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Kochi refinery to save $50 mn a year on freight
Friday, 21 December 2007, 20:30 IST
Kochi: The Kochi refinery of the Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) will reduce freight costs to the tune of 
2 billion ($50 million) a year from January when it starts receiving its shipments of crude oil on very large carriers of crude.
These largest among crude oil tankers have a capacity of 330,000 tonnes.
The refinery has already started receiving shipments on large carriers this month following the commissioning of a single buoy mooring (SBM) facility, 19 km off Kochi coast.
"The advantage of the SBM is that we can receive cargo on large ships. This will help us save on freight. With SBM going on stream, we will save 180 per tonne of crude," George Paul, deputy general manager, Kochi refinery, told IANS.
The SBM is expected to save around 2 billion per annum for the company.
The 8-billion facility will receive ships and the oil will be pumped through submarine pipes to an oil farm located at Puthuvaypeen near Kochi.
On Dec 22, a 135,000-tonne-capacity vessel will unload crude oil at the SBM.
The need for the SBM arose because Kochi port was unable to handle large ships.
"While the port can handle only ships with around 38-feet draft, a VLCC needs 75 feet. At our SBM location, it is around 100 feet," Paul said.
The refinery had been receiving crude from abroad and Bombay High at Kochi port's oil terminal on smaller ships with capacities up to 70,000 tonnes.
Establishing SBM became inevitable as the refinery is expanding its capacity from 7.5 million tonne per annum (MTPA) to 9.5 MTPA by 2009.
"The SBM will also help the refinery to go ahead with further expansions in future," said Paul.
Source: IANS
2 billion ($50 million) a year from January when it starts receiving its shipments of crude oil on very large carriers of crude.
These largest among crude oil tankers have a capacity of 330,000 tonnes.
The refinery has already started receiving shipments on large carriers this month following the commissioning of a single buoy mooring (SBM) facility, 19 km off Kochi coast.
"The advantage of the SBM is that we can receive cargo on large ships. This will help us save on freight. With SBM going on stream, we will save 180 per tonne of crude," George Paul, deputy general manager, Kochi refinery, told IANS.
The SBM is expected to save around 2 billion per annum for the company.
The 8-billion facility will receive ships and the oil will be pumped through submarine pipes to an oil farm located at Puthuvaypeen near Kochi.
On Dec 22, a 135,000-tonne-capacity vessel will unload crude oil at the SBM.
The need for the SBM arose because Kochi port was unable to handle large ships.
"While the port can handle only ships with around 38-feet draft, a VLCC needs 75 feet. At our SBM location, it is around 100 feet," Paul said.
The refinery had been receiving crude from abroad and Bombay High at Kochi port's oil terminal on smaller ships with capacities up to 70,000 tonnes.
Establishing SBM became inevitable as the refinery is expanding its capacity from 7.5 million tonne per annum (MTPA) to 9.5 MTPA by 2009.
"The SBM will also help the refinery to go ahead with further expansions in future," said Paul.
Source: IANS