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Amit Mitra

Mumbai , July 1

IMPORTERS of edible oil, molasses and industrial chemicals at Jawaharlal Nehru port are up in arms against Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL).

They allege that the PSU oil companies are trying to monopolise the two liquid bulk cargo jetties in the port that are operated by BPCL on BOT basis.

Although the jetties are meant for all liquid bulk cargoes, the importers feel that BPCL and other PSU oil companies are trying to elbow aside the non-petroleum liquid cargoes such as edible oil and chemicals, which are vital raw materials for a wide array of industries.

This comes in the wake of a recent proposal by BPCL that vessels carrying PSU cargoes will continue to get priority berthing of vessel at the two jetties. And to make matters worse for the non-petroleum liquid cargo importers, BPCL has also proposed certain norms for priority berthing of vessels at the jetties, which, the importers feel, are clearly aimed at starving them of jetty space for discharging their import cargoes.

Informed sources said JNPT authorities would take up the issue with BPCL, as they do not want to loose out the non-petroleum liquid bulk cargoes, which at present constitute about 65 per cent of the port's total liquid bulk cargo throughput. Admitting that petroleum products should get some priority, port officials feel that the two BPCL-operated jetties cannot be the monopoly of the oil companies, as they continue to be a common-user facility.

At present, between 3.5 lakh to four lakh tonnes of non-petroleum liquid cargoes, including lubes and various industrial chemicals, are imported at the port.

"But with these cargoes getting less preference at the jetties, the importers are forced to pay substantial demurrages on account of delay in berthing of their vessels. If priority berthing has to be accorded, it should be only on one of the two berths," says Mr. Jayant Lapsia, President of the All India Liquid Bulk Importers and Exporters Association (ALBIEA).

One of the norms proposed by BPCL is that for priority berthing, the quantity of cargo to be discharged or loaded should not be less than 15,000 tonnes. "This is very unrealistic. For, to discharge this quantity, the discharge rate should be in the range of 500 to 700 tonnes per hour. International discharge rate stipulation pegs it at 100 to 150 tonnes per hour for edible oils, lubes and select chemicals," an edible oil importer pointed out.

Another norm proposed by BPCL is that the announcement of arrival of vessels should be made minimum seven days in advance for priority berthing.

"Again this is unrealistic for us. For instance, sailing time from Middle East to JNPT is barely two to three days. And moreover, often the rotation of discharge ports of a vessel carrying edible oil is altered at sudden notice," the importer said.

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