A Marshall Islands-flagged vessel carrying 20,000 metric tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) arrived safely at the Deendayal Port Authority in Kandla, Gujarat on 17 May, after navigating the increasingly volatile Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, officials said. The ship, MV SYMI, departed from Qatar and docked at approximately 11:30 pm IST on Saturday, having cleared the Strait on 13 May.

The Voyage and Its Significance

The successful docking of MV SYMI underscores the continued — if precarious — flow of energy supplies to India through one of the world's most strategically critical chokepoints. Since early March, 13 India-flagged vessels — comprising 12 LPG tankers and one crude oil tanker — have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway near the Omani coast through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas exports normally transit.

This comes amid a severe disruption to shipping in the region following the outbreak of conflict on 28 February, when the US and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes. Officials have described the resulting energy supply disruption as one of the worst the world has seen in recent decades.

India-Flagged Vessel Attacked Off Oman

The arrival of MV SYMI follows a serious incident on 13 May, when an India-flagged commercial vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman. All 14 crew members aboard the vessel — which was sailing from Somalia — were rescued by Omani authorities. The identity of those responsible for the strike had not been confirmed at the time of reporting. At least two other India-flagged vessels have also come under attack since the regional conflict escalated earlier this year.

India's Position at the United Nations

India has strongly condemned attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, characterising them as 'unacceptable' at a special session of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) convened to address threats to global energy and supply flows. Parvathaneni Harish, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated that targeting civilian crew members and disrupting freedom of navigation 'cannot be justified.' His remarks came in the days immediately following the attack on the India-flagged vessel off Oman.

Broader Energy Security Stakes

The Strait of Hormuz remains the world's single most critical energy corridor, with nearly one-fifth of global energy supplies passing through it under normal conditions. The ongoing conflict has severely disrupted ship movement through the narrow waterway, raising alarms across energy-importing nations. For India, which depends heavily on Gulf energy imports to meet domestic LPG and crude oil demand, safe passage through the Strait is a matter of direct economic and strategic consequence.

With tensions in the region showing no sign of abating, India's ability to sustain energy imports through the Strait will remain a key variable in its energy security calculus in the weeks ahead.