Kolkata Port Trust to Get LNG Bunker Storage Facility

Kolkata Port Trust has made provisions to set up LNG bunker storage facilities, India’s shipping ministry said September 12.

The ministry said that the Haldia Dock Complex under Kolkata Port Trust has recently earmarked about 10 acres (4 ha) of land in the vicinity of Haldia Oil Jetty No. 1 for a period of 30 years for setting up of LNG storage facilities, with permission to lay pipelines and install unloading arms through tender cum auction. The project will be undertaken on land lease model by granting lease of land by middle of December. The LNG facilities are expected to be developed within 24 months from date of allotment of land, the minister stated.

“This is an important development in context of the recent efforts of the ministry of shipping to reduce logistics cost and achieve the COP21 targets on cutting down pollution by introducing the use of LNG as fuel for barges,” the ministry said. The government is working to facilitate the movement of LNG and its storage at places situated along the inland waterways.

Use of LNG is expected to save around 20% on fuel. Carbon Dioxide emissions are likely to get reduced by 20% to 25% and nitrogen/sulphur oxide emissions by 90%, the ministry said.

India’s Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Petronet LNG signed the MoU at the Maritime India Summit in Mumbai in April with the objective of promoting the use of LNG barges on National Waterway-1 (River Ganges).

The shipping ministry said it has been regularly holding discussions with Petronet and IWAI. According to the ministry statement, Petronet is in the process of preparing a detailed feasibility report for setting up LNG facilities at Haldia, Sahibganj, Patna and Ghazipur on National Waterways-I as per an MoU. Petronet will design, construct and operate LNG unloading, storage, bunkering and reloading facilities on the national waterways..

The ministry believes that there is a potential for 17.5mn metric tons of cargo to be transported annually on National Waterways-1 by 2020. 

Shardul Sharma