LPG tanker Pine Gas routed to Vizag now for quicker delivery

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like LPG tanker Pine Gas routed to Vizag now for quicker deliveryIndia-flagged LPG tanker Pine Gas hauling 47,000 tonnes of the cooking fuel from the Persian Gulf is expected to dock at the Vizag port in the early hours of Thursday after a change in its destination for quicker turnaround of its cargo, officials said. “It is expected early tomorrow. We are fully prepared for its arrival,” a spokesperson for the Vizag Port Authority said. The deep-water facility has fully equipped LPG handling units that comply with PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation) standards, he said. LPG and natural gas tankers get berthing priority over other vessels, according to the shipping ministry’s directive, as Asia’s third-largest economy grapples with widespread disruptions in supplies due to the West Asian war. The 227-metre-long refrigerated ship was earlier scheduled to arrive at Odisha’s Dhamra port on April 1 but its original manifest destination was New Mangalore. The ship’s east-coast route round the southern tip of the Indian peninsula is a much longer haul than for ships docking at ports on the western coastline. Sailing north to Dhamra would have made the voyage even longer, a second official said. “Such changes happen due to operational reasons. Operators and the government are constantly coordinating. Sea condition is also a factor in navigation.” Amid a global shipping chaos, key Indian ports have created additional space to handle traffic, the second official said. These include Vizag port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, VO Chidambaranar Port Authority, Mundra, Deendayal Port Authority, New Mangalore Port Authority, Cochin Port Authority and the Chennai Port Authority. The Pine Gas had set sail from Ghantoot in UAE along with another LPG tanker, Jag Vasant, transiting the Strait of Hormuz safely after being allowed passage by Iran, which has clamped a near blockade of maritime traffic through the vital waterway. The India-flagged Jag Vasant reached the west coast offshore terminal of Vadinar on March 28. Zia Haq reports on public policy, economy and agriculture. Particularly interested in development economics and growth theories.