Two more Indian-flagged tankers have transited the Strait of Hormuz — as certain countries continue to recieve a trickle of shipments through the vital passage during the Iran war.
The BW Elm and BW Tyr, loaded with liquified petrolem gas (LP gas), are among the latest ships to flow through the strait as Iran continues to threaten tanker traffic, data from the LSEG and Kpler maritime trackers show.
Iran maintains that “non-hostile vessels” are allowed to cross the critical trade route so long as they directly coordinate with Tehran. In practice that means only a handful of ships are passing through the shipping lane that typically transports 20% of the world’s oil supply.
India, the world’s second-largest importer of LP gas, continues to negotiate with Iran to move its stranded cargo out of the Strait of Hormuz. LP gas is similar to propane and is used wildely as cooking fuel in many countries, including India.
As of Friday, at least 20 Indian-flagged ships, including five LP gas carriers, remain stranded in the Gulf, according to New Delhi.
India is currently facing its worst gas crisis in decades, with the government cutting supplies for industries to protect households from a shortage of cooking gas.
India, which boasts a population of more than 1.4 billion people, consumed 33.15 million metric tons of LP gas last year, with 90% of its imported LP gas coming from the Middle East.
Asian countries have been hit especially hard by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with the Philippines declaring a national energy emergency last week as its refineries move to buy Russian crude.
Fuel supplies are also at risk of falling to critically low levels in Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore, officials warned.
President Trump has made taking control of the Strait of Hormuz a priority after growing frustrated with the lack of help from foreign allies to do so, sources told The Post.
“We are taking the Strait back. It’s guaranteed, and they will never blackmail us on that strait,” one senior administration official said. “You can take it to the bank.”
The Pentagon is allegedly preparing to deploy thousands of US Marines to the Middle East to conduct raids and ground operations for weeks, according to the Washington Post.
Trump has not publicly acknowledged the Pentagon’s proposal or whether he would approve any portion of the plans.
With Post Wires
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