Tanker Hired To Evacuate Refinery Diesel

Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) hired a 106,000 DWT tanker on a month's charter to evacuate diesel from Reliance Petroleum Ltd's (RPL) refinery to India's east coast. "Liberian tanker Kuban has been taken through Transchart for moving diesel from RPL. We have moved about 87,000 tons of diesel from Jamnagar to the East coast," an unidentified official said. The tanker is heading for Haldia port after offloading fuel at Tuticorin and Paradip, he said, adding that the vessel would return in a week's time to evacuate another 85,000 tons of diesel from RPL's Jamnagar refinery. In April, Reliance produced 1.1 million tons of diesel of which state-run firms lifted 830,000 tons. RPL, which owns a 27 million ton refinery in the western state of Gujarat, is not allowed to sell diesel, petrol and aviation fuel directly to consumers. It has to sell the transport fuels to state firms for retail sale.