In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, two Indian-flagged LPG tankers – Shivalik and Nanda Devi, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), have safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz on 14 March 2026 and are now headed to India, escorted by the Indian Navy. Both tankers were chartered by state-run Indian Oil Corporation and had loaded their cargo from Ras Laffan in Qatar.
The safe passage comes after weeks of intense back-channel and high-level diplomacy between New Delhi and Tehran, following the US-Israel bombing campaign on Iran that began on 28 February, triggering a near-total closure of the world’s most critical energy chokepoint. While Tehran maintains a strict “no-exit” policy on supplies bound for US allies, India successfully negotiated a vital exemption to keep its energy supplies flowing. Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali confirmed the development on Friday night, saying plainly: “Yes, because India is our friend.”
Kitchens at Risk: The Human Cost of a Closed Strait
India imports roughly 67% of its LPG requirements, with about 90% of these imports transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. The fallout of its closure has been immediate and deeply personal for millions. Hotels and restaurants across India have been weighing closure and people have been queueing to stock up on LPG cylinders amid fears of a shortage.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas invoked the Essential Commodities Act on 6 March, directing refineries to maximise LPG output and prioritising supply to domestic households. Non-subsidised domestic cylinders rose by ₹60 and commercial 19-kg cylinders by ₹114.50, the first such hike since April last year.
The LPG crisis led to disruptions in the hospitality sector, with many hotels and restaurants in states like Kerala and Karnataka experiencing closures or reduced operations, while Karnataka officials warned that commercial establishments might need to wait up to 10 days for fresh cylinders.
The Nanda Devi is carrying more than 46,000 metric tonnes of LPG, while the Shivalik, with a capacity exceeding 54,000 tonnes, has already reached open sea and is sailing safely under Indian Navy guidance, expected to dock at Mumbai or Kandla within two days. The Union Petroleum Ministry stated that domestic LPG production has increased by 30% since 5 March, with refineries working to strengthen supply chains.
Weeks of Quiet Diplomacy: How India Won Tehran’s Trust
The breakthrough did not happen overnight. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi four times since 28 February, on the day war broke out, then again on 5 March, 10 March and 13 March, with discussions focused on maritime safety and India’s energy security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian within hours of Tehran’s new Supreme Leader vowing to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, marking his first call to Iran since the war broke out.
India also backed its words with action: it gave safe harbour to 183 Iranian sailors from a vessel that docked after the war began. Iran’s Ambassador Fathali acknowledged this directly, saying: “The Government of India, in this situation after the war, helped us in different fields.”
Meanwhile, a senior government official confirmed that four Indian sailors have been killed in attacks since the war began on 28 February, with one seafarer killed as recently as 11 March when the ship Safesea Vishnu was attacked near Basra, Iraq. A number of additional LPG vessels are now reportedly lined up to make the Hormuz crossing, signalling that this breakthrough may open a sustained corridor for Indian energy shipments. A crude tanker carrying Saudi Arabian oil is also expected to arrive in India on Saturday, further easing the crunch.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The safe passage of Shivalik and Nanda Devi is far more than an energy headline, it is a lesson in what principled, persistent diplomacy can achieve in the fog of war. India’s approach has been neither hawkish nor timid; it sheltered Iranian sailors, kept lines of communication open across four high-level conversations and put its own naval assets on the line to protect its citizens and its energy lifeline.
Behind those two tankers are hundreds of millions of Indian families for whom an LPG cylinder is not a commodity but a daily necessity, the flame that lights the stove, feeds the children and keeps a small restaurant alive. At the same time, the four Indian seafarers who have lost their lives in this conflict remind us that geopolitical storms always exact a very human price. As the Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint and India’s energy vulnerability is laid bare for all to see.
CC to Janpath doormats @ravish_journo and other Hindi Patrakar working for Supriya and Izlamist IT Cell..
— Mihir Jha (@MihirkJha) March 14, 2026
These two India-flagged LPG tanker have crossed the Strait of Hormuz today and are headed towards India pic.twitter.com/NCQAxzbl5W
