Magampura Port to begin bunkering in August

The bunkering operation of the Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port (MRMRP) will commence next month and several ventures have already given boost to the operation.

At the initial stage of pre commissioning, 7000 Marine Gas Oil will be pumped to Marine oil tanks at the tank farm in MRMRP. Accordingly, during the coming weeks the facility will be tested for accuracy and efficiency of pumps, lines and tanks for smoother bunker operations. Once the testing is over, the facility will be made available for bunker operations.

The tank farm of MRMRP facilitates three Aviation fuel tanks out of which one is with 3000 m capacity and 02 with 10,000 m3 capacity each. The tank farm also facilitates eight tanks for bunkering of marine fuel out of which two with 3000 m3 capacity each, three with 5000 m3 capacity each and three with 10,000 m3 capacity each. Thirty five trainees of SLPA, 12 members of the technical staff, 15 fire fighters are also being trained of the bunkering process parallel to the pre commissioning of the tank farm at MRMRP.

MRMRP has been utilized as a successful automobile transshipment handling center that handled nearly 4500 transshipment units from 31 automobile vessels during the last six months of last year.

M.V. Leon, M the fuel tanker from Singapore called at the MRMRP last week with several loads of Marine Gas Oil for testing and pre commissioning of the bunker facilities at the MRMRP. The unloading of the fuel from the vessel to the tank farm at MRMRP was initiated by the Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama. Managing Director of SLPA, Capt. Nihal Keppetipola, Chief Engineer of Southern Port Development Agil Hewageegana and a number of related staff members and employees of SLPA also attended the event.

The loads were sample tested in Colombo by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. MRMRP has completed operations of 3873 units from 25 automobile vessels during the first quarter of 2013. In parallel to the constructions of MRMRP, SLPA has also received investment proposals from prospective local and foreign investors to establish industries and business within the port premises.

Currently Cabinet of Ministers has approved seven investment proposals, subsequent to the recommendations by the Cabinet Appointed Negotiating Committee with the assistance of the Technical Evaluation Committee. Out of the eight Thatta Cement Company (Pvt) Ltd; Hambana Petrochemicals Ltd. (HPL) and Lanka Sugar Rifinedy Company (Private) Limited have already commenced constructions of their industries at the port.