The dredging operations to enable the vessel carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar to berth at the LNG terminal at Puthuvype continued on Wednesday. The officials of Petronet LNG Limited, Puthuvype, said the position would be reviewed on Thursday.
The dredging is being done to remove the silt deposited at the jetty.
Wilenergy, the vessel, is anchored off Kochi port ever since it reached the city three days ago. It will take at least one week to offload the LNG at the terminal as several tests have to be conducted before cargo offloading operation begins.
Generally, it takes 24 hours to offload LNG from the vessel, but examinations on efficacy have to be carried out at the beginning of operations, the officials said.
The supply to the bulk consumers, FACT and BPCL Kochi Refinery, will begin after the initial tests are over.
Preparations
The LNG terminal had been readied for receiving gas and dredging operations were done earlier as part of the preparations. But the heavy monsoon rains and rough seas brought silt in large quantities which upset the plans of Petronet LNG. The desilting work will ensure that the 283- metre long vessel, with a width of 50 metre and draught 11.2 metre, could be berthed safely.
The vessel had arrived as per an agreement signed between Petronet LNG and RasGas, the Qatar-based natural gas supplier.
