GAIL LNG Terminal Receives First Cargo During Monsoon Season

GAIL (India)'s Dabhol LNG Terminal in the western state of Maharashtra received its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo during the traditionally disruptive monsoon rains on June 2, the gas transporter said on Friday.

This marks the start of year-round operations at the terminal, the company said in a press release.

The commissioning of a breakwater facility — structures that protect a port against high tides — at the terminal last month allows ships to dock safely and allow it to function as an "all-weather port".

Earlier, the terminal used to be shut for four months during the rainy season.

GAIL expects the breakwater to "significantly enhance vessel accessibility and improve capacity utilization at the terminal".

The company plans to expand the facility's capacity from 5 to 6.3 million-metric-tonnes-per-annum in the next three years, allowing it to handle up to 100 LNG cargoes annually, it added.

GAIL shares were last up 0.3% on Friday.

(Reuters/Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)