India, March 13 -- The first oil tanker to reach India through the Strait of Hormuz after the West Asia conflict started will return to the war-torn region after unloading the ship's cargo of crude in Mumbai even as another vessel that transited the now-perilous waterway neared the Indian coastline.

The crew of the Liberia-flagged Shenlong, which arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday after leaving the Ras Tanura terminal in Saudi Arabia on March 3, transited the strait overcoming the absence of electronic navigational equipment, relying on seamanship skills and pure courage.

In response to attacks by the US and Israel on February 28, Iran has struck merchant ships, other than those owned by or headed to China, and choked the transport of energ...