Two Indian ships among 45 blacklisted by Iran for Strait of Hormuz ‘violations’ | Business News

Some of these vessels had also faced attacks around the Strait of Hormuz in the months since the West Asia war started late February.

“In light of violations by certain vessels of the Iranian arrangements for transiting the Strait of Hormuz, these vessels will face restrictions in their future transits through Strait of Hormuz, such as fines, seizure, or confiscation,” the PGSA said in a post on X late Sunday. To avoid potential issues, it is necessary for cargo owners — to the destination or from the origin — to review the list of the vessels on the PGSA’s website, it said.

“Vessels that, from this date onward, engage in ship-to-ship transfers, transshipment, etc., with vessels on this list will themselves be added to this list. Additionally, vessels wishing to have their names removed from this list must submit their request along with the relevant explanation to info@pgsa.ir,” the PGSA said.

The PGSA didn’t elaborate on the alleged violations by the vessels, which include crude oil tankers, oil product tankers, LNG tankers, container ships and bulk carriers.

Disha is an LNG tanker chartered on a long-term basis by Petronet LNG, India’s largest LNG importer, for bringing super-chilled natural gas. As per shipping databases, Disha is owned by the India LNG Transport Company No.1, which is a joint venture between state-owned Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and a few foreign shipping companies. Disha sails under the flag of Malta, and the SCI serves as its commercial manager as well as its marine international safety manager.

At present, in view of the suspension in LNG supplies from Qatar due to the West Asia conflict, Petronet LNG has suspended operations of Disha and two other LNG tankers that are on long-term charters specifically for bringing Qatari LNG, the company management had told reporters earlier this month. The three tankers made regular runs between India and Qatar before the war. Earlier, Disha was stranded in the Persian Gulf for over three months as vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz came to a near halt amid the conflict. It was finally able to cross the Strait of Hormuz on June 15. As per ship tracking data, Disha is stationed off the coast of Gujarat.

India-flagged Maah Roos is owned by Pune-based BG Shirke Construction Technology, while Mumbai-based Five Stars Shipping is listed as the bulk carrier’s commercial and international safety manager. As of Tuesday afternoon, the ship was at anchor off the Brazilian coast in South America, as per vessel tracking data.

Requests for comments emailed to Petronet LNG, SCI, BG Shirke Construction Technology, and Five Stars Shipping didn’t elicit any response.

In June, the newly constituted authority had said that all ships wanting to transit the Strait of Hormuz must seek its approval, and that it intended to charge fees for services like maritime security, navigation assistance, environmental protection, and insurance in the future. Tehran has also been insisting that vessels should transit the strait using routings designated by it.

But the US and its regional allies have opposed Tehran’s stance, encouraging vessels to use the strait’s waters hugging Oman as an alternative to Iran-designated shipping lanes, and without seeking any permission from the PGSA.

The PGSA released this list of “non-compliant” vessels just days after the US threatened Iran with the “toughest sanctions in history”.

Washington is also running its own blockade on Iran-linked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz region. The strait is a critical maritime chokepoint, particularly for global energy supplies. Before the war, it accounted for 20% of global crude and LNG flows.

India and China have traditionally been the major destinations for cargo, particularly energy shipments, exiting the strait, with the rest of Asia making up a bulk of the remaining traffic. Around 40% of India’s crude oil imports, 60% of its LNG imports, and a whopping 90% of its LPG imports came from West Asia through the strait. The country’s dependence on imports stands at over 88% for oil, 60% for LPG, and about 50% for natural gas, which is imported as LNG.