Asia/Pacific News
Indian Port of Visakhapatnam Aims to Learn from Singapore's MPA to Boost Bunkering Business
Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) Deputy Chairman P.L. Haranadhmay says the organisation may seek the advice of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on how to enhance its bunkering business, Indian media reports.
The move is said to be part of a push by VPT and the Indian Ports Association (IPA) to modernise Visakhapatnam's port, boosting its capacity from 85 million tonnes to 125 million tonnes over the next couple of years.
Haranadhmay says VPT is looking to learn from Singapore after having observed the city-state's cruise terminal, noting that everyone could learn from Singapore's successful bunkering business.
Singapore is by far the world's biggest bunkering port by volume, with year-to-date volumes for 2016 so far its highest ever.
VPT and IPA officials are said to have recently conducted a site visit of Singapore's container, bunkering, and transhipment facilities in order to explore potential areas for cooperation and understand best practices utilised in Singapore in order to replicate them in India.
In March, India's Chennai Port was reported to have ambitions of becoming a bunkering hub for the region, attracting traffic that would typically only call at Singapore or Colombo.
