LPG tanker 'Symi' reaches Kandla port safely, bringing major energy relief for India

Providing a breath of relief to India’s strained domestic fuel sector, the Marshall Islands-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier Symi successfully docked at the Deendayal Port in Kandla, Gujarat, on Sunday morning.

The arrival follows a tense, highly coordinated passage through the strategic Strait of Hormuz on May 13, a primary choke point that has been heavily disrupted for over 75 days due to the ongoing military conflict in West Asia.

The vessel, loaded with approximately 20,000 tonnes of liquid propane and butane secured from Qatar’s Ras Laffan terminal by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), arrived with its full complement of 21 foreign crew members (comprising 13 Filipinos and eight Ukrainians) reported safe.

Navigating the blackout zone

The Symi’s transit required advanced tactical maneuvers. Amid tight US blockade lines and Iranian naval patrols cutting across the Gulf of Oman, the carrier temporarily disabled its automatic identification system (AIS) transponders on Wednesday, successfully slipping past radar-monitored combat zones before re-emerging east of Iran’s Larak Island.

More from India

According to New Delhi officials, the operation required immense inter-ministerial synergy to ensure the vessel did not get turned back or caught in crossfire.

"These safe passages are being made possible through seamless, round-the-clock coordination between DG Shipping, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas," confirmed Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.

The Symi is the 13th India-linked energy vessel to successfully breach the bottleneck since early March. It was closely shadowed by another Vietnam-flagged LPG tanker, the NV Sunshine, which is currently carrying 46,427 tonnes of fuel toward the New Mangalore Port.

A cushion against shrunk stockpiles

The arrival of the cooking gas couldn't be better timed for India's domestic market. Due to the extended 75-day disruption of West Asian shipping routes, India’s total crude and commercial gas stockpiles have shrunk sharply by roughly 15 per cent.

According to commodities analytics firm Kpler, India’s available crude inventory dropped to 91 million barrels from the 107 million barrels held before the outbreak of hostilities. This squeeze on national reserves led Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a public appeal to citizens earlier this month to conserve fuel.

Tehran vows safety for 'friendly nations'

The arrival of the carrier coincided with key diplomatic meetings in New Delhi. Following formal talks on the sidelines of the Brics Foreign Ministers' summit, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, took to social media to reassure New Delhi of continued energy security despite the regional warfare.

"In fruitful engagement with my host External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, discussed regional developments and clarified that Iran will always carry out its historical duty as protector of security in Hormuz. Iran is a reliable partner of all friendly nations, who can rely on the safety of commerce," he wrote. 

While the diplomatic posturing remains optimistic, maritime realities remain highly volatile. At least 12 Indian merchant vessels remain stranded deeper inside the Persian Gulf, and the Indian-flagged commercial dhow MSV Haji Ali was recently attacked and sunk in neighbouring Omani waters.