Mumbai-based Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) on Monday (10 February) said it has become the first ever Indian oil company to export Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO). The parcel of VLSFO was exported from Kochi to Singapore on Friday (7 February).
“VLSFO is an IMO 2020 compliant marine fuel and in view of emerging market for VLSFO, Kochi Refinery started production from December 2019. We also started supplying VLSFO to the tankers calling at Kochi from then” said P Murali Madhavan, Executive Director of the Kochi Refinery.
“VLSFO is produced mainly using the vacuum residue of Low Sulphur Crude oils with suitable blending streams. Now that the global demand is increasing, we have entered into exports of VLSFO, after saturating indigenous demands. The first export that was flagged off from Kochi also marks the first export from the country by any Oil Marketing Company in India.”
The tanker MT Alnic MC carrying the first parcel of 15 TMT VLSFO to Singapore was flagged off by Dr M. Beena while Mr. Subramoni Iyer handed over the documents to Captain Sajulan Victor of the tanker in an official ceremony
Also present at the event were K. Suresh Nair, Executive Director (Supply Chain Optimisation),BPCL, M. R. Subramoni Iyer, Chief General Manager (Operations), A. Mohanlal Menon, Chief General Manager (Engg & Advisory Services), Chandrasekhar N, General Manager (Oil Movement & Stock) and V R Rajan, General Manager (Technology); and from Cochin Port Trust, officials including Capt. Jose Alapatt, Deputy Conservator, Capt. Krishna Prasad, Dock Master, Capt. Shaji Abraham, Harbor Master and Jimmy George, Traffic Master.
Photo credit: BPCL
Published: 12 February, 2020
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Representatives of Veritas Petroleum Services, Maersk, INTERTANKO, ElbOil Singapore, and SDE International provide insight from their respective fields of expertise on what lies ahead.