NMPT Signs Bunkering Agreement With IOCL, Expected To Give Fillip To Cargo Handling

New Mangalore Port Trust signed an agreement with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd for providing bunkering facilities to ships visiting the harbour and those at anchorage/offshore at the Port.  NMPT had invited tenders from firms having experience in supplying bunker fuel for a five-year period. IOCL, Bengaluru won the bid by offering highest minimum volume of bunker offered by a firm.

Bunkering is a facility of supplying of fuel for use by ships and includes the shipboard logistics of loading fuel and distributing it among available bunker tanks. The Port had aimed to provide all the required facilities to the shipping community in general and for the port users in particular in a phased manner. NMPT explored the possibilities of improving the facilities in the service sector especially in area of shipping and in line with the guidelines and directives received from the ministry of ports waterways and shipping. 

Based on the present policy of the union government, NMPT initiated action to identify infrastructure projects and found that the bunkering facilities for catering ocean going vessels and coastal vessels, if established in this port will have enough potential since the port is located on the main trunk route. Considering the strategic location of the port among the international sea routes, it is possible to provide bunkering services to ships within the port area connected to all berths and also those anchored outside the International waters.

NMPT and IOCL sign a MoU under which the latter provides bunkering facilities to sailing vessels.

Officials of NMPT & IOCL post the signing of MoU on Bunkering Facilities at the Port.

The objective was to provide the most appropriate facility from among the resources already available with the Port to serve as a full-fledged bunkering facility, by incorporating the required modifications, to achieve the intended purpose.

After the formal contract agreement the expected minimum cargo to be handled will be 90,000 MT annually. Mr Akkaraju Venkata Ramana, chairman, NMPT witnessed the agreement signing with senior officers of the port including the deputy chairman, Debabrata Mukherjee, GM (Institutional Business), V Jagadeeshwara Rao, manager (institutional Business).