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Congress leader Pawan Khera and others spread fake news that Indian tankers carrying LPG from Qatar are heading to an American port that does not exist

Sudarshan Vahini


Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera and several other opposition voices accused the BJP government of exaggerating a “policy win” after two Indian-flagged LPG tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz under Navy escort. They claim the vessels, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, were not delivering fuel to India but were instead bound for “Jacksons, USA”.

In a post on X, Pawan Khera stated: “The ships merely sailed out of Ras Laffan, Qatar, under the Indian flag. The LPG on board is bound for Jacksons, USA – something anyone can easily verify on marine traffic trackers.” Screenshots from MarineTraffic circulating on social media appeared to show the destination field listed as “JACKSONS [US]”.

Others who repeated the claim posted a screenshot from Marinetraffic, which shows the destination of Shivalik as Jacksons [US].

Others posted the screenshot with the speculation that the actual destination could be Jacksonvile, Florida.

However, the fact is, no seaport named Jacksons where large tankers can dock exists. Comprehensive search of US port directories, Customs and Border Protection records, and maritime databases confirms there is no coastal seaport named “Jacksons” or Jackson anywhere in the United States capable of receiving large LPG tankers.

The nearest similar name is the inland Port of Jackson near Jackson, Mississippi. But this is a non-coastal facility on the river, and large vessels can’t reach it. There is a seaport in Jacksonville in Florida, but the screenshots clearly said Jacksons, not Jacksonville.

Another important fact is that the US produces most of its LPG demand. Although the country imports small quantities of LPG due to regional logistics, specific product needs, or existing trade agreements, no LPG is bought from the Middle East. The US primarily imports LPG from Canada and some European countries. The US is a major exporter of LPG, and India is one of the major customers of American LPG. And for importing LPG, it is unlikely that the US will use Indian flagged vessel.

While India relies almost exclusively on LPG for household cooking, US households primarily use piped natural gas and electricity. Most US homes are connected to a vast network of underground pipes that deliver natural gas directly. LPG is used by only a small number of off-grid houses, and for outdoor cooking.

Vessels heading to India

Latest AIS data shows the actual destinations of the vessels are Indian ports. As the latest status visible on marine traffic portals, Shivalik is in the Oman Gulf heading east. Its destination is shown as Mundra, India, with an expected arrival on March 16, 2026. Similarly, the other Indian LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, is in the Persian Gulf, and its destination is Kandla, with an expected arrival around March 17, 2026.

Both tankers loaded LPG at Ras Laffan, Qatar, and Shivalik crossed the Strait of Hormuz on March 14 under Indian Navy escort. Nanda Devi is currently crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and both tankers are heading home to supply India’s domestic needs.

Pawan Khera later deleted the tweet after it was found to be fake baseless claim.

Why trackers briefly showed the wrong destination

As no seaport named Jacksons exists, it can be assumed that the “Jacksons [US]” entry was simply a manual input in the vessels’ AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponders. Ship crews enter the “reported destination” field by hand, it is not automatically verified or updated by any authority.

These fields often lag behind previous voyages or are left unchanged after loading. Public trackers like MarineTraffic clearly distinguish between the crew’s “reported destination” and the system’s matched destination calculated from actual course, speed, and route. It is possible that the crew made a wrong entry, either by mistake or deliberately, but it was corrected later.



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