India Won’t Send More Tankers Until 13 Stranded Ships Return
India’s government wants to secure the return of its ships stranded in the Gulf before sending any vessels back to load fuel. India will send vessels to the west of the Strait of Hormuz “whenever the situation becomes conducive”, the official added. Thirteen Indian-flagged vessels and one Indian-owned vessel are still stuck on the west side of the strait. Thirteen vessels loaded with energy cargoes — mostly liquefied petroleum gas, used for cooking in India — have so far transited out of the strait since its effective closure on 28 February.
India sourced more than 40% of its crude oil imports and about 90% of its LPG from the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz before the war — the only Asian economy more exposed to the Hormuz disruption than China. India’s shipping ministry is coordinating with the foreign ministry on when to resume sending vessels; the decision will be taken after all stranded ships return. The Iranian Persian Gulf Strait Authority framework would, under ISW’s reading, place India in the second tier of the IRGC’s multi-tier fee structure — i.e. India can operate under a negotiated bilateral agreement rather than the per-transit $150,000 fee. Whether New Delhi will agree to that framework once stranded ships return is the operational test of the IRGC normalisation strategy.