UAE port attacked but Indian oil tanker sails safely

New Delhi: The Indian-flagged oil tanker ‘Jag Laadki’, whose oil terminal was attacked while loading crude oil at the UAE port of Fujairah on Saturday, safely sailed to India from the port on Sunday morning, the shipping ministry said. It added that the ship was carrying about 80,800 tonnes of Murban crude, a grade of oil produced in the UAE. The ministry also said that all Indian seafarers on board the vessel were safe. The vessel is owned and operated by Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping Company.

A Liberian-flagged oil tanker “MT Smyrni” arrived at Mumbai port on Saturday night carrying about 140,000 tons of crude oil. This is the third tanker to arrive at an Indian port after passing through the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict in West Asia. “Two Indian-flagged LPG carriers Shivalik and Nanda Devi, carrying approximately 92,712 tons of LPG, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on March 14 and are currently en route to India and are scheduled to arrive at Mundra port on March 16 and Kandla port on March 17, respectively,” the government said in a statement. Currently, 22 Indian-flagged ships and 611 seafarers remain west of the Persian Gulf region. India has been discussing with Iran the safe passage of Indian-flagged vessels in conflict-affected areas.