India, March 18 -- A second vessel carrying liquified petroleum gas from the Persian Gulf reached India's west coast early on Tuesday after safely transiting the troubled Strait of Hormuz, offering some relief amid growing shortages of the cooking fuel that 333 million Indian households rely on.

The state-owned, medium-range carrier, MT Nanda Devi, steamed into an offshore anchorage point with 46,500 tonnes of LPG around 2 am, where its crew were immediately offered health checks and refreshments. Almost immediately, the cargo was processed for onward transportation.

The cargo is enough to fill 3.3 million 14.2 kg cylinders of LPG. India imports 60-65% of its LPG requirement, although following the West Asian crisis, it has asked domest...