Guidelines for Safe Transportation of Petroleum Products

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has issued safety guidelines to enhance the security of transporting petroleum products, following a tragic accident in Jaipur.

Recommended Transportation Methods

• Oil companies should avoid using road transportation for bulk petroleum products over long distances.
• Instead, the use of railways or captive pipelines of competitors is advised.
• The guidelines recommend utilizing the spare capacity of pipelines under product sharing or as common carriers.
• PNGRB requests notification when captive pipelines are used as common carriers.

Background and Legal Context

• The guidelines were spurred by an LPG tanker accident near Jaipur last December, resulting in approximately 20 fatalities.
• PNGRB has been pushing for state-run oil companies’ pipelines to be used as common carrier facilities, opposed by pipeline owners.
• In 2022, PNGRB stated that the concept of "captive" pipelines lacks legal backing, and recognized only three types: common carrier, contract carrier, and dedicated pipelines for specific consumers.

Safety Measures and Compliance

• The guidelines aim to improve safety and prevent road incidents in the transportation of petroleum products.
• Strict prohibition of night driving for petroleum product tankers between 11 pm and 6 am, with exemptions possible for unavoidable circumstances.
• Entities involved in road transportation must submit compliance reports within a month.
• The decision-making process for transportation should prioritize public safety over commercial considerations, especially on long and congested routes.