APM Terminals Pipavav starts operations of Very Large Gas Carriers

Private port operator APM Terminals Pipavav on Monday said it has commenced operations of Very Large Gas Carriers VLGCs.The vessel loaded with cargo from Ruwais, ADNOC Refinery Jetty, discharged 21,907 MT parcel at port Pipavav for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.The maiden berthing of the vessel MT Jag Viraat happened at the port earlier this month.With a major shift in all India LPG imports to VLGC vessels from earlier Medium Gas Carrier MGC ships, the VLGC handling capability at APM Terminals Pipavav becomes critically important.

Private port operator APM Terminals Pipavav on Monday said it has commenced operations of Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs).

The vessel loaded with cargo from Ruwais, ADNOC Refinery Jetty, discharged 21,907 MT parcel at port Pipavav for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.

The maiden berthing of the vessel MT Jag Viraat happened at the port earlier this month.

With a major shift in all India LPG imports to VLGC vessels from earlier Medium Gas Carrier (MGC) ships, the VLGC handling capability at APM Terminals Pipavav becomes critically important. This will allow oil marketing companies to maximise their LPG imports efficiently and safely, the port operator said in a statement.

Owned by Great Eastern Shipping Company, MT Jag Viraat is a VLGC vessel is 230 metres long.

''The demand for LPG is increasing as the Indian households are shifting to LPG as household fuel. The introduction of the VLGC compliant-berth facility will help us bringing in large vessels with larger parcel size to get economy of scales,'' Girish Aggarwal, Managing Director at APM Terminals Pipavav, said.

Besides, the port's Dedicated Freight Corridor-compliant LPG rakes help in distributing LPG cargo to the remote hinterland safely via environment friendly train connectivity, he said.

''We look forward to contributing to the growth of India's energy sector through our ongoing investments in infrastructure development,'' Aggarwal said.

The company announced the development of a dedicated VLGC compliant LPG Berth in March 2023, with readiness expected by 2025, along with the expansion of the LPG Terminal capacity by its terminal partner, Aegis Vopak Terminal Ltd.