India's LNG Imports Rise Amid Hormuz Disruptions

India's liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports have seen an increase of 15.4% in May-July compared to the same period last year, reaching 7.08 million tonnes. This surge comes as a result of the country diversifying its LNG sources following disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz due to the West Asia conflict.

The US was the top source of LNG for India during this period, providing 2.19 million tonnes, followed by Nigeria with 1.31 million tonnes, Oman with 1.22 million tonnes, and Angola with 0.80 million tonnes. The imports from these countries saw significant increases year-over-year, with the US up 252.8%, Oman at 340.9%, Nigeria at 123.8%, and Angola at 71.3%.

The Hormuz crisis had led to a drop in LNG imports from Qatar and the UAE, India's largest suppliers, with Qatar's imports plummeting by 91.3% to 0.23 million tonnes and the UAE's down 34.4% year-over-year at 0.55 million tonnes. However, both countries managed to export some cargoes using tactics such as switching off tankers' transponders to avoid detection.