Good news for India: Two oil tankers are bringing LPG amid crisis, likely to reach in 2 days

New Delhi. The government’s efforts to ensure smooth supply of LPG in the country are yielding positive results and two Indian oil tankers loaded with 92 thousand tonnes of LPG have successfully crossed the troubled area of ​​the Strait of Hormuz and are likely to reach India in the next two-three days.

Both Indian oil tankers Jag Vasant and Pine Gas have successfully transited the volatile Strait of Hormuz, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, told an inter-ministerial briefing on the situation in West Asia on Tuesday. He said that these tankers are carrying 92,612.59 tonnes of LPG.

He said there is 45,000 tonnes of LPG on board Pine Gas and it is likely to reach New Mangalore port on March 27. Jag Vasantha has 47,600 tonnes of LPG and is heading towards Kandla. It is expected to arrive on March 26. After the departure of these two ships from the Persian Gulf, there are now 20 Indian flagged ships left west of Hormuz.

Jag Vasantha and Pine Gas were among the 22 Indian-flagged ships that ran aground in the Persian Gulf after traffic was disrupted through the Strait of Hormuz as regional tensions escalated. Both these ships have 33 and 27 Indian crew members respectively, who are ensuring safe navigation in the high tension area. Earlier, two Indian tankers Shivalik and Nanda Devi had also supplied 92,712 tonnes of LPG last week.

Reiterating the government’s priorities, Sinha said, “Ultimately we want to ensure the safe passage of all our ships stranded in the region.” He said the central government is focused on the safety of Indian personnel aboard the remaining ships. “Until safe passage can be ensured, the well-being and safety of our seafarers remains our top priority,” he said.

Earlier, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said that all the refineries in the country are working at high capacity with adequate crude oil reserves. There is sufficient stock of petrol and diesel in the country. Domestic production of LPG has been increased in refineries. All retail outlets are operating normally.

Yesterday some cases of rumor mongering came to our notice and panic buying of petrol and diesel was seen in some areas. He said clarifications were then issued by oil marketing companies and state government officials. He said that petrol and diesel are available in sufficient quantity at petrol pumps. Don’t believe rumors and avoid panic buying.

Sharma said that in the context of natural gas, the government is promoting the expansion of PNG connections in the country. In this sequence, yesterday PNGRB has issued an order and directed all CGD units to provide PNG connections to residential schools, colleges, hostels, community kitchens, Anganwadi kitchens etc. within 5 days, where pipeline infrastructure is available in the vicinity.

He said around 7,500 domestic and commercial connections were given in a single day on Monday. LPG supply is affected due to the current geopolitical situation, but several cargoes have been arranged. No shortage has been reported at LPG distributorships.

He said that about 11 lakh migrant workers have taken connections under the Ujjwala scheme. Nearly 73,000 migrant connections have been given in the last few months. Yesterday also, more than 20,000 5 kg cylinders were distributed. The Joint Secretary said that all these commercial supplies are being managed in coordination with the State Governments so that LPG can be made available to the concerned people on priority basis.

The government has repeatedly requested state governments to tighten enforcement to prevent hoarding and black marketing. Control rooms and district level monitoring committees have been set up in about 32 states. As part of the enforcement action, around 3,400 raids were conducted yesterday and around 1,000 cylinders were seized. Raids were conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana.

Apart from this, teams of oil marketing companies are also active and around 1,500 surprise inspections have been conducted. He said that till Monday around 642 FIRs have been registered and 155 people have been arrested. Oil marketing companies have issued show cause notices to around 250 distributors and some have also been suspended.