Tehran: Two additional Indian-flagged Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tankers, Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, successfully transited the volatile Strait of Hormuz on Monday, March 23, 2026. The vessels, which were among the 22 Indian ships stranded in the Persian Gulf following the escalation of the US-Israel conflict with Iran, began their journey from the UAE’s Sharjah port. Ship-tracking data indicated that the tankers took an unusual route via the Larak-Qeshm channel, a move interpreted by maritime analysts as a deliberate “verification process” to signal their identity to Iranian authorities and minimize the risk of being targeted.
As they entered the narrow waterway, both tankers updated their Automatic Identification System (AIS) messaging to explicitly broadcast their status, using signals such as “PINE GAS INDIAN SHIP” and “JGVASNTINDSHIPINDCRW.” This tactical shift follows intense diplomatic outreach by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who has been engaging with Tehran to secure the safe passage of Indian energy assets on a “ship-by-ship” basis. The Pine Gas (58,585 DWT) and Jag Vasant (54,478 DWT) are estimated to be carrying approximately 92,000 metric tonnes of LPG combined, roughly equivalent to one full day of India’s national cooking gas consumption.
Progress of Operation Sankalp
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Naval Escort: Once clear of the Strait, the tankers were met by Indian Navy warships—including a Visakhapatnam-class destroyer—operating under Operation Sankalp. The Navy has positioned more than half a dozen vessels in the Gulf of Oman to provide a safe corridor for merchant shipping without joining any international military coalitions.
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Previous Successes: These arrivals follow the successful return of MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi on March 16 and 17, along with the crude oil tanker Jag Laadki, which reached Mundra on March 18.
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Remaining Fleet: Despite these breakthroughs, 20 Indian-flagged vessels remain anchored west of the Strait of Hormuz, with 611 seafarers still onboard. This fleet includes four crude oil tankers, one LNG carrier, and several container ships.
The Directorate General of Shipping continues to maintain a 24×7 monitoring cell to track the remaining vessels. While the influx of these shipments provides a temporary reprieve for India’s energy reserves, the government continues to enforce a 50% cap on commercial LPG supplies to prioritize domestic households until the maritime blockade is fully resolved.
