Two India-bound vessels carrying 92,700 metric tonnes have safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz off the Iranian coast and are scheduled to dock by March 16-17, the Centre said on Saturday, adding that the "LPG remains a matter of concern at this time" for the government, but no dry outs have been reported at any distribution centre. The government also noted a sharp rise in panic booking among the people amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia which has disrupted oil and gas supply chain across the world.
LPG vessels headed to India
Addressing a presser, Rajesh Kumar Sinhga, Special Secretary, Shipping Ministry, said two India-flagged vessels -- Shivalik and Nanda Devi carrying 92,700 metric tonnes of LPG safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are now headed towards India.
"Their ports of arrival will be Mundra and Kandla, with expected arrival dates of March 16 and March 17, respectively," he said.
Sinha elaborated that all Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf region are safe, and no untoward incidents involving them have been reported over the last 24 hours.
"Consequently, there are now 22 Indian-flagged vessels remaining in the Persian Gulf, carrying a total of 611 seafarers," he added.
The Secretary said that it is working in close coordination with ship owners to ensure the safety of the Indian crew members.
"The Ministry, specifically the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) is closely monitoring the situation regarding all these Indian-flagged vessels and the Indian seafarers on board, in coordination with ship owners, RPSN agencies, and Indian diplomatic missions. Over the past 24 hours, DG Com--the communication centre of DG Shipping received 312 phone calls and 460 emails," he said.
"These communications were received from seafarers, their family members, and other stakeholders within the maritime sector, and appropriate responses have been issued. Looking at the past 15 days in this context, we have received over 2,500 phone calls and approximately 5,000 emails, all of which have been duly responded to," he added.
Centre on LPG supply in country
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Joint Secretary Sujata Sharma said the LPG supply issue remains a matter of concern for the Centre in the wake of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, but no stockout issues have been reported yet, while panic buying has risen exponentially, as high as 80 lakh bookings per day.
"Regarding the LPG supply, I must state that it remains a matter of concern for us in light of the prevailing geopolitical situation; however, no stockouts have been reported thus far. I would like to re-emphasise one specific point: instances of panic booking remain excessively high. The figure I shared with you yesterday, approximately 7.5 to 7.6 million bookings, has now risen to nearly 8.8 million," she added.
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