MRPL signs $2 bln contract to supply petro products to Mauritius

New Delhi, July 6 (UNI) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) subsidiary Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) today entered into two billion dollar contract with Mauritius's State Trading Corporation (STC) to supply petroleum products for three years to the island nation.

The one-year contract between MRPL and STC expires in July 2007 and the new contract comes into effect from August 2007 to July 2010.

''This agreement proves that India is a dependable country on which Mauritius depends for its entire fuel requirement,'' said Petroleum Minister Murli Deora here.

The consignment consisting 4,000 tonnes of motor spirit, 10,000 tonnes of jet fuel and 19,000 tonnes of gas oil, was the first package as per the supply contract between MRPL and the State Trading Corporation of Mauritius.

In June 2006, for the first time, STC finalised import of its entire petroleum product requirement such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and furnace oil for the country from MRPL, adding to around one million tonne.

The product imported by STC are sold to the local oil companies in Mauritius through Shell (Mauritius), Total Mauritius Ltd, Caltex Oil (Mauritius) Ltd and IndiaOil (Mauritius) Ltd.

Apart from STC of Mauritius, MRPL which is accorded Mini Ratna status by the Government started exporting to other new markets in 2006-07 like Emirate National Oil Company of Dubai, aggregating to 1.5 million tonnes of liquid petromeum products.

The Refinery was set up in 1996 with a design capacity of 9.69 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa).

In 2006-07, the refinery processed 12.54 mmtpa of crude (129 per cent of design capacity) and it is being expanded to 15 mmpta.

UNI