Buoy of Single Point Mooring likely to be installed in February

CHATTOGRAM, Dec 31: The Buoy of the Single Point Mooring (SPM) is expected to be installed in February next at its site in Moheshkhali.
Sharif Hasnat, Project Director told the Daily Observer that the works to install the SPM Buoy had been progressing fast. "I hope it will be installed in February next,' he said.
He also said that installation of nearly 200 km of pipeline of 220- km long route from Moheshkhali Island to Eastern Refinery Limited has so far been completed.
He expected that the rest 20- km pipeline would be installed by February next.
The Buoy has been manufactured in China under the supervision of Netherlands expert and arrived in Chattogram November 11.
The Buoy is the principal articles of the Single Point Mooring (SPM) of the State-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) styled "Installation of Single Point Moorings with double pipeline' at Moheshkhali.
Sharif Hasnat hoped that the SPM is likely to go on operation on August in 2022 next.
He said, 'Blue Water' a Holland Firm has manufactured the SPM and pipeline under the direction of a Chinese organisation, China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Company Limited (CPPECL). The project includes construction of Storage Tank, Pump House and installation of 220- km long Double pipeline. The Chinense Exim Bank has been providing financial assistance for the project.
After the installation of the SPM, the huge petroleum-carrier ships will be able to offload fuel directly to the pipeline to take the same to the Eastern Refinery. But under the current arrangement, big ships usually anchor at deep sea at Kutubdia from where lighter vessels receive the imported crude and refined petroleum to carry to the Eastern Refinery with the whole process taking 12 to15 days.
Presently, two lighter vessels of the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) carry the imported petroleum products to ERL site from the Kutubdia site of the Bay.
But when the SPM will be set up with underground pipeline, it will take just 24 to 48 hours.
The proposed pipeline from deep sea will save both time and money of the government as it will help to unload crude and refined petroleum from the vessels in the deep sea without berthing in the port.
The BPC sources said, with its installation, a total of Taka 800 crore will be saved.
At present, the country imports nearly 80 million tonnes of crude and refined petroleum fuel to meet the annual demands. Of them nearly 1.2 million tonnes are refined in ERL, the only refinery of the country.
This import is expected to rise significantly when a number of fuel-fired power plants have already been set up in the country. As per project proforma, 110- km long double pipeline from Deep sea of Moheshakhali to Eastern Refinery site in Chattogram is installed for carrying crude and refined petroleum products.
The 110- km long pipeline is being installed in two lines. One pipeline will transport crude oil while another pipeline will carry refined oil.
17 km long pipeline from deep sea to Moheshkhali point has been installed at 36 inches while from Moheshakhali to Chattogram ERL site is 8 inch diameter pipeline.
The pipeline has been installed off-shore and on-shore both. The 74- km long off-shore installation include from deep sea near Kutubdia to Anowara at the bottom of the Bay of Bengal. Then 36 km long on-shore installation includes from Anowara to the Eastern Refinery Ltd (ERL) premises.
The proposed pipeline from deep sea will save both time and money of the government as it will help to unload crude and refined petroleum from the vessels in the deep sea without berthing in the port.
Meanwhile, the authority concerned has already acquired a total of 191 acres of land for the project in Moheshkhali. Sources further said, the installation works of 220- km long double pipeline had started at the end of 2019.
The estimated cost for the SPM project is around Taka 6,568.27 crore, which is being financed by Chinese EXIM Bank. Under the project, there will be installations of SPM and 220 kilometer double pipeline, storage tanks and pump station at Moheshkhali. Besides, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), a fire fighting station, will be set up.
The main objectives of the project are to ensure unloading of imported crude oil and finished products with ease, with low cost and in short time, reducing the system loss in import of crude and finished products through lighterage operation, keeping balance between the growing demand of energy and its supply, enhancing the petroleum oil retention capacity through setting up of six diesel and crude oil storage tanks at Moheshkhali and increasing energy supply security.