The Vallarpadom Container Terminal at Kochi, one of the biggest ports in Asia “turned green” on Sunday as  365 meter long container career sailed into the jetty to unload giant containers. It is not because of jealously that the port turned green but the kind of fuel which is being used to power the ship’s engines.  Instead of conventional diesel, the ship is powered by LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) which is eco-friendly and fuel efficient, Captain Bhaskar Kunji, chief pilot of Kochi Port Trust, told the Pioneer.

Hitherto all ships that berthed in Kochi were sailing on diesel. “I will not say this is the first LNG powered ship that has called on Kochi as the LNG meanyt for the terminal near the Port have seen some containers that use the gas as fuel. But this is the first time a container powered by LNG calls on Kochi Port,” said Bhaskar who led the ship from outer sea to the Port through the complex shipping channel.

The advantage with LNG is that it is fuel efficient as well as less polluting than diesel. “Moreover, the ships could switch over to diesel in the eventuality of the LNG getting exhausted mid-way. We rate this as a game changer in global shipping business,” said Bhasker.

The Ship MSC ROSE (owned by Aponte family based in Italy  and has headquarters in Switzerland) has the capacity to carry 15,500 TEU ( Twenty Equivalent Unit, a measure of the cargo capacity used in shipping parlance).

One TEU means volume of a 20 foot long inter modal container (19.1 foot long and eight foot wide) metal box. “You are in for major surprises because much bigger container carriers are on their was to India since the last three-four years because of the changed economic scenario. India is a major player in global trade and it is the impact of the development that such careers call on ports in India,” said a shipping executive working with a foreign company.

Good reason for all to turn green and go green