OREANDA-NEWS. The Foundation Stone of South India’s First Transport Hub was laid by Dr. M. Veerappa Moily, Hon’ble Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas at HPCL’s Mangalore LPG Import Facility (MLIF) on 18th March 2013 in the presence of Shri Oscar Fernandes, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Shri Nalin Kumar Kateel, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha – Dakshina Kannada) and Shri Jayaprakash Hegde, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha – Udupi Chikmagalur. It was also attended by Hon’ble MLAs, Government of Karnataka and officials from HPCL.

Speaking on this occasion, Hon’ble Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas appreciated the untiring efforts of HPCL and expressed his pleasure on Mangalore realizing a long cherished dream of having South India’s First Transport Hub. Congratulating HPCL, he wished the project all success.

Shri S. Roy Choudhury, Chairman & Managing Director of HPCL mentioned that as on date, MLIF is equipped to fill approximately 250 LPG tank trucks every day and is a hub to around 350 LPG trucks on an Industry basis. He also highlighted “this factor underlines the number of truck drivers and helpers attached with the terminal and this is where HPCL’s role to take care of these people emerges.”

Mangalore LPG Import facility - MLIF

MLIF is the first of its kind fully Automated LPG Terminal with state-of-the- art central control room, equipped with Gas Monitoring system, Fire Control and Emergency Response Activation Facilities.

Mangalore LPG Import Facility is one of the vital locations of HPCL. It is spread over an area of 176 acres with more than 30 acres of green belt. The Facility was commissioned in 1996 with an installed capacity of 600000 MT per annum. MLIF is catering to the Industry requirements of Domestic and Non Domestic LPG demand in South India.

Bulk LPG is received from Gulf countries or by coastal trans-shipment from RPL Refinery-Jamnagar and stored in LPG spheres. The total storage capacity at MLIF is 16,800 MT which makes it the largest above ground LPG storage terminal in India. Entire LPG production of MRPL is also received in the terminal through pipeline. The Facility handles about 1.5 million tons of LPG per annum and caters to the entire South Indian belt comprising the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa.

Mode of dispatch is either through Road Tankers or Railway Tank Wagons. LPG is also dispatched through pipeline to the adjacent HPCL bottling plant and BPCL bottling plant in Mangalore. Loading of Tank Trucks are carried out in a fully automated tank truck loading gantry equipped with most modern loading arms with latest safety fittings. Similarly, all the other activities including bulk LPG receipt and dispatch are controlled through a sophisticated Terminal Automation System from control room which is manned by engineers round the clock. MLIF is provided with Data Control System which enables total control on jetty operations from control room including emergency stoppage.

Safety is accorded the top priority in day to day activities of the location. In addition to the sophisticated safety and firefighting facilities, intensive safety checks and mock fire drills are carried out regularly to keep the system alert and responsive. Safety training programs for employees, security staff and Tank Truck Crew is a regular activity at the Terminal to update and refresh safety awareness among the personnel.

Transport Hub:

T/T crew parking area is being developed into a Transporter’s hub and the following new additional facilities are proposed at a total cost of approximately Rs 1 Crore, in a phased manner

Dormitory: A dormitory for accommodating around 40 TT crew

Convenience store: A convenience store is planned to be put up at the TT parking area where the drivers and helpers can buy basic items of daily needs. This will avoid the need for the drivers/helpers to go outside the plant in search of the same.

Renovation of old toilet building: For meeting the needs of the crew using the dormitory, the old toilet building shall be renovated with new bathroom, toilets and attached to the dormitory