Plans For Transporting Petro Products Through waterways

15 January 2014
Kochi

In the wake of rising road accidents involving petroleum tanker lorries, the Kerala Government is seriously considering movement of petroleum products through waterways.The government will appoint a consultant to study the feasibility of transporting petroleum products through coastal shipping, State Port Minister K. Babu said.

The decision was taken following the recent accident in Kallyassery near Kannur where an LPG bullet tanker overturned, injuring two persons.

A senior official in the Ports department said the State government had taken a policy decision for moving hazardous cargo through waterways soon after the 2012 Chalai incident in Kannur in which several persons were killed. However, the oil marketing companies are reluctant to carry forward the proposal.

Since these companies are the cargo owners, he said, the decision on the mode transport has to be taken by them.

According to the official, the State government had submitted the proposal for moving petroleum and other inflammable products through coastal shipping using the facilities in Kollam, Kochi and Azheekal ports. It had also assigned Kitco to conduct a techno-commercial study. However, the government was not able to give a final work order to the consulting agency and the file is still pending in the Secretariat, he said.

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