“Ships of the world, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social to declare the completion of a US-Iran peace deal.
Soon after news broke of a long-awaited agreement between the United States and Iran, the India-linked vessel Disha began moving towards the Strait of Hormuz, according to commercial vessel tracking data analysed .
The LNG carrier Disha, managed by a consortium led by the Shipping Corporation of India, safely transited the Strait of Hormuz carrying 62,370 tonnes of LNG. The vessel is expected to arrive at Dahej on June 18.
Its unusual destination signals appeared to reflect the tension surrounding the crossing. Shortly before approaching the first blockade, imposed by Iran, the vessel displayed “INDIAN GOVT VESSEL” on the automatic identification system (AIS). After safely clearing it, the message changed to “U MAY PASS” as the ship prepared to navigate a second blockade enforced by the United States.
Disha is a Malta-flagged vessel that departed Ras Laffan, Qatar, on March 2, bound for Dahej in Gujarat. The vessel initially displayed Jackson as its destination before replacing it with the intended message.
It took the normal, pre-war route of shipping in the strait, avoiding shipping lanes established by Iran and America for the transit of commercial vessels during the conflict. Its route suggests that the voyage might have the approval of Iranian forces.
Two other Indian-flagged vessels, Desh Vaibhav and Sanmar Suparna, also appeared to have begun moving east. In total, India Today’s OSINT team identified roughly 19 Indian-flagged vessels stationed across the Gulf region, according to MarineTraffic data. Of these, seven were located in the Persian Gulf, while the remaining vessels were positioned near the Gulf of Oman, within the area covered by the US blockade.
“Around 10 Indian-flagged vessels and five foreign-flagged vessels, including one today, have safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz,” said Opesh Sharma, Director, Shipping Division, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
He added that nearly 18,000 Indian seafarers remain across the wider Gulf region. Of them, 325 are aboard 13 Indian vessels currently positioned west of the Strait of Hormuz.
INDIA-RELATED INCIDENTS IN HORMUZ
An analysis of publicly reported incidents, since the beginning of the Iran war, identified more than a dozen India-linked security events near the Strait of Hormuz region. These included Indian-flagged or India-bound vessels as well as ships carrying Indian seafarers, who faced serious threats near the strait.
Among the most serious incidents was the US strike on MT Settebello, which had 24 Indian seafarers aboard. Three of them were killed in the attack.
The latest incident occurred on the night of June 12–13, when the Hong Kong-flagged oil and chemical tanker Bochem Marengo, carrying 21 Indian crew members, was reportedly struck by a UAV while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. All crew members escaped unharmed.
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