MRPL may start trial operation of single-point mooring by month-end

The single point mooring (SPM) facility of MRPL is likely to be put into trial operation by July-end.

Mr P.P. Upadhya, Managing Director of MRPL, said SPM facility is almost ready near New Mangalore Port.

“We hope to start the trial operation of SPM by month-end. We want to receive some amount of crude through this (SPM) from first week of August,” he said.

(An SPM is a loading buoy anchored offshore. It serves as a mooring point and interconnect for ships loading or offloading crude. They can handle ships of any size.)

Stating that the company has sought cavern facility of ISPRL (Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd) in Mangalore to store crude oil, he said MRPL wants cavern capacity of more than 0.3 million tonnes. That is the capacity of one very-large crude carrier ship.

“Exact volumes are not yet worked out. However, it will be not less than 0.3 mt,”, he said.

To a query on Iranian companies giving insurance coverage to ships bringing crude to India, he said now Indian ships are not getting insurance cover following sanctions on Iran.

Last two months, Iranian companies gave insurance coverage to the ships on CIF (cost, insurance and freight) basis. (This means the shipper has to pay the cost of shipment to the ship, insurance cost of cargo and freight cost up to destination port.)

In Mangalore, the company cannot bring ships of more than 85,000 tonnes during monsoon because of draught. But Iranian ships are more than 1.35 lakh tonnes.

Commissioning of single-point mooring will help in bringing crude in such ships, he said.

Stating that India has got waiver from the US for Iranian import, he said whichever country has made a significant reduction in their crude offtake, have been given waiver.

> vinayakaj@thehindu.co.in

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