Examine India's energy security vulnerabilities arising from dependence on the Strait of Hormuz. Suggest diversification and diplomatic strategies.

The Strait of Hormuz carried about 20 million barrels per day of oil in 2024 — roughly 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption [1]. For India, importing 88.6% of its crude [2], this single chokepoint converts a distant West Asian conflict into a domestic economic shock.

Vulnerabilities

• Import concentration: dependence rose from 87.4% (2022-23) to 88.6% (2023-24) [2], with Gulf crude and LPG overwhelmingly routed through Hormuz.
• Thin buffers: strategic reserves cover only about 9.5 days of demand against the IEA norm of 90 days [2].
• Conflict exposure: amid 2026 regional hostilities, Indian-flagged carriers such as the LPG tanker Green Asha transited a briefly closed strait, with over 92,000 tonnes of LPG moved under risk [3].
• Legal gap: unlike Malacca-Singapore, Hormuz has no standing cooperative mechanism, and Iran has not ratified UNCLOS — weakening transit-passage assurances.
• Macroeconomic transmission: disruption inflates crude prices, war-risk insurance and freight, widening the current account deficit and fuelling inflation.

Diversification strategies

• Source diversification beyond the Gulf — Russia, the United States, West Africa and Latin America, through term contracts.
• Route alternatives: use of Hormuz-bypassing pipelines to Red Sea ports, already demonstrated during Bab al-Mandeb disruptions [1]; develop Chabahar and IMEC corridors.
• Storage depth: complete Phase-II reserves at Chandikhol and Padur, adding 6.5 MMT and about 12 days of cover [2].
• Demand-side shift: ethanol blending, electric mobility, green hydrogen and expanded domestic exploration.

Diplomatic strategies

• Promote a Hormuz analogue of the Cooperative Mechanism (2007) for the Straits of Malacca and Singapore — the first practical implementation of UNCLOS Article 43, binding littoral and user states on navigational safety [4].
• India, as a major user state, can convene Iran, Oman and Gulf partners through IMO and plurilateral channels, backed by naval escort and maritime domain awareness.

Energy security ultimately rests on reducing exposure while building rules. The Malacca precedent shows former adversaries can institutionalise safe passage once shared stakes are recognised. Pairing diversified supply with cooperative strait governance under UNCLOS best secures India's energy future.