India-flagged LPG tanker Pine Gas is expected to dock at Vizag port early Thursday after changing its destination for quicker turnaround of its cargo. The 227-metre-long refrigerated ship was earlier scheduled to arrive at Odisha's Dhamra port on April 1 but its original manifest destination was New Mangalore.
The ship's east-coast route round the southern tip of the Indian peninsula is a much longer haul than for ships docking at ports on the western coastline. Sailing north to Dhamra would have made the voyage even longer, officials said.
Vizag port has fully equipped LPG handling units that comply with PESO standards, and LPG and natural gas tankers get berthing priority over other vessels, according to the shipping ministry's directive.
