New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has brushed aside reports that claimed that a ship carrying Iranian crude oil was heading to India before changing its course to China.
Ministry clears air on the issue
The ministry took to X and said, “The news reports and social media posts of an Iranian crude cargo being diverted from Vadinar, India to China due to “payment issues” are factually incorrect. India imports crude oil from 40+ countries, with companies having full flexibility to source oil from different sources & geographies based on commercial considerations.”
The news reports and social media posts of an Iranian crude cargo being diverted from Vadinar, India to China due to “payment issues” are factually incorrect. 🇮🇳India imports crude oil from 40+ countries, with companies having full flexibility to source oil from different sources…
— Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas #MoPNG (@PetroleumMin) April 4, 2026
What was the earlier claim in reports?
It was claimed in some reports that the tanker named Aframax vessel Ping Shun was going to China with 6 lakh barrels of Iranian oil, but its earlier declared destination was Gujarat’s Vadinar. Notably, Indian refiners are looking to procure Iranian oil cargoes at sea, following a recent sanctions waiver issued by Washington.
The ministry refuted reports claiming that the ship was diverted due to payment issues and added, “Amid Middle East supply disruptions, Indian refiners have secured their crude oil requirements, including from Iran; and there is no payment hurdle for Iranian crude imports, contrary to the rumours being circulated.”
‘India’s crude oil requirements remain fully secured’
The statement further read, “Claims on vessel diversion ignore how oil trade works. Bills of Lading often carry indicative discharge ports destinations and on-sea cargoes can change destinations mid-voyage based on trade optimisation and operational flexibility. It is reiterated that India’s crude oil requirements remain fully secured for the coming months.”
The ministry also cleared the air on LPG and said that “some claims being made are incorrect as LPG vessel Sea Bird carrying around 44 TMT Iranian LPG berthed at Mangalore, India on April 2 and is currently discharging.”
Meanwhile, the EU energy commissioner has warned that increased price that the people are paying for petrol, diesel, natural gas and electricity is not going to come down to pre-war levels immediately even if the US-Iran war ends immediately. Numerous countries are bearing the brunt of this war that began on February 28 with the US and Israel raining down missiles on Teheran killing Iran’s supreme leader, a few members of his family and several senior military officers of the country.