- By Shibra Arshad
- Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:30 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Although two Indian-flagged ships carrying LPG tankers were able to cross the Strait of Hormuz safely on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, the government maintained that the LPG situation is concerning. The persistently escalating war situation in West Asia has significantly hampered the energy supply to the world, contributing to price surge and supply shortage concerns.
The central government on Monday said that while the LPG situation in the country remains concerning, there is no news of a dry up by the distributors so far. As per the government, there is enough supply of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) and PND (Piped Natural Gas), and there has not been any report of dry up from even petrol pumps.
The government further reiterated that domestic users will be prioritised over commercial establishments, and an uninterrupted LPG supply will continue. It further added that while the situation is concerning, LPG is available for domestic users, and partial commercial use has also been restored.
“Crude is available in sufficient quantity. All refineries are operating at the highest capacity. Our petrol pumps are operating normally. No dry out has been reported anywhere…" said Sujata Sharma, joint secretary (marketing and oil refinery), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, during the inter-ministerial press briefing.
Earlier, the Secretary of the Oil Ministry, Sujata Sharma, advised people against hoarding and panic buying, assuring enough stock.
The government has also bolstered the measures to encourage the use of PNG wherever possible, as it has announced the incentives to maximise the use of PNG. For instance, Indian Oil will give Rs 500 free gas, while others like BPCL and GAIL will ensure people shift to PNG.
India imports 60 per cent of its annual LPG requirement of 33 million tonnes; 90 per cent of these imports take place through the narrow maritime transit, Strait of Hormuz. With the closure of the Hormuz, nearly 54 per cent of India’s LPG supply vanished.
Indian Ships Cross Strait Of Hormuz
Two Indian-flagged ships have crossed the Hormuz while talks to allow 22 others are underway. Another ship, carrying crude oil, has also safely crossed through the passage on Sunday. "On March 14, 2026, while the Indian-flag vessel Jag Laadki was loading crude oil at the Fujairah Single Point Mooring, the Fujairah oil terminal was attacked. The vessel sailed safely from Fujairah at 1030 hrs IST today (Sunday) carrying about 80,800 tonnes of Murban crude oil and is bound for India," the update from the Indian government said.