The Bunkering Facility & Tank Farm Project is located in Hambantota, south Sri Lanka; about 200 km away from Colombo. The tank farm storage capacity is totally 80,000 m3 for marine fuel oil, aviation fuel oil and LPG. This project is composed of 5 up right tanks with dome in 10,000m3, 3 up right tanks with dome in 5,000m3, 3 up right tanks with dome in 3,000m3, 3 spherical LPG tanks in 2,000m3 and all necessary auxiliary facilities. The tank farm project will provide bunkering services for the ships and domestic requirements for LPG and Aviation Oil. The bunkering facility is made of 8 tanks and are divided into 2 groups with three 10,000 m3 tanks in one dike and another three 5,000 m3 tanks and two 3,000 m3 tanks in one dike. IF0380cst will be stored at a temperature of 60°C at atmospheric pressure andIF0180 will be stored at a temperature of 45-60°Cin atmospheric pressure and MGO at ambient temperature in atmospheric pressure.
The Marine Jetty facility/water front facility here, for ship berthing consists of two berths of 300m each in length with a draft of 15m. Each jetty is equipped with 8 loading/unloading arms with segregation for Heavy fuel, Gas Oil, Aviation fuel and LPG. The jetty is fitted with high quality fenders, quick release hooks for ships lines, radar display of ship movements for safe berthing to the pilot and ship staff.
For bunkering operations, there are separate loading and unloading pipelines to ensure uninterrupted services for both the bunkering vessels and import/export vessels in continuing its normal operations.
All the pipelines within the tank farm area and the connections tt> the jetty area which are used for heavy fuel oil are fitted with heating coils to ensure maximum flow rate can be maintained whilst having to avoid cleaning/flushing of lines.
The terminal is equipped with a fully automated blending facility to blend various products which enhance the scope of the facility and cater to the various requirements including in-house as well as bunker supplies thus increasing the efficiency of the plant. The bunkering facility is fitted with flow meters to ensure accuracy of the measurements which is also the first terminal in the region to be fitted with high precision and costly equipment. The terminal has inshore truck loading facilities to transport and distribute products in land. It is equipped with Experion Terminal Automation System (ETAS) which is a web-based c1ient- server software application that helps to automate the operations within a terminal. Experion TAS uses Experion PKS(EPKS) as its backbone for most of its process control operation like pump sequencing, notifying field level loading alarms, graphics, TGS for Tank levels, ESD for safety interlocks, DCS information exchange which is backed by world renowned Horieywell. The above systems ensure safety and accuracy of the measurement of products with zero tolerance for pilferage and enhances the security of the facility with only authorized persons allowed entry.
The facility is also equipped with a modern laboratory with fully qualified and experienced. Chemists and Analysts to test all products that will be stored at the tank farm. It will be the first laboratory outside Colombo to have the facility to test petroleum products which will ensure reliability of the products at Hambantota. An additional unique feature will be that the Hambantota port will be one of the very few ports in the region with a modern state of the art reception facility for slops/waste oil from vessels.
The waste oil reception plant has a storage capacity of 500cum and will enable the vessels passing Sri Lanka to discharge their oily waste whilst complying with MARPOL regulations and ensuring clean and green environment.
The cargo handled at the port for the same period this year is 102,558 tonnes against 21,542 tonnes for the same period last year that indicates a positive change of 376.1 %. MRMRP also received 87 RO-RO vessels from January to May this year against 35 such vessels for the same period last year pointing to a positive change of 148.6%. The total number of motor vessels handled for the same period this year at MRMRP is 72,612 units against 13,186 units for the same period last year pointing to a positive change of 450.7%. During the period this year MRMRP has handled 14,019 domestic and 58,593 transshipment units in RO-RO operations. To date all developmental activities at MRMRP are being successfully carried out with the supervision of Project Minister of Highways, Ports and Shipping Rohitha Abeygunawardena and on the instructions of Dr.Priyath B. Wickrama - the Chairman of SLPA.
Following the footsteps of 'Mahinda Chinthana' of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka Ports Authority has been rightly directed at present, to maximize all the strengths and capacities to efficiently work towards the socio-economic development of Sri Lanka. Through the accurate guidance by President Mahinda Rajapaksa the true leader of the nation, MRMRP at present, is rapidly becoming the potential to bring prosperity not only to the country but also to the whole region.(KH/SI)
