The Liberia-flagged Shenlong Suezmax loaded crude from the Saudi port Ras Tanura on March 1 and embarked two days later.
A Liberian flagged tanker hauling Saudi Arabian crude, captained by an Indian, cleared the Strait of Hormuz two days ago and has berthed at the port of Mumbai, becoming the first India-destined vessel to safely transit the waterway, where maritime traffic has all but halted since the US and Israel attacked Iran.
The Liberia-flagged Shenlong Suezmax loaded crude from the Saudi port Ras Tanura on March 1 and embarked two days later. Its last signaled location was inside the strait on March 8, according to maritime data firms Llyod’s List Intelligence and TankerTrackers.
Iran has struck merchant ships and threatened not to let oil transit the water channel, other than those headed to China, effectively making one of the world’s most vital trade routes impassable. Nearly a fifth of the world’s crude passes the strait.
The Mumbai-headed vessel then went “dark”, suggesting it had turned off its transponders and AIS, or automatic identification system, to avoid detection as it navigated the perilous stretch before re-appearing on tracking databases on March 9, a person familiar with the matter said.
It reached the Mumbai port at 1 pm on Wednesday and was berthed at 6.06 pm port officials said.
“The ship Shenlong is carrying 1,35,335 metric tonnes of crude of oil. She is berthed at Jawahar Dweep and has started discharging the crude cargo,” Praveen Singh, deputy conservator of Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) said. The crude will go to refineries in Mahul, in eastern Mumbai.
The shipping ministry did not immediately respond to a request for details of the tanker, which is owned by Shenlong Shipping Ltd and managed by the Athens-based Dynacom Tanker Management Ltd.
“There are 29 Indian, Pakistani and Filipino crew on board, while the ship’s captain is Sukshant Singh Sandhu. The ship will take nearly 36 hours to discharge the cargo,” said Jitendra Jadhav who works for Atlantic Global Shipping, which is handling Shenlong in Mumbai.
The tanker’s safe passage is likely to ease some of the mounting concerns in Asia’s third-largest economy over energy shortages, as over half of India’s crude and gas supplies pass through the strait.
However, 28 Indian-flagged vessels are still in or near the waterway since the war broke out, according to India’s directorate general of shipping.
As many as eight Indian-flagged ships that were east of in the Strait of Hormuz when the war broke out have moved to safer seas. According to the situation report released by the director general of shipping, over the last few days, seven of these vessels — Desh Mahima, Desh Abhiman, Swarna Kamal, Vishva Prerna, Jag Viraat, Jag Lokesh and LNGC Aseem — have made their way to the Arabian Sea. Another vessel, the Jag Lakshya has proceeded for Angola.
