APM Terminals Pipavav (GPPL - Gujarat Pipavav Port) achieved a significant milestone by commencing Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) operations with the maiden berthing of MT Jag Viraat earlier this month. MT Jag Viraat, owned by Great Eastern Shipping Company, is a VLGC vessel with an impressive 230 m length and 37 m beam, arrival draft of 8.2 meters and a displacement of 47,260 MT.The VLGC vessel MT Jag Viraat loaded cargo from Ruwais, ADNOC Refinery Jetty, and discharged 21,907 MT parcel at port Pipavav for major three Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) – Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation. With a major shift in All-India LPG imports to VLGC vessels from earlier Medium Gas Carrier (MGC) ships, the VLGC handling capability at APM Terminals Pipavav becomes critically important, allowing Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to maximize their LPG imports efficiently and safely.Commenting on the berthing of the VLGC Vessel, Girish Aggarwal, MD, APM Terminals Pipavav said,” We are proud to welcome the maiden VLGC vessel at APM Terminals Pipavav port. The demand for LPG is increasing as Indian households are shifting to LPG as household fuel thanks to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna. This feat reinforces our unwavering commitment to offering world-class infrastructure and services to our valued customers. The introduction of the VLGC-compliant berth facility will help us bring in large vessels with larger parcel sizes to get economy of scale. Besides our DFC-compliant LPG rakes help in distributing LPG cargo to the remote hinterland safely via environment-friendly train connectivity. We look forward to contributing to the growth of India's energy sector through our ongoing investments in infrastructure development.” GPPL has already announced the development of a dedicated VLGC-compliant LPG Berth in March 2023, with readiness expected by 2025, along with the expansion of the LPG Terminal capacity by its terminal partner, Aegis Vopak Terminal Limited. The expanded terminal capacity is set to handle up to 3.20 million MT, further bolstering APM Terminals Pipavav's capabilities in handling LPG imports.