New Delhi [India], June 20 : Three Indian-flagged crude oil tankers, Desh Vaibhav, Desh Vibhor and Sanmar Herald safety transited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and are scheduled to arrive in India.
Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, hailed the safe passage of the vessels and attributed it to the "decisive leadership" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a post on X, Sonowal underscored the Ministry's commitment to ensuring the safety of Indian seafarers, noting maritime security as the government's highest priority.
"Safe passage secured! 3 Indian-flagged crude oil tankers, Desh Vaibhav, Desh Vibhor and Sanmar Herald carrying over 8.6 Lakh MT of cargo with 94 Indian crew members have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz today and are en route to India," he wrote.
"Under the decisive leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji, GoI is working on highest priority to secure India's maritime interests. Our Ministry is actively coordinating with all relevant agencies to guarantee the absolute safety of Bharat's seafarers and energy lifelines," he added.
https://x.com/sarbanandsonwal/status/2068341172960186772
According to the Shipping Ministry, the three major cargo vessels are scheduled to arrive at various Indian ports in the coming days.
The Ministry stated that Desh Vaibhav is set to reach the port of Vadinar on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 1200 hours with a crew of 37 Indian nationals and a cargo quantity of 2,86,572 MT.
Simultaneously, the Desh Vibhor is expected to arrive at Sikka, India, on June 24, 2026, at 0100 hours local time, carrying a crew of 27 Indians and 2,88,893 MT of cargo.
Additionally, the Sanmar Herald is slated to reach Paradip, India, on July 1, 2026, at 1200 hours local time, with its crew of 30 Indian nationals transporting 2,85,400 MT of cargo, the Ministry stated.
The announcement comes at a crucial time as Iran on Saturday announced the closure of the critical chokehold Strait of Hormuz, after the Israeli strikes in Lebanon continued despite the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran.
According to Fars news agency, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters made the move, citing the lack of implementation of the first clause of the digitally signed Memorandum of Understanding.
Iran criticised Israel's actions in Lebanon, recognising them as a "relentless and continuous violation of the ceasefire," Fars reported.
"In view of the flagrant bad faith and breach of covenant by America regarding the failure to implement the first clause of the end-of-war agreement, and in reaction to the relentless and continuous violation of the ceasefire by the Zionist regime in southern Lebanon and the brutal massacre and displacement of hundreds of thousands of the oppressed people of this land, and also in light of the occupying Zionist forces' refusal to withdraw from the lands of southern Lebanon, it declares that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to the passage of vessels," the agency wrote in a post on X.