MRPL operations back to normalcy: Official

Mangaluru: The problems faced by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) by way of ground soil erosion following heavy rains in August this year have been resolved and all operations were now smooth, company managing director M Venkatesh said on Saturday.

Addressing reporters here, he said the MRPL refinery complex had faced the soil erosion due to the intense rainfall during the first and second week of August, affecting the foundation of one of the pipe racks in phase 3.

An immediate shutdown of the entire phase 3 complex was done as safety measure during the third week of August.

All emergency measures were taken on warfooting to arrest any significant damage to pipe racks.

After ensuring the safety of the pipe rack through rectification work, the phase 3 refinery complex was commissioned again during the second week of September.

He said the entire refinery complex was running normally at peak capacities since then.

The crude oil supplies to MRPL were not affected due to recent attack on Saudi oil facilities and the operations were sustained normally.

Venkatesh said MRPL has been contributing to the social development of the region through its unstinting efforts under its corporate

social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Our maximum focus is towards Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district. Our CSR spending is over Rs 50 crore for 2019-20," he said.