Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M Veerappa Moily dedicated the 26th Single Point Mooring (SPM) and allied facilities to the nation at Tanir Bhavi on Saturday.
After unveiling the foundation stone for the SPM unit, built at a cost of `1,043.57 crore, Moily was briefed about the operation of SPM by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) Managing Director P P Upadhya.
Utilisation Factor
A mooring buoy anchored offshore, about 17 km from Tanir Bhavi beach, can receive crude oil in Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) with 3,20,000 Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT).
From here the crude oil is pumped to the Booster pumphouse through a 17 kilometre-long 48-inch submarine pipe.
The crude oil now can be unloaded to MRPL’s refineries or to Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) rock caverns. The unloading rate can be upto 10,000 kilo litre per hour. “If ISPRL’s pipelines are operational, the crude oil can be discharged within 36 hours. Presently, crude oil for MRPL’s refineries is discharged within 100 hours,” Upadhya added.
The mooring buoy in high sea with a draft (depth) of 31 metres, besides being economically viable, also decongest existing berths (with 14 mts draft) at New Mangalore Port (NMP).
The SPM also reduces ‘demurrage’ (waiting charges for loaded ships) and enhances MRPL’s refinery operations. Its operations are likely to be disrupted for a few days during inclement weather.
It will now help MRPL source West African and Latin American crude oil which provides higher cost advantages.
MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Mangalore North MLA Mohiuddin Bava, former MLA Vijaykumar Shetty and others participated in the programme.