<p data-path-to-node="2"><b data-path-to-node="2" data-index-in-node="0">MUNDRA — Dedicated Deepwater Liquid Chemical Berth Integrates Automated Marine Loading Arms and Direct Tank Farm Manifolds to Accelerate Feedstock Evacuation for Western India's Industrial Corridors</b></p><p data-path-to-node="3">Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) has officially commissioned a state-of-the-art, automated deepwater liquid chemical berth at its flagship maritime complex in Mundra, Gujarat. Purpose-built to handle specialized chemical parcel tankers up to 60,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT), the newly activated facility addresses the surging demand for bulk liquid petrochemicals, hazardous solvents, specialty monomers, and industrial acids across Northern and Western India’s manufacturing heartlands.</p><p data-path-to-node="4">The commissioning marks a critical capacity expansion at Mundra’s liquid cargo terminal precinct. Historically, parcel chemical tankers operating along the Arabian Sea encountered berth allocation queues and extended pumping intervals, often competing with petroleum product carriers for multi-purpose liquid berths. The dedicated chemical jetty fundamentally segregates high-purity chemical operations from fuel oil traffic, providing continuous, specialized docking windows and eliminating vessel pre-berthing delays in the Gulf of Kutch.</p><h5 data-path-to-node="5"><b>Specialized Engineering and Terminal Automation Architecture</b></h5><p data-path-to-node="6">Engineered to handle volatile, corrosive, and high-purity industrial chemical grades under strict international safety standards, the jetty incorporates advanced marine transfer and safety systems:</p><ul data-path-to-node="7"><li><p data-path-to-node="7,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="7,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">Automated Electro-Hydraulic Marine Loading Arms (MLAs):</b> The quayside is outfitted with six fully articulated, remote-controlled marine loading arms constructed with specialized 316L stainless steel and PTFE-lined interiors. Equipped with Emergency Release Couplings (ERC) and automated Quick Connect/Disconnect Couplers (QCDC), the arms deliver combined discharge velocities exceeding 3,200 metric tonnes per hour.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="7,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="7,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Direct Multi-Pipeline Manifold Trestles:</b> Discharged chemical parcels flow directly from the jetty head through an elevated 3.8-kilometer pipe rack trestle into Mundra’s bonded liquid tank farm. The pipeline network features independent, dedicated lines for hazardous solvents, monoethylene glycol (MEG), caustic soda, toluene, and acetic acid, preventing batch cross-contamination.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="7,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="7,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Integrated Nitrogen Purging and Closed-Loop Vapor Recovery:</b> The facility features continuous nitrogen-blanketing skids and automated Vapor Recovery Units (VRU). These systems capture displaced toxic and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during high-velocity vessel discharge, ensuring zero quayside atmospheric emissions and safeguarding coastal environmental air quality.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="7,3,0"><b data-path-to-node="7,3,0" data-index-in-node="0">SCADA Safety and Automated Deluge Grid:</b> Terminal operations are monitored in real time via an integrated Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) network. The system combines infrared thermal imaging, automated gas-leak detection telemetry, and high-expansion foam deluge cannons capable of autonomous activation upon detecting anomalous pressure or temperature shifts.</p></li></ul><h5 data-path-to-node="8"><b>Optimizing Turnaround Velocity and Feedstock Distribution</b></h5><p data-path-to-node="9">By replacing conventional flexible dock hose hookups with automated high-rate loading arms, the new terminal reduces average chemical tanker port turnaround times from 44 hours to under 22 hours. This 50% reduction in quayside dwell times eliminates vessel demurrage expenses for international charterers and frees up deepwater berthing capacity to support rising import frequencies from manufacturing hubs across the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia.</p><p data-path-to-node="10">On the landward interface, the jetty's manifold system connects straight to Mundra’s inland evacuation infrastructure:</p><ul data-path-to-node="11"><li><p data-path-to-node="11,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="11,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">Automated Multi-Bay Road Tanker Gantries:</b> Landside distribution racks feature automated bottom-loading bays with dynamic mass flow meters, allowing road tankers to be filled, weighed, and issued automated transit documentation in under 25 minutes per vehicle.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="11,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="11,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Rail Decanting and Loading Integration:</b> Direct pipeline connections feed the port's railhead sidings, facilitating the assembly of dedicated 50-wagon BTPN liquid rail rakes for bonded line-haul movement straight into heavy chemical processing and textile clusters across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and the National Capital Region (NCR).</p></li></ul><p data-path-to-node="12">Port operations leadership confirmed that following comprehensive dry and wet commissioning trials with international parcel carriers, the automated liquid chemical jetty has entered 24/7 commercial service, operating at full berthing capacity.</p>