Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 22: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reviewed with senior Ministers the situation related to crude, gas and other petroleum products, and power and fertiliser sectors in view of the evolving West Asia situation, even as a crude oil vessel from Russia and a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker from the United States started unloading their cargo at the New Mangalore Port, which is also due to receive another over 72,000 tonnes of LPG next week.
The Government sources said the focus of the meeting chaired by Mr Modi was on ensuring uninterrupted supply, stable logistics and efficient distribution across the country. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh (Defence), Amit Shah (Home), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Agriculture), S Jaishankar (External Affairs), Nirmala Sitharaman (Finance), J P Nadda (Health), Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry) and Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways) were among those who attended the high-level meeting, sources said.
Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal (Ports and Shipping), Manohar Lal Khattar (Power), Pralhad Joshi (Food and Consumer Affairs), Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu (Civil Aviation) and Hardeep Singh Puri (Petroleum), NSA Ajit Doval and the Prime Minister’s two principal secretaries, P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, were also present.
The situation related to crude, gas, petroleum products, and power and fertiliser sectors was reviewed in view of the evolving West Asia situation, the sources said. The government is taking proactive steps to ensure an uninterrupted supply of all essential goods, including petroleum products, they said. The meeting took stock of the current global situation in the wake of the West Asia conflict and the measures taken to protect consumer and industry interests, which is the key focus of the government, the sources said.
On March 12, PM Modi had said the war in West Asia has triggered a worldwide energy crisis, posing a critical test of national character that requires dealing with circumstances through peace, patience and increased public awareness. The Prime Minister emphasised that his government was working relentlessly to address disruptions that have emerged in international supply chains. “Continuous efforts are also underway to determine how we can overcome the disruptions that have occurred in the supply chain,” Mr Modi had said.
The Prime Minister has spoken to many global leaders since the West Asia conflict started on February 28, when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. Iran has retaliated by targeting Israel and several of its Gulf neighbours. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which 20% of the world’s energy is transported.
Since the conflict, very few ships have been allowed by Iran to cross it. The blockade has resulted in severe disruptions in energy supply to many countries, including India.
Meanwhile, the crude oil vessel Aqua Titan from Russia, which arrived in Mangaluru with 1.1 lakh tonnes of cargo and anchored at Single Point Mooring (SPM), off the Tannirbavi coast, at 9 p.m. on Saturday began discharging the crude for Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) on Sunday. In addition, another vessel Pysix Pioneer, carrying LPG, arrived at New Mangalore Port at 6 a.m. on Sunday, began unloading 16,714 tonnes of cargo for Aegis Logistics Ltd.
Aqua Titan, sailing under the flag of Cameroon, carried approximately 7.7 lakh barrels (1.1 lakh tonnes) of crude oil. The vessel from Russia was initially bound for China but diverted to India after the U.S. permitted purchases to help manage fuel prices. The tanker that set sail from Primorsk in Russia on January 18 for Rizhao port in China, changed its course in Southeast Asia and arrived in Mangaluru with Urals crude.
Pyxis Pioneer, sailing under the Singapore flag, had sailed out of Port of Nederland, Texas, in the United States on February 14. The New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) on March 14, 2026, announced of waiving the cargo related charges for handing crude oil and LPG up to March 31, 2026. According to the NMPA, it is to further incentivise and maximise cargo movement and maximise throughput during the phase of financial year 2025-26.
The New Mangalore Port is also set to receive another at least 72,700 tonnes of LPG in the coming week. LPG tanker Apollo Ocean would call on NMP on March 25 to discharge 26,687 tonnes of LPG for Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. The vessel, sailing under the Vietnam flag, has gross tonnage of 46,025 tonnes and would arrive from Vadinar Port in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
LPG tanker Shivalik that was expected to bring 26,000 tonnes of LPG to Mangaluru on March 18, had instead transferred the cargo to Apollo Ocean at Vadinar Port. One more LPG tanker from the U.S. would arrive at New Mangalore Port with 30,000 tonnes of LPG meant for Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) on March 29, sources in NMPA said. The HPCL LPG import facility in Mangaluru transfers the imported LPG to local bottling plants as well as pumps the gas towards Bengaluru and beyond through the Mangaluru-Bengaluru LPG pipeline.
