India seeking tanker to load Russian LPG – Reuters

New Delhi has reportedly turned to Moscow to secure cooking gas supplies amid a severe shortage 

India is looking for a tanker to load a cooking gas consignment from Russia amid the supply disruptions caused by the Middle East crisis, Reuters has reported.

State-backed Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) has issued a rare tender seeking a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker, the news agency reported on Monday.

The vessel is needed to immediately load propane and butane from Ust-Luga port in Russia, according to the report.

The HPCL tender seen by Reuters said the vessel is to be loaded with 12,000 metric tons of butane and 8,000 tons of propane, to be unloaded on India’s west coast. It must not be under sanctions and must have ⁠no links ‌to Iran, according to the document.

New Delhi’s move comes amid a severe shortage of cooking gas supplies due to the disruption caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Indian refiners are looking for any sources of LPG, used as cooking gas, including from Russia. The South Asian nation is facing its worst supply disruption in decades.

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Officials have ⁠said LPG purchases are being sought from several countries, including Russia, the US, Norway, and Canada. New Delhi’s LPG consumption in 2025 stood at  33.15 million tons, while domestic production was 12.79 million tons. 

India imports about 60% of its LPG requirements, and nearly 90% of its imports have been from the Middle East. 

The country moved swiftly to prioritize household consumption after the Iran conflict began, and invoked emergency measures to maximize refinery LPG output.

New Delhi is aiming to obtain more energy from Russia through longer‑range corridors, such as the Northern Sea Route and the proposed Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor, as they offer route diversity in the event Middle East sources are cut off.