The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has assured there is no shortage of crude oil in India, with fuel supply remaining stable nationwide.
Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery) at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, stated, “Crude is available in sufficient quantity. All refineries are operating at the highest capacity. Our petrol pumps are operating normally. No dry out has been reported anywhere.”
These remarks address concerns raised in some areas about fuel availability. The ministry confirmed that the petroleum supply chain is operating smoothly, with no interruptions in the distribution of petrol and diesel.
Officials noted that oil marketing companies are closely monitoring the situation to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply at retail outlets.
The Shipping Ministry also announced that the Indian-flagged LPG carrier Shivalik is expected to dock at Mundra Port shortly. Rajesh Kumar Sinha from the Ministry of Shipping said, “Shivalik LPG carrier, which sailed from the Persian Gulf, crossed the Strait of Hormuz and headed towards India, will be reaching today around 5 pm, maybe after an hour or so. And before its arrival, documentation, priority berthing, and everything have been arranged at the port so that there is no delay in the discharge of cargo by this vessel.”
He added, “All Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf area are safe. No incident has been reported in the last 24 hours, and we are keeping a continuous watch on the situation. We are in touch with each vessel and its crew. 22 vessels, as was reported on Saturday, also. 22 Indian flag vessels with 611 Indian seafarers remain in the west of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf…”
Sinha further reported that the Indian-flag vessel ‘Jag Laadki’, which sailed from the UAE on March 14 carrying about 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude oil, is safely en route to India and will reach Mundra Port tomorrow. All crew members on board are safe.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said Delhi is engaging with Iran to facilitate reopening the strategic waterway that handles nearly 20 per cent of global oil trade.
In an interview with the Financial Times, he remarked, “These discussions are already yielding some results,” and added, “Certainly, from India’s perspective, it is better that we reason and we coordinate and we get a solution than we don’t. While this is a welcome development, there is continuing conversation because there is continued work on that.”
Jaishankar highlighted the recent passage of two Indian-flagged vessels, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, carrying approximately 92,712 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), to the Indian ports of Mundra and Kandla as evidence of the effectiveness of this diplomatic approach.
He clarified, however, that a formal “blanket arrangement” for all Indian-flagged ships has not yet been established and that vessel transit is currently managed on a “case-by-case basis.”