Last week about 90,000 MT of ship fuel was delivered at port Kochi. The supplies came from all port suppliers between the months of April and September to meet the needs of 120 ships that made a call at the port. In comparison, last year nearly 150 vessels called on the port generating a sale of up to 135,000 MTs.
The major suppliers are Hindustan Petroleum Company (HPC), Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Company. HPC’s ED approximated a bunker market share of 66% in the foreign-vessels at Kochi port alone. The company sold 60,000 MTs of fuel for financial year 2015-16. Mr. Mehta feels that the port management to support quick delivery and customs service has enabled this. He was appreciative of the ports development measures such as the single window clearance system.
The Cochin Port Trust has seen a 20 % growth in bunkering volumes year-on-year and the port has made many modifications and improvements to support further growth of bunkering service. The port facilitates floating storage, multiple shipments and rapid supplies on short notice round-the-clock. The port also did a trial bunkering of LNG for the first time during February 2015.
Salient Features of Bunkering at Cochin port:
- High-quality bunkers of all grades
- Facility for supply of bunkers to ships at the outer sea
- Most competitive rates among South Asian Ports
- Lowest Tax Rates for bunkers to foreign vessels (0.5%) and coastal vessels (5%)
- Correct quantities delivered
Source: Cochin Port Trust
