H'tota tank farm pre-commissioning begins

M.V. Leon - M fuel tanker from Singapore called at the Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port (MRMRP) recently with several loads of Marine Gas Oil for testing and pre-commissioning of the bunker facilities of the port, upon completion of its Phase I.

The fuel loads were sample tested in Colombo by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. Initially, 7000 Marine Gas Oil would be pumped to the MRMRP tank farm’s marine oil tanks. Accordingly, during the coming weeks, the facility will be tested for accuracy and efficiency of pumps, lines and tanks for smoother bunker operations.

The MRMRP tank farm facilitates three aviation fuel tanks, out of which, one is with 3000 m3 capacity and two with 10,000 m3 capacity each. The tank farm also facilitates eight tanks for bunkering of marine fuel, out of which, two are with 3000 m3, three with 5000 m3 and three with 10,000 m3 capacity each.

Thirty five Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) trainees, 12 technical staff members and 15 firefighters are also being trained of the bunkering process, parallel to the MRMRP tank farm pre-commissioning. Presently, the MRMRP is utilized as a successful automobile transshipment handling center that handled nearly 4500 transshipment units from 31 automobile vessels, during the last six months of last year. The MRMRP has completed operations of 3873 units from 25 automobile vessels during the first quarter of 2013.