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The recent gas pipeline blast in Andhra Pradesh may further delay the 876-km Kochi-Mangalore LNG pipeline — proposed to pass through Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka — with alternative coastal shipping options gaining momentum.
Kochi-based water transport operator LOTS Shipping has already approached Petronet LNG Ltd, which has a terminal in Puthuvypeen, Kochi, with proposals to transport gas to one of its major end-users — the NTPC plant at Kayamkulam. This is in the wake of stiff opposition from the fisher-folk against NTPC’s proposal to lay under-sea pipelines.
The ready availability of marine ISO containers, coupled with the introduction of River Sea rules in the Merchant Shipping Act, has cleared the decks to carry gas through coastal shipping.
River Sea vessels can operate within 12 nautical miles off the coast, and Kerala, with more than 550-km-long coastline, could play a major role in the movement of all types of petroleum products, including hazardous and non-hazardous gases, says John Mathews, Executive Director, LOTS Shipping.
Petronet Kochi terminalHe added the ₹4,700-crore Kochi terminal of Petronet, which is already underutilised due to the absence of pipelines to transfer gas, could capitalise the potential of coastal shipping at least within Kerala in the initial phase.
Coastal river sea vessels, which can carry 660 tonnes of marine ISO containers in 20 ft and 40 ft, are readily available in the market to meet the requirement.
A majority of the river sea vessels are with a loaded draft of less than three metres, he said. If there are no other hindrances, these vessels could go directly from Puthuvypeen (LNG terminal) to Kayamkulam NTPC in six hours’ time.
A senior Petronet official told Business Line the “project looks to be a viable option and we are studying its technical feasibility.”
NTPC has tendered for a daily supply of 1,350 tonnes of LNG on a long-term basis and once it starts using the supply, LNG price is expected to come down and more companies would start opting for gas as feedstock.
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