Question : MoU for Transportation of LPG

(a) whether the Government has signed any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MOL (Asia Oceania) Pte. Ltd for transportation of Liquified Natural Gas (LPG) through barges on National Waterways-1 and 2 and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether MOL Group is the world’s largest gas carrier company and is investing for construction and operation of dedicated LPG barges under Make-in-India initiative;

(c) if so, the details of investments likely to be made by the said company;

(d) whether Aegis Group has also proposed investments for setting up storage terminals, dedicated pipelines between jetty to the terminal and necessary infrastructure at jetty for evacuation of products from barges;

(e) if so, the terms and conditions fixed with these companies for the movement of LPG; and
(f) .the steps taken to boost the investment for setting up storage terminals of LPG and laying pipelines in the country?

(a) A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between MOL Shipping (India) Pvt. Ltd. and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) on 25.02.2021 to facilitate inland water transport operations in National Waterways. As per MoU, MOL Shipping (India) Pvt. Ltd. together with their consortium partners HALPG (Aegis Group and ITOCHU Petroleum Group), have committed for supporting the Government initiatives as Inland Waterways promotion for better logistics solution, Sagarmala Scheme and extremely vital Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme.


(b) to (e) The MOL Group, in a presentation made in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, has claimed to be operating one of the world’s leading/ largest merchant fleets with over 800 vessels which include container carriers, bulk carriers, wood chip carriers, tankers, LPG carriers, LNG carriers etc. As regards investment, the Group has shown interest. However, no such firmed up proposal has been received from MOL/ HALPG or Aegis Group.

(f) Oil Marketing Companies have reported that the following steps have been taken to boost the investment for setting up LPG import and storage terminals in the country:-
• Construction of Paradip LPG Import Terminal, IOCL having capacity 1.0 MMTPA and storage of 40000 MT has been taken up at an investment of Rs. 690 crore.

• Construction of Cochin LPG Import Terminal, IOCL having capacity of 0.6 MMTPA and storage of 15400 MT has been taken up at an investment of Rs. 714.25 crore.

• Augmentation of Kandla LPG Import Terminal, IOCL to 2.5 MMTPA capacity with provision of additional storage of 30000 MT at an investment of Rs. 730.2 crore has been taken up.

• Storage augmentation of LPG storage facility at Mangalore LPG Import Terminal, HPCL by 80000 MT at an investment of Rs. 800 crore has been taken up.

• Grass root import facility of capacity 5 MMTPA at Dahej and storage of 60000 MT at Vadodara by HPCL, at an investment of Rs. 2380 crore is at feasibility stage.

• Haldia LPG Import Terminal, BPCL having capacity of 1.0 MMTPA and storage of 30000 MT at an investment of Rs. 1098 crore has been commissioned recently.

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