IOCL Provides Energy Solution For Scientific Expedition To Antarctica

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) has supplied Jet A1 fuel, lubes and Marine Gas Oil (MGO) for the prestigious 40^th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) mission as a bouquet offering.

For the first time, the aviation fuel Jet A1 has been supplied in bulk and packed form to a non-aviation customer and is delivered to an ocean-going vessel. The fuel will be used for aviation support and power generation units as well as in snowmobiles and for the voyage itself. The Antarctica expedition is procuring fuel from India after almost 22 years. Fuel was being obtained from outside the country till the last expedition.

According to press release issued by IOCL, the "strength to provide a complete energy solution to National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) via a single window is a feather in our cap and a support for "Make in India" objectives".

"The fueling of 40^thISEA by country's oil major IndianOil truly exhibits the spirit of "Atmanirbhar Bharat" – a clarion call for a self-reliant India given by our Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi," it added.

Today at Mormugao Port in Goa, Mr. Gurmeet Singh, Director (Marketing), IOCL and Dr. M. Ravichandran, Director, NCPOR, in the presence of Dr. E. Ramesh Kumar, Chairman, Mormugao Port Trust and Dr. N. Vinodkumar, Postmaster General, Goa Region attended the fueling ceremony of the 40^th ISEA. This 40^thexpedition marks four decades of Indian scientific endeavour in Antarctica and is being undertaken with the ice class vessel MV Vasiliy Golovnin,which has a heli-hangar that accommodates two helicopters used for conveyance in the field and to move cargo betweenthe ship and the Antarctic stations.

Also on this occasion, Dr. Vinod kumar released two first-day covers – one to commemorate this 40^th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica, and the second one to commemorate the four decades of India's Antarctica programme, under which the first Indian expedition to Antarctica sailed from Goa on December 6, 1981 and reached the shores of this polar continent on January 9, 1982.

India has two stations in the polar continent of Antarctica – Maitri and Bharati, whichare being operated under NCPOR, Ministry of Earth Sciences (Govt. of India). The 40^th ISEA has a 43-member team of scientists, engineers, doctors, and technicians,led by three polar veterans – Dr. Yogesh Ray from National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research; Mr. Atul Suresh Kulkarni from Indian Institute of Geomagnetism; and Mr. Ravindra Santosh More from India Meteorological Department –who,with their different roles and responsibilities of managing thevoyage operations, Bharati base operations and Maitri base operations, share a common goal of rewriting the success story of the Indian Antarctic Programme under this year's special circumstances.

Geared to provide all types of energy solutions under one roof – from petrol and diesel to CNG, H-CNG, CBG and electric charging stations, IOCL is moving fast to increase the country's fuel generation capacity without increasing its crude oil import bill.