Indian Navy deploys warships to Gulf amid Strait of Hormuz tensions

2026-03-19 - 10:22

The Indian Navy is deploying additional warships to the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman to safeguard the safe passage of vessels carrying LPG and fuel, according to dw.com citing unnamed sources. Both Bloomberg News and the Indian daily Hindustan Times have covered the story. The naval deployment is part of Operation Sankalp, launched in 2019 to protect Indian merchant shipping and critical energy imports from the Gulf. The move comes as India confronts domestic LPG shortages caused by the restricted movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict in Iran. India imports approximately 65% of its LPG, and about 90% of that passes through the strait, as noted by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in parliament. Millions of tonnes of LPG and crude oil remain stranded on 22 Indian-flagged merchant vessels in the Gulf, a spokesperson for the Indian Shipping Ministry confirmed in a press briefing on Wednesday. India’s Foreign Ministry has engaged in talks with Tehran to secure safe passage for these ships, but no comprehensive agreement has yet been reached. Meanwhile, three Indian vessels — two carrying LPG and one carrying crude oil — have successfully returned to India from the Gulf this week.