MC EXCLUSIVE Two India-bound tankers pass through Strait of Hormuz with tracking switched off: Source

The Strait of Hormuz is a roughly 55-kilometre-wide channel between Iran and Oman that links the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea

Two India-bound tankers carrying a total of 3 million barrels of Iraqi and Arab crude oil transited the Strait of Hormuz between March 5 and 10, with their transponders off, a source told Moneycontrol.

One of these tankers was loaded from Al-Basra oil terminal located in southern Iraq while the other from east coast of Saudi Arabia, according to data from ship-tracking firm Kpler shared exclusively with Moneycontrol.

Saudi Arabia has increased cargo loading at its west coast port of Yanbu, using the East-West pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, adding while India-bound crude traditionally ships from the Kingdom's east coast, Yanbu volumes are clearly picking up.

On Wednesday, a Thailand-flagged bulk carrier heading for India was attacked while passing through the strait.

The attack triggered a fire on board and prompted an emergency rescue effort, underscoring the growing risks to shipping as tensions between Iran and the United States intensify.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi – their third such conversation since the West Asia crisis began – as New Delhi ramped up efforts to protect its energy security amid a virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

An average of 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and oil products transited through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, accounting for around 25% of the world’s seaborne oil trade, as per data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Options for oil flows to bypass the Strait of Hormuz are limited.

According to the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, as many as 28 Indian-flagged vessels are operating in the Persian Gulf region currently.

Of these, 24 vessels are located west of the Strait of Hormuz carrying 677 Indian seafarers, while 4 vessels are east of the Strait with 101 Indian seafarers onboard.

The government has said that it is actively monitoring their safety and security amid the escalating West Asia conflict.

Indian refiners have stepped up imports through alternative routes, including Saudi and UAE pipelines, to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which has now remained closed for more than 10 days as the war continues to rage in West Asia.

Spread over 1,200 km, Saudi Aramco’s East-West pipeline transports 5 million barrels per day from Abqaiq to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea, bypassing Hormuz. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s 360-km Habshan-Fujairah oil pipeline can funnel 1.5 mbpd directly to the Gulf of Oman.

Both pipelines are operating at full capacity as the escalating conflict chokes energy exports through Hormuz.

As per oil ministry, almost 75% of crude oil is now coming from routes other than the Strait of Hormuz as against 55% earlier.