NEW DELHI: An India-flagged oil tanker, Jag Laadki, safely departed from the UAE’s Fujairah port on Sunday morning after the oil terminal there came under attack a day earlier.
The tanker had been loading crude oil at the port on Saturday when the incident occurred. According to the shipping ministry, the vessel is now en route to India carrying about 80,800 tonnes of Murban crude, a grade of oil produced in the UAE.
The ministry confirmed that all Indian seafarers aboard the ship are safe. The tanker is owned and operated by the Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping Company.
Meanwhile, a Liberian-flagged tanker, MT Smyrni, carrying roughly 1.4 lakh tonnes of crude oil, arrived at Mumbai port on Saturday night. It is the third tanker to reach an Indian port after navigating the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing tensions in West Asia.
In a statement, the government also said that two India-flagged LPG carriers — Shivalik and Nanda Devi — crossed the Strait of Hormuz on March 14 carrying about 92,712 tonnes of LPG. The vessels are currently sailing toward India and are expected to reach Mundra Port on March 16 and Kandla Port on March 17, respectively.
At present, 22 India-flagged ships with 611 seafarers remain west of the Persian Gulf region. India is in discussions with Iran to ensure safe passage for its vessels operating in the conflict-affected waters.
