Petronet LNG (PLL) intends to start bunkering services to ocean-going vessels from its Kochi terminal as part of shoring up its business volumes.
The Rs 4,700 crore terminal in Kochi, Kerala, had already provided LNG bunkering to two Norwegian ships in 2015. But a similar model cannot be worked out now in view of the bigger size of many ocean-going ships. These ships cannot be berthed at the terminal for fueling and there is a need to deploy bunker barges for alongside bunkering on the route of ships.
The five million tonne Kochi terminal has attained 30 percent of its capacity after the natural gas started flowing to Mangaluru with the completion of GAIL pipelines in March 2021.
Mangaluru is a good consumption point for natural gas and prominent customers include Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (MRPL), Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers, ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals (OMPL) etc which started taking a sizeable quantity.
The gas connectivity has also ensured the arrival of two LNG-laden ships per month to the terminal with 1,50,000 cu mtr of liquified natural gas against one in the earlier period.
The Central Institute of Fisheries Technology is carrying out a 100 running hour trial. The initial trials are satisfactory, and it is expected that the agency would soon come up with their findings. Besides, a 20-25 percent cost reduction in fuel for fishing boats, LNG is less polluting compared to diesel.