Three Indian Navy Destroyers Quietly Secure Oil Tankers Passage Through Volatile Hormuz

While the United States Navy refused to escort merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and the world debated whether Trump's proposed multinational coalition would ever materialise, India acted, quietly, independently, and precisely. The Indian Navy has escorted two Shipping Corporation of India tankers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, through the Persian Gulf in the first successful India-bound crossing in nearly two weeks. A third vessel, the Indian-flagged crude oil tanker Jag Laadki, was also being escorted out of the Gulf of Oman as of March 16. Around 22 India-flagged vessels remain inside the Persian Gulf, with six more expected to depart in the coming days. The warships are believed to be Visakhapatnam-class guided missile destroyers — INS Surat, INS Imphal and INS Visakhapatnam, India's most advanced indigenous destroyers built under Project 15B at Mazagon Dock in Mumbai, capable of firing BrahMos cruise missiles and defending simultaneously against aerial, surface and subsurface threats without reliance on any external partner. INS Surat had already been operating in the region, having made a port call in Bahrain in February 2026. The operation runs under Operation Sankalp, which has maintained a continuous Indian naval presence in the Gulf since June 2019 and has safely escorted hundreds of merchant vessels carrying millions of tonnes of cargo. Iran's Foreign Minister subsequently confirmed the strait remains open to vessels not associated with its adversaries, with India not categorised as hostile. India leveraged both naval presence and diplomatic back-channel simultaneously. India is expected not to join Trump's proposed multinational Hormuz coalition, preferring to operate independently under Operation Sankalp protecting its ships, its sailors and its energy supplies on its own terms, under its own flag, outside any alliance that could draw it into a war it has carefully chosen to stay out of.