Senior officers from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting briefed the media about the latest updates regarding steps taken by the Government of India in response to the ongoing situation in West Asia at National media. The inter- ministerial briefing included updates about the fuel supply situation; preparedness of the Government of India to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies, maritime safety, welfare of Indian Nationals abroad. Ministry of I&B officials appealed to the citizens to not indulge in panic booking and not believe fake narratives and rumours.

Energy Supply and Fuel Availability:

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas assured that all steps are being taken by the Government of India to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies and that 50 lakh cylinders are delivered every day.

Crude and Refineries-

• It is 13th day of war and first time in recorded history, the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to commercial shipping. Crude is sourced from more than 40 countries and 70% of our crude is now coming from routes other than Strait Hormuz.  It was also informed that our daily consumption is 5.5 million barrels and that India is the 4^th largest refiner in the world with 22 refineries in the country. Further, Refineries are operating at high-capacity utilisation; in several cases, they are exceeding 100 per cent.
• India’s large refining capacity is allowing us a much more comfortable position in terms of Petroleum product availability and sustain the crisis.
• We have a vast network of Retail Outlets. There are around 1 lakh retail outlets. All the retail outlets are functional with adequate stocks.

Natural Gas-

• For the supply of Natural Gas that has been affected due to force majeure conditions the procurement through alternative routes and suppliers is underway to offset this disruption. To manage this situation effectively, the Government has issued a Natural Gas Control Order on 9 March 2026 under the Essential Commodities Act to prioritise the supply.

LPG supply-

• This is war situation where India imports about 60 % of our LPG consumption and about 90 % of it comes through the Strait of Hormuz which is closed. The global situation is challenging. Govt has taken many steps to maintain demand supply balance.

• Enhanced production of LPG by the refineries-The LPG Control Order issued on 9^th March 2026 directed all refineries to maximise LPG yields and channel the entire output of C3 and C4 hydrocarbon streams, comprising propane, butane, propylene, and butene, exclusively to the three Oil Marketing Companies for domestic cooking gas. Hence, in the last 5 days, LPG production has been increased by 28 per cent through refinery directives. Further procurement is actively underway.

• We have more than 25000 distributors all over the country Stock situation is closely reported. No dry out has been reported. More than 50 lakh cylinders are delivered every day. There is many fold increase in booking due to panic. We urge citizens to avoid panic booking, cooperate with authorities, and conserve fuel where possible during this period of global uncertainty.
• For non-domestic LPG, priority is being given to essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions. A three-member committee of Executive Directors from IOCL, HPCL and BPCL has been constituted to review allocations to restaurants, hotels and other commercial users. The committee is consulting with state authorities and industry bodies to finalise a plan to ensure that available LPG is distributed in a fair and transparent manner. In a major decision, 20% of the average monthly Commercial LPG requirement will be allocated from today by OMCs, in coordination with the State Governments so that there is no hoarding or black marketing.
• OMCs are approaching all state/UTs for delivery of commercial cylinders. Discussions with Chief Secretary Delhi have happened today for delivery of commercial cylinders.
• Alternate fuel options are being activated to ease pressure on LPG and gas channels. Kerosene is being made available through retail outlets and PDS channels, and fuel oil is being made available for industrial and commercial consumers. The MoEFCC has advised State Pollution Control Boards to permit, for the duration of this crisis period, the use of biomass, RDF pellets, and Kerosene/coal as alternate fuels for the hospitality and restaurant segment for 1 month, which would enable a wider range of establishments to switch and free up LPG for priority consumers.
• Yesterday ministry of coal has issued orders to allot higher quantities of coal to state nominated agencies and allocated these to small, medium and other consumers.
• An additional quantity of over 48000 KLs has been allocated to all states/UTs , over and above, more than 1 lakh KLs for one quarter, already allocated for use as cooking fuel. 

