Oman overtook the US as India's largest liquefied natural gas supplier in September, shipping 585,000 tonnes and capturing 27 percent of the country's import basket, Kpler data shows.

What changed in September?

Qatar, historically India's dominant LNG partner, saw its share crater to 4.3 percent, with volumes of just 94,000 tonnes — down sharply from a pre-conflict baseline of roughly 45 percent. The collapse traces back to Iran's March strike on Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, the Gulf state's LNG export hub and its single largest natural gas artery to India.

ICRA senior vice president and co-group head Prashant Vasisht warned recovery will be slow: Qatar accounts for 19 percent of global LNG supply, and bringing Ras Laffan's full capacity back online "could take months."

How did the supplier ladder reorder?

Nigeria vaulted to second place with 351,000 tonnes, despite volumes running 35 percent below August. The US slid from top supplier to third, with September shipments tumbling 59 percent from August's 848,000-tonne peak.

The September ranking:

• Oman — 585,000 tonnes (27% share)
• Nigeria — 351,000 tonnes
• UAE — 311,000 tonnes
• Angola — 205,000 tonnes
• US — under 350,000 tonnes (est.)
• Qatar — 94,000 tonnes (4.3% share)

Why does the import basket keep shifting?

Cumulative Indian LNG imports dropped 14 percent month-on-month, to 2.17 million tonnes from August's 2.5 million tonnes. India imports roughly half of its total LNG consumption, and around 60 percent of those volumes transit the Strait of Hormuz from West Asian suppliers.

An Indian government official told Moneycontrol the diversification push is now policy-driven: "The number of countries from which we are importing has increased significantly on all three fronts, LPG, LNG as well as crude. We will continue to diversify our sourcing to mitigate risks from any geopolitical shock."

Which cargoes are most exposed?

Unlike crude, LNG and LPG markets offer fewer short-term substitutes, leaving them more exposed to Gulf shipping disruptions. Kpler lead research analyst Sumit Ritolia noted the structural difference: substitution options thin out quickly for gas, and shipping-route risk in the Strait of Hormuz compounds the price exposure for Indian refiners and power generators.

What does the supplier map look like ahead?

New LNG capacity is under development in Mozambique and Brazil, with stepped-up flows already arriving from Canada, the US and Algeria. The official cited those additions as part of a longer-term hedge: "LNG facilities are coming up all over the world… we have stepped up gas supplies from a lot of countries."

The September data points to an Indian import book that is moving from concentrated Gulf dependence toward a wider, thinner portfolio — a shift that raises logistics complexity for terminal operators and charterers, but cushions spot buyers against any single Ras Laffan-style shock.

Forward-looking: with Ras Laffan recovery still months away and Hormuz transit risk elevated, India is likely to keep weighting September's pattern — Omani volumes up, Qatari volumes marginal — through at least the next two cargo cycles.