How many Indian ships are stuck in the Strait of Hormuz?

US-Iran war: With the re-escalation of the US-Iran conflict, concerns about the safe passage of vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz have reemerged. Not only does this pose risks to the seafarers onboard, it would also delay essential arrivals such as energy and fuel. 

According to a report in Bloomberg last week, as many as nine Indian ships are stranded in Hormuz, with 198 mariners onboard. The government is considering holding talks with Iran to secure safe passage for the nine laden tankers, waiting in the Persian Gulf. 

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The movement of these vessels, loaded with crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas, are being closely monitored, the report added. It stated that the safety of the crew members is of particular concern after the death of at least three Indian seafarers who were killed in US strikes on commercial ships in the Gulf of Oman in June.

Safe operations in the strait is of utmost concern for India, as almost 40 per cent of India’s crude imports, 60 per cent of its LNG shipments and 90 per cent of LPG inflows pass through Hormuz. 

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While it is unclear as of now how this would go for domestic fuel consumption, the war has pushed up crude oil prices. Brent ‌crude futures climbed $2.34, or 3.08%, to $78.35 by 2311 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $2.21, or 3.09%, to $73.62 a barrel.

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Questions about oil price hikes and curbs on LPG usage have come up again now that the US and Iran are launching renewed attacks on each other. As supplies slowed down during the peak of the war, the government put curbs on the supply of commercial LPG cylinders to hotels, restaurants and other businesses, which was later restored after the US and Iran signed the peace agreement. 

The government also mandated that customers with an active PNG connection should give up their LPG connection. 

A report in Bloomberg said last week that only about 50 India-bound vessels have transited the strait. Meanwhile, only six vessels passed through the strait on Sunday, the lowest in five months.