Two Indian liquefied petroleum gas tankers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, transited the strait successfully under naval escort, the newspaper said. Government sources told The Economic Times that another Indian tanker, Jag Prakash, also successfully left the eastern part of the strait. Officials said the Shivalik was accompanied by an Indian warship to secure its passage.
Operation Sankalp was launched June 19, 2019, to protect vessels sailing under the Indian flag through the Persian Gulf region and to safeguard maritime trade. During the operation, 23 Indian ships have been deployed on rotation in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, and several remain in the region, The Economic Times reported.
About 23,000 Indian sailors are working on merchant ships, offshore platforms, and other vessels in the area, and about 24 Indian-flagged ships are currently near the Strait of Hormuz, the paper said.
After the U.S.–Israeli operation against Iran destabilized the
region and prompted Tehran to attack civilian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,
countries reliant on Middle Eastern oil and gas have been looking for ways to
secure the passage of their ships through the waterway.