What Happened
- Indian LPG tanker Jag Vikram, owned by Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping Company, became the first Indian-flagged vessel to cross the Strait of Hormuz after a 14-day US-Iran ceasefire was announced, arriving at Kandla Port (Gujarat) on April 14, 2026 with 20,400 metric tonnes of LPG cargo.
- The vessel crossed the Strait on April 11, making it the ninth Indian vessel to exit the Persian Gulf since early March, as India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways works to repatriate 15 Indian-flagged vessels still stranded in the region.
- At the onset of the West Asia conflict, approximately 28 India-flagged vessels were present in the Strait of Hormuz zone — 24 on the western side and 4 on the eastern side; the prolonged disruption highlights the scale of India's maritime exposure in this corridor.
Static Topic Bridges
India's LPG Import Dependence and Energy Vulnerability
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is used by over 320 million households in India for domestic cooking fuel, making its uninterrupted supply a social and political priority. India imports approximately 60% of its LPG consumption; approximately 90% of these LPG imports typically transit the Strait of Hormuz, passing through Gulf producers — primarily Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE. The Gulf region supplies approximately 20% of India's LPG from Qatar alone. When the Strait was effectively closed in early April 2026, the supply chain for a commodity central to India's welfare programmes (PMUY — Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana) was directly threatened.
- India is the world's second-largest LPG importer (after China)
- Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), launched in 2016, has provided free LPG connections to over 100 million BPL households; any LPG shortage directly affects this welfare coverage
- India sealed its first major structured LPG import contract with the US in 2026 — approximately 2.2 million MT/year from the US Gulf Coast — as part of energy diversification
- The Mount Belvieu pricing benchmark (Texas) is now used for India's US LPG imports
Connection to this news: Jag Vikram's safe arrival at Kandla with 20,400 MT of LPG demonstrates partial restoration of the supply chain, but the 15 remaining stranded vessels underscore the fragility of India's Gulf LPG lifeline.
Kandla (Deendayal) Port: India's Largest Port by Cargo Volume
Kandla Port, officially renamed Deendayal Port Trust (DPT) in 2017, is located in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, on the Gulf of Kutch. It is India's largest port by cargo volume and is strategically positioned as the primary entry point for petroleum products and LPG imports serving North and Central India. Kandla was developed after Partition (1947) as a replacement for Karachi, which became part of Pakistan, and was India's first port developed post-independence.
- Kandla is a natural deep-water port with 24/7 operational capacity, handling over 120 million tonnes of cargo annually
- It handles the largest share of India's petroleum, POL (Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants), and LPG imports by volume
- Located at approximately 22.5°N 70°E; the port's proximity to the Gulf region (roughly 1,400 km direct sea distance from Strait of Hormuz) makes it India's first-port-of-call for Gulf energy shipments
- Kandla falls under the Major Ports Authorities Act, 2021 (replacing the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963)
Connection to this news: Kandla's role as the destination for Jag Vikram highlights the port's centrality to India's LPG supply chain and why disruptions to Gulf shipping have an outsized domestic impact concentrated in this single port hub.
India's Merchant Marine and Flag State Registry
India maintains a national merchant fleet under the flag state registration system, governed by the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and administered by the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS). Indian-flagged vessels carry certain legal obligations and protections — they fall under Indian jurisdiction, their crew have Indian labour rights, and their navigation in distress zones invokes Indian government diplomatic intervention, as seen with the 28 vessels stranded near Hormuz.
- Great Eastern Shipping Company is India's largest private shipping company by fleet size and one of Asia's leading bulk and tanker operators
- As of 2025, India's merchant fleet comprised approximately 1,500+ vessels; Indian-flagged vessels are a subset of Indian-owned shipping
- The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways coordinates with the Ministry of External Affairs for consular and evacuation support for stranded crews — a recurring mechanism activated during West Asia tensions
Connection to this news: The coordinated interministerial effort to retrieve 15 stranded Indian-flagged vessels demonstrates the diplomatic and logistical dimensions of maritime trade disruptions that go beyond commodity pricing.
Key Facts & Data
- Jag Vikram carried 20,400 MT of LPG; it is a mid-sized gas carrier with deadweight capacity over 26,000 tonnes
- 28 India-flagged vessels were present in the Strait of Hormuz zone at onset of the conflict
- 15 remain to be retrieved as of April 15, 2026
- Approximately 90% of India's LPG imports transit the Strait of Hormuz
- India imports approximately 60% of its total LPG consumption
- Kandla (Deendayal Port) is India's largest port by cargo volume, handling over 120 million MT/year
- At the height of the blockade, approximately 426 tankers, 34 LPG carriers, and 19 LNG vessels were stranded in the region