Nave Buena Suerte, a crude oil tanker under the flag of Hong Kong and moving from Singapore, exercised the facility three nautical miles within the Vizhinjam port limits, helping seven seafarers to sign off and 10 to sign on. The port will be a centre for delivering food and essentials to cargo ships, maintenance, filling fuel, bringing spare parts, cleaning tankers, The ships will have to pay the government a fee of Rs 1 lakh per day for using these facilities.
This is the 50th vessel since the outer anchorage crew change began off Vizhinjam port on July 14 opening new business opportunities for shipping companies, transshipment service providers, and the travel trade. Ever Globe, a 2.19-lakh tonnage container ship, sailing under the flag of Panama from Egypt to Colombo, was the first to exercise this facility.
“We need rooms for the crew, Customs, Immigration and port agents. For bunkering to take off, the government should provide land close to the coast for constructing tanks for oil storage. The oil companies are willing to come forward. The State should also reduce the tax for bunkering,” says Jude Sajith D’cruz, managing director of Dowins Resources, shipping agents.
Making available food, drinking water, maintenance of the vessel, providing spare parts, fuelling, and cleaning of the tankers are the opportunities that can be provided once the facilities for bunkering hub is set up.