By Nidhi Verma
NEW DELHI, April 10 (Reuters) – India’s shipping ministry has granted special permission to four vessels carrying Iranian oil – as requested by Reliance Industries – to berth at the western Indian port of Sikka, three industry sources said.
India’s oil ministry, shipping ministry and Reliance did not respond to Reuters emails seeking comments.
Iranian oil is often transported by a so-called shadow fleet of vessels that lack internationally recognised insurance and safety certifications.
But this requires special permission from the government as exemptions are required under Indian rules for the berthing of ships.
One of the sources said the shipping ministry has granted a special one-time exemption to vessels requested by Reliance, operator of the world’s biggest refining complex, due to the emergency situation created by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
However another source said, despite the grant of permission, it was not definitely clear that Reliance would process Iranian oil, as it wants to ensure that transactions are sanctions-compliant and are in line with Indian rules.
India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, has not received a cargo from Tehran since May 2019 following U.S. pressure not to buy Iranian crude. However the U.S. last month temporarily waived sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil at sea to ease oil prices.
The waiver is due to expire on April 19.
Indian Oil Corp, the country’s top refiner, has purchased Iranian oil carried in sanctioned tanker Jaya, ship tracking data shows.
(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by David Holmes)