West Asia Ceasefire: Jag Vikram vessel crosses Hormuz carrying 20,400 MT LPG cargo, 24 seafarers, says Indian govt | Catch other updates

Government officials said on Saturday that an India-flagged LPG vessel named Jag Vikram has safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz and is expected to arrive in Mumbai on April 15. The Jag Vikram is carrying about 20,400 MT of LPG cargo with 24 seafarers onboard. They also assured the public that cooking gas supplies continue to be normal across the country, with LPG cylinder deliveries to households also remaining normal, noting that 51.5 lakh cylinders were delivered on the previous day alone.

In an inter-ministerial update, official spokespersons also said that no dry-outs of auto or cooking fuels were reported despite geopolitical tensions.

Various departments of the Union government, including the oil, shipping, foreign affairs and IT ministries, have been monitoring the West Asia situation closely and taking necessary steps to ensure citizen safety, consumer protection and smooth supply chains, repeatedly urging the public not to panic-book or panic-buy fuels and to rely on official sources of information on the geopolitical situation.

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Meanwhile, American and Iranian delegations gathered in Islamabad, Pakistan, for peace talks.

Here are key takeaways from the April 11 update:

• Domestic LPG cylinder deliveries remain normal; over 51.5 lakh cylinders delivered on Friday
• More than 2,009 Indian seafarers safely repatriated from the Gulf region; 81 returned in the last 24 hours
• Central government remains actively engaged in ensuring preparedness and seamless functioning across key sectors

• LPG supply continues to be impacted by the situation, but no dry-outs reported at distributorships; domestic LPG cylinder deliveries remain normal

• Industry-wide online LPG bookings are up at 98 per cent

• Delivery Authentication Code (DAC)-based deliveries are up at 93 per cent to prevent diversion

• Total commercial LPG allocation is up at 70 per cent of pre-crisis levels, including 10 per cent reform-linked allocation

• PSU OMCs have run around 2,900 awareness camps for 5 Kg FTL cylinders in eight days

• Over 29,000 5Kg FTL cylinders sold during this period

• On Friday, one lakh 5 Kg FTL cylinders sold across the country against a daily average of 77,000 recorded in February

• Conusmers have been prioritised with 100 per cent supply to domestic PNG and CNG transport

• Overall gas allocation to fertiliser plants is enhanced by 5 per cent to reach approximately 95 per cent of their six-month average consumption, effective April 9

• City gas distributors advised to prioritise PNG connections for commercial establishments (hotels, restaurants and canteens, etc.)

• IGL, MGL, GAIL Gas and BPCL are offering incentives for domestic and commercial PNG connections

• States/UTs and central ministries requested to expedite approvals required for the expansion of city gas distributor networks

• Since March 2026, about 4.15 lakh PNG connections gasified; about 4.55 lakh additional customers registered for new connections during this period

• Till date, more than 26,000 PNG consumers surrendered their LPG connections through the MYPNGD.in portal

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Officials have urged people to:

• Avoid panic purchase of petrol, diesel and LPG
• Rely only on official sources for information
• Use digital booking platforms for booking LPG refills
• Avoid visiting LPG distributors unnecessarily
• Use alternate fuels such as PNG and electric or induction cooktops
• Conserve energy in their daily use during the current situation
• Don't believe rumours

Strict action against hoarders, black-marketers and rumour mongers

• Enforcement actions continue to curb LPG hoarding and black-marketing
• On Friday, over 3,400 raids were carried out in different parts of the country
• PSU OMC officials led surprise inspections and imposed penalties on 214 LPG distributorships and suspended 55 distributorships.

Crude oil position and refinery operations

• All refineries are operating at high capacity
• Crude inventories are adequate
• Sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel are being maintained
• Domestic LPG production from refineries has been increased to aid domestic consumption
• Retail outlets across the country are operating normally
• The Middle East crisis has led to an abnormal increase in crude prices
• Centre has cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre each to protect consumer interests
• It has imposed an export levy of Rs 21.5 per litre on diesel and Rs 29.5 per litre on ATF to ensure adequate domestic availability

Petrol and diesel rates remain unchanged

• No hikes in retail prices of petrol and diesel at retail outlets
• State governments asked to disseminate accurate information through press briefings

Shipping

• Necessary measures are in place to safeguard Indian vessels and seafarers operating in the region
• All Indian seafarers in the region are safe
• No incident involving Indian-flagged vessels reported in the past 24 hours
• The Shipping Control Room remains operational 24x7
• It has handled 5,973 calls and over 12,675 emails since activation

External Affairs

• Indian Missions and Posts remain in close contact with the Indian community
• They continue to provide assistance and issue necessary advisories for their safety and well-being
• Centre continues to closely monitor developments in the Gulf and West Asia region
• External Affairs Ministry is in regular contact with state and UT governments for better sharing of information and coordination
• Efforts remain focused on ensuring the safety, security and welfare of the Indian community in the region
• Indian Missions and Posts continue to operate round-the-clock helplines
• They are proactively assisting Indian nationals
• Updated advisories are being issued regularly
• The Embassy of India in Tehran has so far facilitated movement of 2,225 Indian nationals from Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan for onward travel to India, including 981 Indian students and over 650 Indian fishermen
• Israeli airspace remains closed