LPG tanker Nanda Devi has arrived safely at Vadinar Port in Gujarat, Indian shipping officials confirmed, bringing roughly 46,000 metric tons of liquified petroleum gas (LPG). The vessel departed Qatar and transited the Strait of Hormuz after diplomatic talks between New Delhi and Tehran, marking the second of two Indian-flagged LPG ships to make the passage following recent tensions in the region.
India’s shipping and ports minister, Sabarnanda Sonowal, praised the crews and captains for their role in delivering “vital LPG cargo.” The government said it was working to bring back many more Indian vessels from the Gulf. A third Indian tanker carrying crude oil from the United Arab Emirates was also scheduled to reach India on the same day.
The arrivals follow a sharp fall in oil and gas exports from the Gulf since the Iran war began on February 28, which saw transit through the Strait of Hormuz plunge by as much as 90% in the immediate aftermath. Iran briefly declared the strait closed on March 2 and threatened to attack ships attempting to pass, later saying it was open to all except the US and its allies. India, the world’s second-largest LPG importer, moved quickly to enforce emergency directives to manage domestic shortages and engaged in diplomatic efforts with Tehran to secure safe passage for Indian-flagged vessels.
Two LPG-carrying ships—Shivalik and Nanda Devi—crossed the strait after negotiations, and were escorted by the Indian Navy under “Operation Sankalp,” an initiative launched to protect Indian vessels in the conflict-affected Gulf. Another Indian-flagged tanker, Jag Laadki, was also due to arrive at a different Gujarat port after earlier incidents in the region, including an attack near UAE’s Fujairah port; officials reported everyone onboard that vessel was unharmed.
The government said 22 Indian vessels remained in the Gulf area and that talks to repatriate them were ongoing. Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told the Financial Times there was no “blanket agreement” with Iran governing ship movements.
Domestically, the LPG shortage has prompted authorities to encourage households to switch to piped natural gas (PNG) where available to ease pressure on limited LPG imports. The disruption has affected millions of Indian households that rely on LPG for cooking.
In other related developments, Air India and Air India Express planned to operate a total of 44 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from the Middle East on Tuesday, March 17, including 24 non-scheduled services subject to airport slot availability. Operations to and from Dubai remained suspended temporarily after airspace closures linked to Iranian attacks; the UAE reopened its airspace later on the same day. Millions of Indian nationals live and work across Gulf countries, and many have been trying to return home amid the regional conflict.
Separately, at the United Nations, Indian Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni accused Pakistan of “fabricating imaginative tales of Islamophobia” and warned of the dangers of weaponising religious identity for political ends. He criticised Pakistan over alleged repression of Ahmadis, large-scale refoulement of Afghans, and recent air strikes. His remarks came after a Pakistani airstrike on a drug treatment facility in Kabul that reportedly killed at least 400 people and left hundreds injured. Parvathaneni also said the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had repeatedly made “false and baseless allegations” against India—a claim India links to Pakistan influence. Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have in turn criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for policies they say discriminate against religious minorities; India’s Muslim community numbers over 200 million.
This coverage reflects developments as of March 17, 2026, including shipping movements, diplomatic efforts to secure maritime routes, domestic measures to manage fuel shortages, airline operations for Gulf routes, and diplomatic exchanges at the UN.
