Vopak and Stolt-Neilsen planning joint liquid bulk storage facility at Mundra Port, India

02 Feb 2012 - Port Planning

• Liquid bulk terminal operators plan build of US$120 million storage facility

• Capacity yet to be decided, says Vopak executive

Royal Vopak and Stolt-Nielsen, two of the world’s biggest liquid bulk terminal operators, are planning a joint venture in the build of a new US$120 million facility at Mundra Port, Gujarat.

“The capacity of the new facility is yet to be decided,” said an unnamed executive at Vopak.

Vopak’s portfolio of 83 liquid bulk terminals worldwide boasts a storage capacity of over 27 million cubic meters.

The world’s largest liquid bulk storage provider moved into the Indian market in July last year with the acquisition of Gujarat-based CRL Terminals, the owner of one of India’s largest vegetable oil and chemical storage facilities. The facility, located at Kandla Port, has a capacity of around 262,600 cubic meters.

An executive at Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, the owners of Mundra Port, also confirmed that it is in advanced talks with Vopak over the possibility of a new storage facility,

A spokesman at Stolt-Nielsen declined to comment until something concrete was on the table, according to Tank Terminals.

The new terminal at Mundra Port would be Stolt-Nielsen’s first venture in India.

Stolt-Nielsen currently operates eight terminals globally, which have a combined capacity of 2.8 million cubic meters.