Bhuj, March 17: The Indian‑flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker ‘Nanda Devi’ arrived at Vadinar Port in Gujarat at about 11.25 a.m. on Tuesday, becoming the second LPG carrier to reach the west coast this week after ‘Shivalik’ docked at Mundra Port a day earlier, officials confirmed.

Both vessels were transporting critical LPG supplies to India following an unusually hazardous passage through the Strait of Hormuz, where maritime traffic has been disrupted by the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel.

The strait, a strategic chokepoint for global energy shipments, has seen a sharp reduction in commercial vessel movements since late February amid heightened military actions and warnings from Iran.

Authorities at Kandla Port issued directives on Monday that all ships carrying LPG should be given priority berthing to expedite unloading of cargo and reduce delays amid concerns over domestic supply.

In a circular to vessel agents, the Deendayal Port Authority said the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways instructed ports to accord priority berthing for LPG-laden ships to help maintain uninterrupted distribution of cooking gas across the country.

The Shivalik, laden with around 46,000 tonnes of LPG from Qatar, completed its nine‑day voyage and berthed at Mundra on Monday evening after port authorities made advance arrangements, including documentation and priority docking, to begin discharge operations without delay.

Officials said both vessels are part of efforts to shore up LPG supplies for household and industrial use as India continues to rely on imports for a significant share of its energy needs.

Before the transit of the two tankers, dozens of Indian‑flagged ships and hundreds of seafarers remained anchored in the Persian Gulf as maritime insurers and shipping firms reassessed routes through the volatile region.

The Nanda Devi’s arrival at Kandla comes amid broader diplomatic and logistical efforts, including negotiations with regional authorities and coordination with naval assets, to safeguard merchant shipping.

Indian maritime authorities have maintained that all Indian seafarers operating in the Gulf area remain safe and that no untoward incidents involving Indian-flagged vessels have been reported in recent days.

While Nanda Devi has arrived, another ship, ‘Jag Laadki’, carrying nearly 81,000 tonnes of crude oil from the UAE, is en route to India.

As per government data, there were 22 Indian-flagged vessels located to the west of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf region, carrying a total of 611 seafarers.

New Delhi, March 15: India still has a meaningful tax buffer to absorb crude shocks, as excise duties of Rs 19.9 per litre on gasoline and Rs 15.8 per litre on diesel can be cut to protect retail prices until about $110 per barrel crude, a report said on Monday.

The report from Elara Capital said retail gasoline and diesel prices “could be fully protected through excise cuts until roughly $110/bbl, beyond which price hikes on diesel and gasoline would become inevitable”.

It estimated India can absorb a $40–45 crude shock via tax, adding that beyond $110/bbl, the burden would shift from the government to consumers, the report added.

For every $10 per barrel rise in crude, oil marketing companies’ diesel and gasoline margins would fall by Rs 6.3 per litre and LPG losses would rise by Rs 10.2 per kg.

The dynamics implies about Rs 328 billion in annual LPG under‑recovery, the report further said.

Gross refining margins of OMCs could rise by about $5/bbl for every $10/bbl crude move, but that would not fully offset their marketing and LPG losses, the report added.

At current Brent of $100/bbl, earnings could drop sharply around 90-190 per cent absent retail price hike, tax cut, or higher LPG subsidy, it said.

IOCL is better placed among OMCs due to higher refining share, but still vulnerable if crude stays high and retail price unchanged.

“The US-Iran war has changed the way the Indian Oil & Gas sector reacts to crude prices. Our sensitivity analysis at Brent crude oil price of $100, $125 and $150 shows ‘EBITDA swing range’ from a collapse of >400 per cent for OMCs to 10-15x expansion for standalone refiners,” the report explained.

Two-thirds of India’s LNG imports pass via Hormuz, adding a supply risk on the gas side, it noted.

The firm suggested that GAIL is better positioned among gas stocks, adding that is a relatively defensive play in the current environment, as only around 16 per cent of its marketing volumes is dependent on Hormuz-linked LNG, significantly lower than for most peers, limiting direct supply disruption risk.

New Delhi, March 16: As voting for the biennial elections to 37 seats in the Rajya Sabha got underway on Monday, party leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) seemed certain of their respective candidates winning the elections.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal expressed confidence of NDA securing a majority.

He said, “Based on numerical strength, the NDA will clearly secure a full majority. There is no doubt about this. Once again, the NDA will raise its flag with even greater strength in the Rajya Sabha.”

Amid allegations of bribe being offered to Congress MLAs in Odisha, BJD leader Prasanna Acharya told reporters, ” All our MLAs work according to the decision taken by the party. Today also they will vote accordingly. We fully trust our MLAs.”

Notably, the BJD, on Sunday, issued a whip directing suspended MLAs Sanatan Mahakud and Arvind Mohapatra to vote for the party’s authorised candidate. In separate letters, Chief Whip Pramila Mallik stated that despite their suspension for alleged anti-party activities, both legislators remain constitutionally bound to follow the party whip as they were elected on the BJD symbol.

Speaking about allegations of horse-trading against the BJP made by BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik earlier, Acharya said, “We always say that there should be some principle in politics. If big political parties of India, who speak about ethics and principles everyday, work against those then God save the democracy of this country.”

Acharya expressed confidence that both BJD candidates will win the elections, “We are confident of winning the election as we work according to the rules, ethics and principles.”

BJD MLA Sunil Kumar Mohanty added, “It is definitely a privilege for us that all the MLAs are casting their votes for our first Rajya Sabha candidate. We are anxious and looking forward to a good result for our party.”

On the contrary, BJP MLA Tankadhar Tripathy said, “On the very day the Rajya Sabha notification was issued, I had said that the people of Odisha would be happy, while the Opposition members would be surprised with the result.”

Further, Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, said he was sure that BJP National President Nitin Nabin and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will emerge victorious in the polls.

“I congratulate both of them in advance,” he said.