What Happened
- The Indian Navy deployed more than five frontline warships — including destroyers and frigates — east of the Strait of Hormuz as part of Operation Urja Suraksha to escort India-bound cargo vessels carrying LNG, LPG, and crude oil.
- The strait has been effectively closed since late February 2026 following US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, causing acute energy supply disruptions; India sources approximately 90% of its LPG imports from West Asia.
- Naval vessels are stationed in the Gulf of Oman near the strait's terminus and maintain constant communication with merchant ships; after securing Iranian clearance for transit, they guide vessels along the safest route through the waterway.
- INS Shivalik and a second vessel (Nanda Devi) successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz carrying a combined 92,700 metric tonnes of LPG and are heading to Indian ports.
- Twenty vessels were identified as high-priority targets for escort, all carrying energy cargo.
Static Topic Bridges
Strait of Hormuz — Strategic Importance
The Strait of Hormuz is a 33-km-wide waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and is the world's most important oil and gas transit chokepoint. In 2024–25, approximately 15 million barrels per day (mb/d) of crude oil — nearly 34% of global crude oil trade — passed through the strait. Around one-fifth of global LNG trade also transits the strait, primarily from Qatar. The strait is flanked by Iran to the north and Oman to the south; Iran's ability to threaten or close it gives Tehran significant geopolitical leverage. Only Saudi Arabia and the UAE have pipeline bypass routes (with combined capacity of 3.5–5.5 mb/d), which are insufficient to substitute full strait flows.
- The strait provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean; most exporting nations have no viable alternative routing
- Major importers of Hormuz-transiting crude: China, India, Japan, South Korea
- India imports 60–65% of its crude oil from West Asia (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE are top suppliers)
- Closure for even a few weeks can sharply raise global oil prices and trigger supply shocks in importing nations
Connection to this news: India's energy import dependence on the Gulf makes securing Hormuz transit a national security imperative — Operation Urja Suraksha is a direct response to this vulnerability.
India's Maritime Security Doctrine and Naval Power-Projection
India's Maritime Security Strategy (2015) identifies the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Indian Ocean as primary areas of interest. The doctrine emphasises the Navy's role not only in warfighting but also in non-traditional security tasks: humanitarian assistance, counter-piracy, and protection of Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) critical to trade. The Navy maintains a Western Naval Command at Mumbai (Arabian Sea-facing) and an Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam (Bay of Bengal-facing). Frontline surface combatants include Project 15B destroyers (Visakhapatnam class), Project 17A frigates (Nilgiri class), and older Kolkata-class destroyers.
- India's coastline: 7,516 km; Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): 2.37 million sq km
- The Navy's "SAGAR" doctrine (Security and Growth for All in the Region) frames India as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)
- Anti-piracy escort missions in the Gulf of Aden since 2008 have accumulated significant operational experience in convoy escort methodology
Connection to this news: Operation Urja Suraksha draws on this established escort doctrine, demonstrating the Navy's capacity to project power into the broader Arabian Sea in service of energy security.
India's LPG Import Dependency and the West Asia Exposure
India is the world's second-largest LPG consumer. The country sources the bulk of its LPG imports from West Asia (primarily Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar through long-term contracts, with spot purchases from additional suppliers). Domestic LPG production from refineries and natural gas processing units covers only a portion of demand; the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme has expanded subsidised LPG access to over 100 million rural households, significantly increasing national demand.
- PMUY launched in 2016; over 10 crore connections to BPL households
- India's annual LPG import requirement: approximately 15–16 MT
- LPG is classified as a petroleum product under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955; its supply and pricing are regulated by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
- Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), and Indian Oil (IOCL) are the three public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) handling LPG distribution
Connection to this news: The Hormuz closure threatens approximately 90% of India's LPG import pipeline, explaining the government's urgent convoy operations and the parallel push to shift urban households from LPG to piped natural gas (PNG).
Key Facts & Data
- Operation Urja Suraksha: 5+ frontline warships (destroyers and frigates) deployed east of the Strait of Hormuz
- Hormuz crude transit: ~15 mb/d (34% of global crude oil trade, 2025)
- LNG through Hormuz: ~one-fifth of global LNG trade
- LPG cargo escorted: INS Shivalik + Nanda Devi carrying 92,700 MT of LPG successfully transited
- High-priority Indian vessels identified for escort: 20 ships
- India's LPG import West Asia dependence: ~90%
- Iran–Oman strait width: approximately 33 km at narrowest point