GCPTCL better port facilities in Gujarat

The Gandhar-Dahej region occupies a pride of place in the history of Gujarat, today. Once a major crossroad for internal and international trade, the region suffered a long period of neglect and backwardness. However following the discovery of sizeable reserves of gas and oil, the Phoenix again rose from the ashes, prospered and soon came to be known as the "Golden Corrider of Indian Industries".

It is at this strategic location that the Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Company Ltd. came into existence. Conceptualised to be one of the most state-of-the-art Ports, unique in terms of scope & size, GCPTCL promises to revolutionize the chemicals traffic for both Domestic and International business.

The Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Company Ltd. is the culmination of the joint efforts of the most premier Public Sector Organizations in the country namely, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd. (IPCL), (a Government of India Undertaking) and Government of Gujarat Organizations like Guiarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd. (GSFC), Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers Company Ltd. (GNFC), Gujarat Alkalies & Chemicals Ltd. (GACL), Gujarat Industrial Investment Corporation Ltd. (GUC), Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) and Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC). The fundamental basis behind the menifestation of GCPTCL, has been the crucial requirement for a port in the rapidly growing industrial region of Gujarat and also to ease some of the load and congestion faced at Mumbai, Kandla and other ports. An infrastructural project, this port will exclusively handle around 1.8 million tonnes per annum of liquid chemicals falling in A, B and General classes. The initial established storage capacity of the Terminal is more than 3 lacs cubic metres with various speciality tanks, spheres etc.

The key aspect of GCPTCL is its crucial location on the tip of the "Golden Corridor", i.e. Dahej, District Bharuch, Gujarat. This lends it a proximity to the vast hinterland in Western, Central and North-West India, thereby resulting in substantial savings on in-land transportation.

The nearest Airport is Vadodara which is 120 Kms away and the nearest Railway station is Bharuch, 50 Kms away. The crucial Roadways artery is the National Highway NO 8 that passes through Bharuch. And on the anvil of the Gowrnment’s agends is conversion of the Dahej-Bharuch narrow Gauge Railway to a Broad gauge one, which will contact Dahej to all destinations of the nation.

OFFSHORE MARINE JETTY

Type of Jetty Single Berth
Height of Jetty 20 Mtrs
Minimum draught available 16 Mtrs below Chart Datum
Distance between Jetty and Shore 2.4 Kms
Ship size 6000—40,000 DWT,215M length

No. of loading arms 7 (8" to 14" dia CS & LTCS)

• Single Central Service platform with pairs of berthing & mooring dolphins on either side of Jetty.

• Navigational Aids

• Control Room

• Fire Fighting System

• DG set for emergency power

ONSHORE-STORAGE TERMINAL

Initial Storage Capacity 3,11,300 cu Mtrs.
No. of storage tanks 22
No. of spheres 4
No. of Double wail Cryogenic tanks 2 (capacity: 80,000Cu. Mtr-largest in India)

Products being handled

Propylene, Propane, Butadiene, Benzene,
Mixed Xylene, N-Paraffins, Naphtha. Styrene,
Methanol, Caustic Lye, Aniline and other
products of A, B & other General class

• Terminal Automation System
• Pumps, Compressors, Heaters
• Loading/Unloading Gantries for Tankers
• Computerised Weighbridge
• Utilities like Nitrogen, Water, Cooling Tower, Compressed Air

• Fire fighting system with fire hydrants, tenders, alarm system etc.

• Flare for incineration of hydrocarbon vapours

• D G Set for emergency power
• Effluent Treatment Plant

SAFETY-PRIME CONCERN

Safety plays a very important role in GCPTCL’s total operation. "Better Safe than Sorry" is our motto. Our safety measures include:

• A well laid disaster management plan
• Fire fighting system with dydrants, tenders, alarm etc.
• Clearance from Department of Explosives
• Hazop study undertaken
• Risk analysis
• Directional wave study
• Sea-bed & Oceanographic studies
• Mathematical Model studies by CWPRS
• Environmental impact assessment studies
• Geotechnical investigations

GCPTCL believes that Industrial Progress cannot and should not stifle or sacrifice Environmental concerns. Trees and Forests play a very important role in mankind’s advancement and any tempering will lead to untold disaster. Therefore at GCPTCL activities related to the protection of our Environment have started even before our operations have commenced, the details of which are as below:

• A large area of 47 hectares allotted for developing green belt.
• Various species of trees and plants have been planted.
• Discharge from Effluent Treatment Plant shall be used for plantation.
• Vermi Culture/Vermicast for canteen Garbage disposal implemented.
• Rare, for incineration of Hydrocarbon.
• Impact assessment conducted by M/s.
• National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri), Nagpur.

• Site clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Porous (MOEF) obtained

• Clearance from Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPC8) obtained.
• Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) clearance obtained.
• Support functions are covered in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
• Computerised network connects Jetty, Material Gatehouse Warehouse, Control Room. Security Office and Administration Building.

• Productive application of information technology.

For the future we have zeroed in on completing our first phase by mid 2000 and our Cryogenic Storage Tanks by the third quarter of 2000. Apart from this, the additional liquid Cargo proposed for the second phases is 3 million tonnes per annum. In the pipeline is also the construction of a second jetty, for which feasibility studies are being undertaken at present.

Republished from Asian Age