'Indian substandard goods delay Paradip project'

Dubai, Feb 25: An Iranian oil pipeline company official has alleged that the delay in carrying out its work in Paradip port in Orissa was due to the substandard insulation provided by the Indian side.

"The poor quality of insulation in the 48-inch pipeline is one of the reasons, besides unfavorable climatic conditions and other technical problems, which contributed to project completion delay," he said.

The Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (IOEC) is constructing a pipeline stretching 20 km from the port to provide feedstock for the refinery and another line for circulating back surplus water to the sea.

The project covers the engineering, pipe-laying and SPM (single port mooring) installation operations for transfer of crude oil to a local refinery in Paradip.

The expertise the IOEC gained from pipe laying operations in Iran's South Pars Oil and Gas Field would be beneficial for its new projects in India, a press report said.

Confident on winning the new project in western India, the official said it involved laying of another 48-inch pipeline, 7.5 meters away from the first one, which is slated to start in early 2007, the Tehran Times reported.

UNI