3.21 lakh tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and 16.76 lakh tonnes of crude oil. These vessels are both Indian-flagged and foreign-flagged but all are bound for India.
Iran-Israel war updates on March 18, 2026
Among the 20 energy-critical vessels, 10 are Indian-flagged. The 20 vessels include three LNG carriers, 10 LPG carriers, and seven crude oil tankers. Marshall Islands, Liberia, Greece, Malta and Portugal are some of the other flags these ships carry. In addition, two Indian-flagged container vessels have also been identified for evacuation to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Coordination is ongoing with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; Directorate of Naval Operations (DNO); Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG); and the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFCIOR) for the evacuation of the vessels from the Persian Gulf region.
Two LPG carriers and one oil tanker – Shivalik, Nanda Devi and Jag Laadki – were evacuated earlier, escorted by the Indian Navy from the Gulf of Oman region. The three ships have reached India. The two LPG ships were carrying some 97,000 tonnes of the fuel. Navy sources had told The Hindu that the escorting will continue in future as well.
Shivalik has been partially discharged at Mundra and is awaiting commencement of ship-to-ship operations by the charterer, IOC. Nanda Devi has doubled-banked with BW Birch for ship-to-ship transfer at Vadinar. Cargo operations are expected to start soon.
Crude carrier Jag Laadki that was escorted by the Indian Navy reached Mundra Port earlier on Friday (March 13, 2026). It was carrying approximately 81,000 metric tonnes of Murban crude oil from the United Arab Emirates. The vessel narrowly escaped damage when the Fujairah terminal where it was loading was attacked.
Some 23,000 Indian seafarers are stranded in the Persian Gulf, of whom 658 are on Indian-flagged vessels. Some 472 seafarers have been evacuated by various shipping companies from the Gulf region so far, as per the government.
In total, 22 Indian vessels are in the Persian Gulf region, west of the Strait of Hormuz; two in the Gulf of Oman, east of the strait; one in the Gulf of Aden; and two in the Red Sea. Of these, the government-owned Shipping Corporation of India owns six, of which five are in Persian Gulf and one in the Gulf of Aden.
No Indian ship has been attacked so far in the conflict in West Asia. But three Indian seafarers have died, four have been injured, and one reported missing in foreign-flagged vessels.
Government sources said that seven West Asia-bound vessels were waiting at major ports and five in other ports in India.
(with inputs from Saptaparno Ghosh)
Published – March 18, 2026 11:29 pm IST
