Mangalore: Moily dedicates MRPL SPM system off Tannir Bavi coast

Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Dec 7: Union minister for petroleum and natural gas Dr M Veerappa Moily on Saturday December 7 dedicated a single point mooring (SPM) system set up by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) 17 kilometres off the Tannir Bavi coast, along with a coastal booster pumping station set up at a cost of over Rs 1000 crore.

Addressing reporters, MRPL managing director P Upadhyay said that with the commissioning of the SPM, big ships of about 2.5 lac to 3 lac tonnes can be brought here, which would also facilitate decongestion of the harbour. The small ships will continue to enter the jetty and load off the crude oil as before, he added.

The crude oil pumped at SPM on the high seas will pass through a pipeline connected to a point on the coast, from where it will pass on to MRPL or the ISPRL.

The SPM will enable MRPL to ship in crude parcels on Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC), at a discharge rate of 10,000 kilo litre without causing spillage.

Oil Industry Development Board secretary L N Gupta said that three caverns are being built, each at Vishakapatnam, Mangalore and Padur, among which Mangalore cavern measuring 9 km will have a capacity of 1.5 million tonnes. The Padur one will be the longest stretching 13 kilometres. He also added that nearly 95 percent of the work is over and the caverns should be ready by 2014.

MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, MLA Mohiuddin Bava and others were present.