Three large Indian oil tankers have successfully passed through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and are now in open waters on their way to India, the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal announced officially, Reuters reported.
The ships “Desh Vaibhav“ (Desh Vaibhor), “Desh Vibhor“ (Desh Vibhor) and “Sanmar Herald“ (Sanmar Herald) are transporting a critical cargo of over 860,000 metric tonnes of crude oil. A total of 94 Indian sailors are on board, and the government in Delhi has confirmed that the entire crew is safe and well.
This is the first major commercial energy shipment for India through the key sea corridor since the United States lifted its naval blockade of Iran earlier this week. The decision was made after US President Donald Trump signed a temporary ceasefire agreement. The Strait of Hormuz had previously been paralysed for months due to the military conflict that erupted on 28 February.
In April, the same three tankers were stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than 45 days, during which they were fired upon by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) patrol boats during the escalation and forced to return to anchor.
The ships are expected to reach Indian shores sequentially between 24 June and 1 July 2026:“Desh Vaibhav“ (37 crew) is sailing to the port of Vadinar with an expected arrival date of 24 June.“Desh Vibhor“ (27 crew) is heading to the Sikka terminal.“Sanmar Herald“ is heading for the eastern port of Paradip, where it is due to dock on July 1.
The successful operation is seen by analysts as the first real step towards normalizing global energy supplies after months of record-high oil prices on international markets.