Subhechcha Ganguly 
The first oil tanker to reach India through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz after the outbreak of the recent West Asia conflict is set to return to the war-affected region after unloading its cargo in Mumbai, even as another vessel that navigated the now-tense waterway approaches the Indian coast.
The Liberia-flagged tanker Shenlong arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday after departing from the Ras Tanura Terminal in Saudi Arabia on March 3. The vessel’s crew managed to cross the Strait of Hormuz despite the absence of electronic navigational equipment, relying largely on traditional seamanship and experience.
According to sources familiar with the voyage, signals from the ship’s transponders and AIS (Automatic Identification System) were not detected for part of the journey, highlighting the challenges vessels face while navigating the increasingly volatile route.
The tanker carries a multinational crew of 29 members, including Indians, Pakistanis and Filipinos. One of the crew members, Alok, said they noticed fighter aircraft flying overhead while near Saudi waters but did not witness any direct military confrontation.
The vessel discharged around 1,35,335 metric tonnes of crude oil at Jawahar Dweep (Butcher Island) off the coast of Mumbai. The crude is expected to be transported to refineries in Mahul in the city’s eastern region.
After completing the delivery, the tanker is scheduled to depart for the port of Fujairah on Friday night, according to the ship’s agent, Jitendra Jadhav.
Located on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates and outside the Strait of Hormuz, Fujairah has nevertheless felt the ripple effects of the ongoing conflict. On March 9, debris from a drone interception by UAE defence forces triggered a fire in the area, while falling debris also struck the region’s major oil storage terminal last week.
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains tense after Iran targeted merchant vessels in response to the February 28 attacks by the United States and Israel. Nearly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil supply passes through this critical maritime corridor connecting the Persian Gulf to global markets.
