Reliance resumes vessel operations at Sikka Port after cyclone
21 Jun 2023 CW Team
According to industry sources, Reliance Industries, the operator of the world's largest refining complex in India, has recommenced vessel operations at the port of Sikka in Jamnagar, Gujarat. This development comes as the coastline recovers from the impact of cyclone Biparjoy. Sources who received a notice from the company stated that any vessel entering the Gulf of Kutch can now call the Sikka Ports & Terminals (STPL). The company had previously imposed restrictions on vessel entry at the port due to the unavailability of anchorage positions.
An industry source reported that approximately 13-21 tankers were awaiting the opportunity to discharge crude oil at the port, a fact supported by ship-tracking data observed.
Last week, several ports in Gujarat had suspended cargo operations due to adverse weather conditions at sea. One source mentioned that around 2.74 million metric tons (equivalent to 20.12 million barrels) were on board 21 oil tankers awaiting discharge, while Refinitiv ship-tracking data indicated that 13 tankers were holding approximately 12.87 million barrels of crude oil at Sikka port.
In other news, the Astro Chloe successfully unloaded 1.9 million barrels of crude oil at the port of Vadinar on Sunday, as reported by a source and confirmed by Kpler data.
Additionally, Gujarati ports such as Pipavav Port and Kandla Port announced that they had resumed their operations on Saturday.