As many as 10-12 vessels carrying fertilisers have resumed their journey to India after being stranded near the Strait of Hormuz amid regional tensions, official sources said.
The vessels, which include both Indian and foreign-flagged carriers, had been held up near the critical waterway as hostilities between the US, Israel and Iran disrupted shipping movement through the strait.
Sources stated that of the vessels now back en route, eight are said to be carrying urea fertilisers, while the remaining four are transporting DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) and related raw materials.
The vessels are expected to arrive in India over the next two to three days, officials added.
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The development comes amid persistent uncertainty over the safe passage of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for India's fertiliser and energy imports, after Iran had announced over the weekend that it had shut the waterway, citing continued Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon as a violation of ceasefire terms agreed under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Washington and Tehran last week.
Mediators Qatar and Pakistan had subsequently said that the US and Iran had agreed to establish a "line of communication" to ensure safe passage for commercial vessels through the strait for a 60-day period, as part of the broader framework being negotiated under the MoU.
Under the agreement, Iran is required to use its "best efforts" to guarantee toll-free passage for ships moving between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
The resumption of movement for these vessels is expected to ease some of the supply-side pressure that had built up due to the stranding, though officials have not specified whether further consignments remain affected by the situation near the strait.
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