New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) India’s ability to quickly diversify crude oil imports and avoid a major fuel crisis during the recent Strait of Hormuz conflict was the outcome of years of strategic infrastructure development and global energy partnerships, not an overnight response, former Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) Chairman B. Ashok said on Tuesday.

Speaking to IANS, Ashok said India’s ability to diversify crude oil supplies at short notice reflected years of strategic planning that strengthened the country’s energy security.

“This rapid adjustment was not an overnight reaction; it was the result of infrastructure and relationships built over a substantial period,” Ashok said.

He noted that before the conflict, around 45 per cent of India’s crude oil imports passed through the Strait of Hormuz, while the remaining 55 per cent came from other regions. Within weeks of the disruption, India increased the share of crude sourced from outside the Strait to 70 per cent, significantly reducing its exposure to the conflict zone.

Ashok said India has steadily expanded its supplier base over the past decade, importing crude oil from 41 countries in 2026 compared to 27 countries around ten years ago.

“Building such diversification required sustained diplomatic engagement, commercial partnerships and the ability to operate across different legal and regulatory environments,” he told IANS.

He explained that refinery modernisation also played a crucial role. Unlike older refineries that were designed to process crude from a single source, modern Indian refineries have been upgraded to handle multiple grades of crude oil with varying API gravity and sulphur content, providing greater operational flexibility during supply disruptions.

Ashok added that logistics preparedness was another key factor. Indian ports and supply chains have been strengthened to handle different classes of crude carriers, including Very Large Crude Carriers, while managing significantly different shipping durations ranging from about five days from the Middle East to nearly a month from the Americas.

“The industry has built critical reliability mechanisms over time to manage these logistical shifts, enabling India to tackle the crisis effectively,” he said.

Ashok also credited long-term investments in refining capacity and energy infrastructure for ensuring that India maintained uninterrupted fuel supplies despite global geopolitical tensions, demonstrating the value of sustained planning in safeguarding the country’s energy security.

–IANS

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