A video from Delhi where two men riding a motorcycle parallel to a Reliance oxygen tanker claim that the company is passing off oxygen supplied by Saudi Arabia as its own, has been widely shared on social media. The men point at Arabic text visible on the side of Reliance branding. विडियो हुआ वाइरल। अंबानी खानदानी चोर.. क्रेडिट लेने की जल्दबाज़ी में पोस्टर भी छोटा बनवा बैठे… 😜😝😛 Posted by Yusuf Jamal on Friday, 7 May 2021 Facebook user Matin Patel posted the video and wrote in Hindi, “Ambanis are thieves… in a rush to take credit, they’ve even made small posters.” This video gained over 2 lakh views. (Hindi text: अंबानी खानदानी चोर.. क्रेडिट लेने की जल्दबाज़ी में पोस्टर भी छोटा बनवा बैठे) Multiple Facebook and Twitter users have shared an image of the same tanker while highlighting the Arabic text. Below is Twitter user @tondupar’s post that drew over 1,200 retweets. Alt News has received multiple verification requests on our WhatsApp helpline number (+917600011160). Readers can also send queries on our mobile application. (Android, iOS) Alt News had recently debunked a 13-second clip of two men putting up Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Foundation sticker on an oxygen tanker. It was viral with the identical claim that Reliance is taking credit for oxygen supplied by Saudi Arabia. RIL spokesperson had told Alt News at the time, “RIL has organised the airlifting of 24 ISO (empty) containers to India from Saudi Arabia, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and Thailand adding 500 MT of new transportation capacity for liquid oxygen. Over the last week, they were delivered at Jamnagar refinery via Ahmedabad or Jamnagar airport.” The 24 ISO containers were empty and not shipped filled with liquid oxygen (O2). The oxygen inside these containers was filled at RIL’s Jamnagar refinery. This article is split into the following sections to get a better understanding of liquid O2 and the challenges faced by India in its transportation. WHAT IS LIQUID O2 AND HOW IS IT STORED? A document (view PDF) on safe handling of liquid oxygen by US-based Air Products and Chemicals states, “Liquid oxygen is a cryogenic liquid. Cryogenic liquids are liquefied gases that have a normal boiling point below –130°F (–90°C). Liquid oxygen has a boiling point of –297°F (–183°C).” Liquid oxygen is not flammable but can prove to be hazardous when in contact with certain materials, including non-combustible stainless steel, carbon, zinc, etc. It can even lead to explosions, according to Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. The same document also explains, “Liquid oxygen is stored, shipped, and handled in several types of containers, depending upon the quantity required by the user. The types of containers in use include the dewar, cryogenic liquid O2 cylinder and cryogenic liquid O2 storage tank. Storage quantities vary from a few litres to many thousands of gallons.” The tanker seen in the viral posts about Reliance is a cryogenic liquid O2 tanker. CAN LIQUID O2 BE SHIPPED VIA AIR? According to the International Air Transport Association/ International Civil Air Organization (IATA/ICAO), a portable oxygen concentrator is permitted as checked-in baggage or carry on baggage. The same is the case with O2 or air, gaseous, cylinders (up to 5 kgs) required for medical use however this needs approval from the airline operator and the pilot-in-command must be informed of the location. However, liquid O2 systems are forbidden for transport. (view pdf) Air India, IngiGo, SpiceJet are members of IATA. As per Special Medical Requirements by Air India, 13 to 24 bottles of O2 with 300 litres can be carried depending on the size of the airbus. This is just sufficient for the duration of the flight for multiple passengers. The second wave of the pandemic has taken a toll on medical infrastructure. There has been an acute shortage of oxygen in the country, especially because transporting O2 from manufacturing units to hospitals has been a challenge. Thus, as part of COVID-19 aid, several countries have supplied empty cryogenic liquid O2 tankers to India and this has also been extensively reported in the media. RIL spokesperson confirmed to Alt News that the cryogenic liquid O2 tanks shown on social media were shipped empty. While Alt News couldn’t independently verify this statement, not a single media report claims that cryogenic tanks filled with oxygen were shipped via airways. On the other hand, there are several reports of empty tankers received from other countries (1, 2, 3), and also airlifted domestically (1, 2, 3). Countries have supplied empty tankers which are subsequently filled in India. The only reported case of liquified oxygen sent to India from a foreign country was via the sea route.