Indian Navy warships escorted Indian LPG tankers in the Gulf of Oman, after they crossed the Strait of Hormuz, on March 14.
The Indian government stated that Indian ships Shivalik and Nanda Devi have crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are now heading towards ports in India, carrying a combined cargo of 92,700 metric tonnes of LPG. Other Indian ships remain on standby in the Gulf region. Any role of the Indian Navy in assisting the vessels was not mentioned. However, footage on social media has confirmed that the Indian Navy is involved, with a Project 15 destroyer of the Visakhapatnam/ Kolkata class and an MH-60R helicopter filmed from Shivalik.
Open source vessel tracking data dated March 14 suggested that at least three Indian Navy vessels were positioned in the Gulf of Oman, in an ideal position to escort Indian commercial shipping crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The accuracy of these publicly seen positions may be affected by GPS fluctuations in the locality.
India, along with several other Asian nations, is heavily dependent on the Strait of Hormuz for its energy requirements. Both tankers are owned by the state owned Shipping Corporation of India and will help assuage domestic concerns over fuel shortage.
The move comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian on March 12, stating that “the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India’s top priorities.” About two dozen Indian vessels and hundreds of Indian seafarers were in the Persian Gulf prior to the call. Iranian attacks on commercial shipping have also killed and injured multiple Indian sailors onboard the vessels. The talks between the two leaders appears to have resulted in an understanding to let Indian ships through the strait.
India had earlier granted the request of three Iranian naval vessels to dock in Kochi. However, the light frigate IRIS Dena was sunk by a U.S. Navy submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka, while landing ship IRIS Lavan docked in Kochi and replenishment vessel IRIS Bushehr docked in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated that on March 14 that a chartered flight departed from Kochi to repatriate stranded Iranian nationals, including tourists, diplomats and non-essential crew of Lavan, which remains docked in Kochi.On March 13, Sri Lanka repatriated remains of the 84 Iranian sailors killed in the US attack on Dena.
Currently 22 Indian vessels are stated to be west of the Strait of Hormuz, with India understood to have sought safe passage for all. U.S. President Donald Trump later expressed hope that global navies will help keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.” While India was not among the countries named in the post, it is understood that India will independently ensure safe passage of vessels without being a part of any coalition. This is likely to be under the ambit of Operation Sankalp, ongoing since 2019 to secure Indian commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden.
(The Shivalik mentioned in this article should not to be confused with Indian Navy’s frigate INS Shivalik)
