Indian gas tankers getting ready to sail through Hormuz, data shows

By Nidhi Verma and Jonathan Saul

NEW DELHI, March 20 (Reuters) - Two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas tankers are preparing to sail through the Strait of Hormuz in coming days after a pause in voyages, with no crude oil tankers having transited the waterway in the past 24 hours, according to shipping data and sources.

Hundreds of vessels have dropped anchor since Tehran ​threatened to attack ships attempting to leave the Gulf via ​the Strait of Hormuz , through which about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flow.

The two tankers were currently anchored in Gulf waters, according to data from Kpler and shipping sources.

According to market assessments from sources on Friday, based on available data, there had been no voyages over the past 24 hours by crude tankers through the waterway, with one empty crude oil tanker, hit with U.S. sanctions, returning towards Iranian waters on March 18, separate Kpler data showed.

The Indian-flagged LPG tankers Pine Gas and Jag Vasant, which are anchored near the United Arab Emirates hub of Sharjah within the Gulf, broadcast that they were preparing for a voyage, MarineTraffic ship-tracking data showed on Friday.

Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary with India’s federal shipping ministry, said immediate details were not available, when asked on Friday if the vessels were preparing to sail.

A trade source familiar with the matter said the two LPG tankers could potentially set sail on Saturday.

India's foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said separately on Friday that the country was "in favour of safe and unhindered movement” of India's fleet of 22 vessels which were inside the Gulf, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was talking to other leaders about their safe passage.

The Jag Vasant was chartered by BPCL and the Pine Gas by IOC. The two Indian refiners did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Last week, Iran allowed two Indian-flagged LPG carriers to sail through the strait, sources told Reuters.

Ship-tracking data showed ​a Pakistan-bound oil tanker passing through Hormuz in recent days, indicating ‌that some countries are able to negotiate safe passage for their vessels despite the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.