India, Pakistan take safety measures ahead of Cyclone Phet

Cyclone Phet was lying over the coastal areas of Oman after hitting its northeast tip last night, meteorological officials said.

Estimates suggest the strong possibility of its recurving northeast towards Pakistan coastal areas and the recurving may start this evening, Pakistan s Meteorological Department said in its latest warning.

The tropical cyclone is not likely to weaken further before approaching Pakistan s coastal areas, it warned.

In response, Pakistan s port authorities were planning to move all vessels, currently at berth, to outer sea ahead of the cyclone while officials at Pakistan main Karachi Port Trust said most of the ships carrying crude and refined petroleum products would also be moved to outer sea as a precaution.

We have also asked companies to delay their cargos for a day or so, a senior Karachi Port Trust official told ICIS news.

Following the cyclone alert, Shell Pakistan moved a shipment of 9,000 tonnes of JP-1 to outer sea, a company source said, while a source close to state-runPakistanState Oil said the company had delayed a shipment of 18,000 tonnes of JP-1 that was due on Saturday evening.

Karachi Port Trust officials said a ship carrying 31,000 tonnes of naphtha to be sailed later in the day, was likely to be the last port activity expected before the cyclone hit Pakistan s commercial hub.

Two refineries, Pak-Arab Refinery and National Refinery Limited, have also deferred their respective booked cargoes of 65,000 tonnes of crude oil to a day later [6 June], company officials said.

Three container ships with polymers had been diverted off Karachi by the port authorities to an undisclosed destination, a trader said. One of the ships was carrying polymers from Saudi Arabia, he added.

Converters based in the port city were also getting ready to shut down their plants if the storm intensifies, the trader said.

Meanwhile, Indian government officials held meetings with industrialists, including officials of KandlaPort, Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ) and the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) to draw up a plan of action in case the cyclone struck, an official said.

India s Gujarat state government issued instructions to major industries along its coastal belt to ensure the safety and security of labourers during the impending Cyclone Phet.

The government has drawn up a plan in case the cyclone strikes, and we will take all pre-emptive measures, said an official from IFFCO.

IFFCO runs a 545,000 tonne/year urea plant at Kalol in Gujarat state.

Reliance Industries complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat state is in a wait-and-watch mode, with no instruction to shut down as yet, according to a source close to the company.

A source at Tata Chemicals said: We already have a disaster management plan in place, which ensures the safety of our workers. Right now, we don t see the need to activate it.

KandlaPort is a major sea port serving western India, while the KASEZ is one of the bigger multi-product functional free trade zones in India, with 142 units [over 100 units currently operating in it].