India's second LPG carrier 'Nanda Devi' arrives at Gujarat port amid West Asia crisis

India’s second LPG carrier ‘Nanda Devi’ on Tuesday safely arrived safely at the Vadinar port in Gujarat, carrying 46,500 metric tonnes of gas after navigating the Strait of Hormuz amid the West Asia conflict.

The first ship, 'Shivalik', had reached Mundra Port in Gujarat on Monday.

Deendayal Port Authority Chairman Sushil Kumar Singh said that 'Nanda Devi' has docked at Vadinar port in Devbhumi Dwarka district, and preparations were being made to shift the LPG to the daughter ship.

Singh said, "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 added, "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."

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 mentioned.

He also 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."

"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," Singh asserted.

Singh said that 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.

"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 the first LPG carrier Shivalik safely reached Mundra port from Strait of Hormuz due to the strong diplomatic relations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with world leaders.

(With PTI inputs)