New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) A ship carrying 20,000 metric tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) arrived at the Deendayal Port Authority at Kandla on the Gujarat coast after having safely sailed through the Strait of Hormuz earlier amid the West Asia crisis, officials said on Sunday.

The Marshall Islands-flagged MV SYMI started its journey from Qatar and docked at the port in Kandla around 11.30 pm on Saturday after crossing the Strait of Hormuz on May 13, the officials said.

Since early March, 13 India-flagged vessels, comprising 12 LPG tankers and one crude oil tanker, have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway close to the coast of Oman, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports transit during normal times.

However, ship movement through the narrow waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict in West Asia that started on February 28, with the US and Israel launching joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes. It has resulted in one of the worst energy crises the world has seen in recent decades.

India has strongly condemned attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, calling them ‘unacceptable’ at a special meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council on safeguarding global energy and supply flows. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, said targeting civilian crew and disrupting freedom of navigation cannot be justified. He was speaking

Harish’s remarks came days after an India-flagged commercial vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman on May 13. All 14 crew members of the vessel sailing from Somalia were rescued by Omani authorities, but it was not immediately known who carried out the strike.

The attack took place amid rising tensions in West Asia and growing concerns over security in the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies pass. At least two other India-flagged vessels have also come under attack since the conflict in the region escalated earlier this year.

–IANS

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