Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Indian-flagged tanker, Shivalik, which departed from Ras Laffan Port in Qatar carrying 46,000 tonnes of LPG, arrived at Mundra Port in Gujarat on Monday, after a nine-day voyage, including the passage through the conflict-hit Strait of Hormuz. Nanda Devi, another Indian-flagged LPG carrier carrying approx 46,000 tonnes, is scheduled to reach Kandla Port in Gujarat early Tuesday. Both ships are owned by the state-run Shipping Corporation of India. Another India-flagged crude oil tanker, Jag Laadki, which started its voyage from the UAE’s Fujairah port on Saturday when the oil terminal was attacked, is scheduled to reach Mundra on Tuesday afternoon. The ship is carrying around 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude, a crude grade produced by the UAE. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the shipping ministry, said all Indian seafarers operating in the Persian Gulf region are safe. TOI has learnt that 20,000 tonnes of LPG ordered by Indian Oil Corporation from Shivalik will be unloaded at Mundra, and the remaining 26,000 tonnes will be unloaded at New Mangalore Port. In case of Nanda Devi LPG carrier, the LPG will be transferred to two smaller vessels on the sea at Vadinar, a facility of Kandla Port near Jamnagar. The consignments will then be transported to different destinations. Officials said Mundra Port has a special storage facility, and from there gas is transferred to the Mithi Rohar location in Gandhidham through a pipeline to GAIL and subsequently supplied to the National Gas Grid. Sinha said govt-owned major ports are closely monitoring vessel movements and facilitating cargo operations, offering concessions on anchorage, berth hire, storage charges, and temporary transshipment storage at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority. Meanwhile, following direction to step up production of LPG, HPCL Mittal Energy (Bhatinda) and Reliance refinery (Jamnagar) have placed ademand for rail rakes.
