Pipavav - APM Terminals Pipavav (GPPL - Gujarat Pipavav Port) achieved a significant milestone by commencing Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) operations with the maiden berthing of MT Jag Viraat earlier this month. MT Jag Viraat, owned by Great Eastern Shipping company, is a VLGC vessel with an impressive 230 meters length and 37 meters beam, arrival draft of 8.2 meters and a displacement of 47,260 MT.

The VLGC vessel MT Jag Viraat loaded cargo from Ruwais, ADNOC Refinery Jetty, and discharged 21,907 MT parcel at port Pipavav for major three Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) – Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. With a major shift in All-India LPG imports to VLGC vessels from earlier Medium Gas Carrier (MGC) ships, the VLGC handling capability at APM Terminals Pipavav becomes critically important, allowing Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to maximize their LPG imports efficiently and safely.

The demand for LPG is increasing as the Indian households are shifting to LPG as household fuel thanks to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna. This feat reinforces port’s unwavering commitment to offer world-class infrastructure and services to the customers. The introduction of the VLGC compliant berth facility will help bringing in large vessels with larger parcel size to get economy of scales. Besides port’s DFC compliant LPG rakes help in distributing LPG cargo to the remote hinterland safely via environment friendly train connectivity. GPPL has already announced the development of a dedicated VLGC compliant LPG Berth in March 2023, with readiness expected by 2025, along with the expansion of the LPG Terminal capacity by its terminal partner, Aegis Vopak Terminal Limited. The expanded terminal capacity is set to handle up to 3.20 million MT, further bolstering APM Terminals Pipavav's capabilities in handling LPG imports.