Maritime Safety and Shipping Operations

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways shared the latest updates with the media about the maritime situation in the Persian Gulf region and the steps being taken by the Ministry to safeguard safety and welfare of Indian seafarers and protecting India’s maritime interests. It was informed that-

• The number of Indian-flagged vessels operating in the Persian Gulf region, remains unchanged at 28, of which 24 vessels are located west of the Strait of Hormuz, carrying 677 Indian seafarers, and 4 vessels are on the east of the Strait with 101 Indian seafarers onboard. All Indian vessels and crew are being actively monitored for their safety and security.
• Authorities, ship managers, and Recruitment agencies are closely coordinating with Indian embassies and local authorities to ensure safety, and render medical assistance.
• Advisories issued on precautionary measures to safeguard Indian seafarers, Indian-flagged vessels and maritime trade operations issued by DG Shipping on 28 February 2026, remain in force.
• Overall port operations across India remain stable. A Standard Operating Procedure has been issued for all Major Ports/ State Maritime Boards to proactively facilitate shipping lines and exporters through stakeholder coordination and time-bound grievance redressal. A nodal officer as a Single Point of Contact has been appointed by all Major Ports.
• Major ports have been directed to provide priority berthing for LPG vessels.
• Ports have implemented facilitation measures such as permitting storage of affected Middle East-bound cargo as transshipment cargo, allotting additional storage space, enabling ad-hoc vessel berthing, prioritising handling of perishable and returning export cargo, expediting “Back to Town” movement in coordination with Customs, and enhancing bunkering support wherever feasible.
• Major ports have been advised to coordinate with agencies like Customs and DGFT, consider relief in port charges, and submit daily action-taken reports to the Ministry to ensure seamless logistics support during the crisis period.
• Government has taken coordinated measures across infrastructure, financial facilitation, energy security monitoring, and vessel safety operations.
• Dedicated 24-hour control room is operational both in the Ministry (28 February 2026) and the Directorate General of Shipping. The Directorate is also maintaining constant contact with ship owners, operators, and the families of seafarers to provide timely updates and necessary assistance.
• There have been maritime incidents involving Indian crew on Foreign flag vessels. On these vessels, there were 78 Indian Seafarers. Of these, 70 escaped unhurt and 04 sustained injuries but are stable. Unfortunately, there have been 03 casualties and 01 seafarer is missing.
• Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways continues to closely monitor the prevailing maritime situation in the Persian Gulf region and has strengthened monitoring and preparedness measures in view of the evolving maritime situation in that region.
• Regular interaction with industry and stakeholders is being maintained to provide all assistance.
• Government remains fully committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of Indian seafarers and protecting India’s maritime interests.

Safety of Indian Nationals in the Region

The Ministry of External Affairs provided an update on the safety and welfare of Indians in GCC and Iran.  It was shared that-

• Our Missions in regular touch with Indian community members and helping them with information for commercial flight options. In some cases, they are also helping with visas.
• Embassy is helping Indian nationals who wish to return via Armenia and Azerbaijan on commercial flights. Embassy facilitating with visas and land-border crossings.
• We have lost three Indian nationals in the ongoing conflict. We also have an Indian national who is reported missing.
• All the four Indian nationals were part of crew on board merchant ships plying in the area. 
• Our Embassies in Oman and Iraq and our Consulate in Dubai are working with local authorities to have their mortal remains transported back to India at the earliest.
• It was further added that this is also the reason why India strongly condemns the attacks on Merchant ships from any quarters.
• The latest casualty happened on board Safesea Vishnu, a Marshal Island flagged vessel. This happened close to Iraq.
• Altogether there were 28 crew members on the ship, including 16 Indian nationals. One of them has unfortunately died. We convey our condolences. All other 15 nationals have been rescued and are presently in Basra. Our Embassy is in touch with them and offering all possible assistance.
• Over two dozen Indians have been injured in the conflict so far. Several of them have recuperated and returned home after their treatment.  Few of them remain in hospital.

Appeal to Citizens through Media:

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting:

• Appealed to all citizens through media that there should not be any panic booking of cylinders and all steps are being taken to ensure that uninterrupted supply is maintained.
• Highlighted the role District level monitoring Committees and the State Governments to do the needful and monitor the distribution of LPG cylinders at the ground level.
• Appealed to social media users to not spread misinformation and rumours and post only credible and verified content.
• Appealed to tv channels to avoid playing the same visuals again and again since it is an evolving situation, channels were requested to play the visuals with date and time stamped so that the citizens are correctly informed about when the issue from the ground happened.
• States and Union Territories were advised to take strict measures against hoarding of essential commodities and ensure uninterrupted availability of essential supplies.

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