Kochi: Petronet LNG managing director A. K. Balyan has made a strong pitch for developing Kochi as an international bunkering terminal, saying LNG is the future of bunkering and Kochi is well-positioned to make the most of the development.
Making a presentation at ‘Destination Cochin’, the international bunkering conference organised by the Cochin Port Trust here on Friday, Dr Balyan said governments across the world and the International Maritime Organisation have been tightening the emission norms as shipping is one of the polluting industries. “Given that LNG is one of the cleanest fuels that we have today, Kochi with a state-of-the-art LNG terminal can become a bunkering hub,” he said.
Bunkering is the process of refuelling ships at seaports. Dr Balyan said Kochi should be able to attract international shipping lines as it lies close to the international shipping routes and the Cochin Port Trust is an efficient port. About 36,000 ships pass through the route and about thousand ships call at the Kochi port, he pointed out.
“Kochi also has the first mover advantage in terms of LNG, which is competitive in pricing too,” he said. The port, however, must ensure that the allied services such as waste disposal, availability of spare and essential commodities are also conducted efficiently at the port, he said.
Cochin Port Trust chairman Paul Antony said the trust is working towards developing Kochi as a bunkering hub of international standards.
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited executive director H. C. Mehta said the authorities must ensure bunkering as a smooth process with little involvement of paperwork. Capt. B. B. Sinha, Director (Personnel & Administration), Shipping Corporation of India Ltd, pointed out that bunkering terminals need to be competitive in terms of pricing as well as services. There were deficiencies in the service offered at Indian terminals including Kochi, he said.
