LPG carrier Nanda Devi reaches Gujarat amid West Asia crisis

India’s second LPG carrier ‘Nanda Devi’ arrived safely at Vadinar port in Gujarat on Tuesday, carrying 46,500 metric tonnes of gas after navigating the Strait of Hormuz amid the West Asia conflict, an official said. The first ship, ‘Shivalik’, reached Mundra Port in Gujarat on Monday.

‘Nanda Devi’ has docked at Vadinar port in Devbhumi Dwarka district, and preparations were being made to shift the LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to the daughter ship, Deendayal Port Authority Chairman Sushil Kumar Singh told reporters.

“A consignment of 46,500 metric tonnes of LPG has been brought in; this cargo will be transferred to a vessel named BW Birch, which will subsequently proceed to discharge portions of the consignment at the ports of Ennore (Tamil Nadu) and Haldia (West Bengal) along the eastern coast,” he said. “The transfer process takes place at a rate of 1,000 tonnes per hour; consequently, the entire operation is expected to take two days to complete,” he added.

The port authority at Vadinar is tasked with ensuring that these operations are executed with maximum efficiency, as per the directive of the Ministry of Ports, Singh said.

“This constitutes a standard operational procedure that we have consistently carried out here at Vadinar. However, the current directive issued by the ministry mandates that incoming LPG vessels be accorded top priority; we must ensure that their transfer and discharge processes are completed as expeditiously as possible,” he said.

All relevant operational parameters are to be monitored rigorously, with multiple agencies involved in the process, the official noted.

“We visited the vessel and met with its crew members. The ‘daughter vessel’ is currently en route; upon its arrival, it will berth alongside the ‘mother vessel’ Nanda Devi, at which point the ship-to-ship transfer operation will commence,” he said.

Singh said the ministry has issued a clear directive stipulating that all future incoming LPG vessels must also be handled on a priority basis, strictly adhering to all safety protocols and avoiding the adoption of any shortcuts.

“Our objective is to eliminate any procedural bottlenecks and ensure that the cargo is discharged as quickly as possible,” he added.

Gujarat minister Jitu Vaghani on Monday said that LPG carrier Shivalik safely reached Mundra port from Strait of Hormuz amid the West Asia crisis due to the strong diplomatic relations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with world leaders.