The crisis at the Strait of Hormuz is deepening due to the ongoing war between America, Israel and Iran. Meanwhile, news of relief has come for India. Saudi Arabia has now started sending crude oil to India through Red Sea. Many tankers have left for India from Yanbu Port in Saudi Arabia with oil. This step has been taken at a time when the passage of ships through Hormuz has become a risky task.
According to Kepler’s report, at present four big tankers are coming towards India, which contain about 60 lakh barrels of oil. 90 lakh to 1 crore barrels of additional oil is expected to arrive by the end of the month. Generally, about 20 percent of the world’s total oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz. India also imports most of the oil from Gulf countries through this route, but due to attacks on ships by Iran, this route has now become unsafe. For this reason Saudi Arabia has adopted an alternative path.
The oil is first brought to Yanbu through pipeline, which is about 1200 kilometers long and then sent from there through tanker. However, this new path also has its limitations. The capacity of the pipeline is low, so not as much oil can be sent as is sent via Hormuz.
Danger near Bab el-Mandeb
Amidst the ongoing war in Iran, apart from the Strait of Hormuz, there is also a threat near Bab al-Mandeb, where Houthi rebels have previously attacked ships. In such a situation, even the Red Shee route is not considered completely safe. Nevertheless, in the current situation, this step is going to be a relief for India, because with this the oil supply will continue and the energy crisis will be reduced. Meanwhile, on Tuesday (17 March 2026), America has bombed Iran’s anti-ship missile base on the Strait of Hormuz. By doing this, America wants to reduce Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.
