India turns to US for LPG, LNG as Strait of Hormuz crisis hits Gulf supplies
3 min readUpdated: Aug 26, 2026 08:11 PM IST
India is turning increasingly to the United States for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the West Asia conflict disrupts supplies from traditional Gulf producers, according to data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler.
India imported about 0.62 million tonnes of LPG from the US in August, after 0.89 million tonnes in July. The US accounted for more than 73 per cent of India’s LPG imports during August, according to Kpler.
By comparison, imports from the UAE fell to about 1,40,000 tonnes in August, while Qatar supplied around 60,000 tonnes. India imported no LPG from Saudi Arabia in July or August.
Imports from Gulf suppliers have fallen sharply following the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for energy exports from the Gulf to major consumers such as India.
UAE LPG imports dropped to about 1,40,000 tonnes in August, while Qatar supplied around 60,000 tonnes, Kpler data showed. India purchased no LPG from Saudi Arabia in July and August.
Qatar’s LNG supplies to India fall to zero
LNG has also seen a major shift. Imports from Qatar, India’s largest LNG supplier, fell to zero, while US supplies rose to about 0.75 million tonnes in August from 0.72 million tonnes in July. Qatar has supplied as much as 1.2 million tonnes of LNG to India in a single month.
The increased reliance on more distant suppliers is also raising India’s import costs.
Story continues below this ad
What does this mean for India?
The shift towards longer-distance suppliers could raise India’s energy import costs because cargoes from the US travel much farther than supplies from the Gulf. The disruption could therefore affect not only India’s energy security but also the cost of importing LPG and LNG.
India is diversifying across its entire energy basket
India nevertheless remained heavily reliant on Russian crude, with Russian imports estimated at about 1.87 million barrels per day in August, according to recent ship-tracking data.
In August, India bought close to 2 million barrels per day of crude oil from Russia, more than three times the amount purchased from the second-largest supplier, the UAE (0.61 million tonnes).
India also imported 3,83,000 barrels per day of crude from Venezuela in August.
Stay updated with the latest – Click here to follow us on Instagram
