LNG Carrier Anchored, Awaiting Dredging at Basin

The berth basin of the Petronet LNG terminal is not deep enough to facilitate the tanker vessel holding the terminal’s first consignment of LNG, forcing the ship to wait in anchorage at the Cochin Port as a navigable route is dredged, multiple news sources reported. The vessel is expected to sit for two or three days as the basin is dredged.

The ship, WilEnergy, is carrying LNG from RasGas in Qatar to be delivered to the Rs 4,200 crore terminal. The LNG carried on WilEnergy is said to be primarily for the test of pipelines, with any surplus heading to distribution.

The berth basin dredging is the responsibility of Petronet while maintenance dredging is to be performed by the Port Trust.

While the terminal is reportedly ready for operation, the official dedication of the terminal will take place in two months, and pumping will begin this month.

In the meantime, the terminal can work at just eight percent of its full capacity since the pipelines connecting Kochi to customers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are still under construction. But once the pipeline from Kochi to Bangalore and Mangalore are ready, the terminal is expected to be operated at 75 percent of its capacity.

Sources: Express News Service, staff