A crude oil tanker with the Liberian flag docked at Mumbai port on Wednesday, becoming the first vessel carrying Saudi crude to reach India since tensions in the Middle East escalated. The vessel, Shenlong Suezmax, transported over 1,35,000 metric tons of crude oil to India after navigating the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route currently experiencing heavy disruptions. This vessel, commanded by Captain Sukshant Singh Sandhu, successfully arrived with 29 crew members including Indians, Pakistanis, and Filipinos. This comes after an India-bound Thai cargo vessel named Mayuree Naree was struck by projectiles in the area.
#WATCH | Liberia-flagged tanker ship 'Shenlong' enters Indian waters near Mumbai Port. It was captained by an Indian and was loaded with crude oil from the Saudi port Ras Tanura.
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2026
Latest visuals from Mumbai Port pic.twitter.com/4BWABAsZ88
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However, the threat in Hormuz is far from over. Iran has imposed restrictions on non-China-bound vessels and attacks are ongoing. Therefore, the arrival of more vessels will be monitored in the coming days.
Oil brought at Mumbai port will be sent to a refinery located in Mahul. The tanker's successful arrival has offered some reassurance amid concerns about potential shortages, particularly after restrictions on domestic LPG cylinder supply triggered anxiety among consumers across India.
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The ship began its journey from Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia on March 1. According to maritime tracking data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence and TankerTrackers, the tanker was last recorded passing through the Strait of Hormuz on March 8. It then disappeared continuing its journey towards Indian waters, suggesting that ship's automatic identification system (AIS) and transponders were switched off. The ship reappeared on tracking systems after crossing the risky area. Ships us the tactics of "going dark" to avoid attacks during difficult situations like war. However, this is not a common phenomenon,
Amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and a series of Iranian attacks on vessels near the Iraqi border, conflicting reports claimed Iranian authorities have decided to allow Indian flagged ships to pass safely through the Strait. Earlier on Wednesday, news agency IANS, citing its sources, claimed Iran allowed an Indian-flagged ship to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz after the intervention of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. BJP IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya also shared a report which claimed Iran allowed India to pass through the passage.
On Thursday, news agency ANI reported citing sources that Iran would allow Indian-flagged ships to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz. However, an official confirmation from the government is still awaited.