Adani’s Mundra Port Berths India’s First Fully Laden VLCC

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has achieved a major milestone by successfully berthing India’s first fully laden Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) at Mundra Port.

The vessel, MT New Renown, arrived at the port carrying around 3.3 lakh cubic metres of crude oil.

With this operation, Mundra became the first port in the country to directly berth a fully loaded VLCC at a jetty, placing it among a small group of ports globally with this capability.

APSEZ stated that the berthing was completed in difficult marine conditions, including strong currents, high winds and challenging sea states.

The company said the operation demonstrated the experience and coordination of the port’s marine and management teams.

The direct berthing of fully laden VLCCs marks an important change in India’s crude oil logistics. Due to their deep draft and large size, such vessels were earlier handled using offshore Single Point Moorings (SPMs) or lightering operations.

APSEZ stated that Mundra’s dedicated VLCC jetty now allows these vessels to berth directly, making crude handling safer, faster and more cost-efficient.

Mundra’s VLCC jetty is connected to the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery at Barmer through a 489-kilometre crude oil pipeline.

According to the company, this direct connection strengthens India’s energy security, improves the efficiency of large crude imports, increases supply chain reliability and supports economic growth in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The purpose-built VLCC jetty at Mundra has been designed to handle fully laden crude carriers at maximum displacement.

The facility includes a 400-metre-long jetty, a berth pocket depth of 25 metres, a maximum acceptable vessel length of 333 metres, a maximum displacement of 360,000 metric tonnes, and can accommodate vessels with a maximum draft of 21.6 metres.

APSEZ stated that only a limited number of ports worldwide are able to berth fully laden VLCCs directly due to the strict infrastructure and engineering requirements involved.

With this development, Mundra Port has joined a select group of global crude handling hubs, strengthening India’s position in the international maritime and energy sector.

Located in the Gulf of Kutch, Mundra is APSEZ’s flagship port and India’s largest commercial port.

The deep-water, all-weather port operates 27 berths and two Single Point Moorings, and handles cargo such as dry bulk, break-bulk, project cargo, liquids, containers, automobiles and crude oil.

The port is capable of handling Capesize vessels, VLCCs, Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCCs) and ultra-large container vessels.

Mundra is also India’s largest container-handling port and leads the country in container volumes, import coal handling and overall commercial cargo capacity.

In the 2024–25 financial year, it became the first Indian port to handle more than 200 million metric tonnes of cargo in a single year.

Reference: ANI

Source: Maritime Shipping News