An Indian-captained oil tanker arrives in Mumbai from a Saudi port during the Gulf War; another ship is en route to India

New Delhi: A Liberian-flagged vessel “manned by Indian nationals” laden with crude oil from Tanura port in Saudi Arabia has reached Mumbai port through the Strait of Hormuz, the Mumbai Port Trust has learned.The Shenlong Suezmax tanker, said to be carrying about 135,335 tons (about 1 million barrels) of crude oil, departed from a Saudi port and arrived in Mumbai on March 1, becoming the first India-bound ship to safely navigate the strategic waterway to reach the Indian coast amid fierce fighting in the Gulf.A source from DG Shipping told toy“The captain is Indian. Not all the crew members on the Shenlong Suezmax tanker are Indians. And the crew members on the ship include Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis.”Sources said although there is no official confirmation that the Indian captain activated “dark mode” and sailed the ship from the “blocked” Strait of Hormuz to Mumbai by turning off Automatic Identification System Tracking, a radio system used by the maritime industry to monitor and track ship movements in real time. toy“The GPS signal in the strait is quite unstable. In a war-like situation, the AIS tracking system will be turned off.”Sources also revealed that “another ship is also en route to Mumbai”. According to some reports, the second tanker may dock in Mumbai on Saturday.Earlier, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy said ships trying to pass through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz must obtain Iran’s approval; otherwise, they could become targets of Iranian attacks. Rear Admiral Alireza Donsili said two ships were attacked in the strait on Wednesday after ignoring Iranian warnings.The Iranian general said in a post onIran has tightened restrictions on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran saying ships that do not serve U.S. and Israeli interests can pass safely through the strait, state media reported. More than 20 million barrels of crude oil pass through the narrow waterway that separates the coast of Iran from Oman every day.