[?] Papua-N. Guinea

Second Vacuum Bulk [?]erminal Opened [?] Papua-N. Guinea

"IHE second bulk petroleum ocean - terminal to be built by Vacuum Oil Company in New Guinea is opened in Port Moresby by the Iministrator on October 20.

The first terminal was opened in ie in 1950.

The Moresby terminal occupies a -acre site about three miles out of e town. Four huge tanks, each half a million gallon capacity, id motor spirit, aviation gas, austnal fuel and diesel oil spectively. Three of the tanks re on the site—relics of the Army ys of 1939-45. The fourth tank £ located in Port Moresby.

Most of the material used in the minal including all buildings d most of the pipes—were secured ally from war disposals and have before made few demands on irce materials.

Pipelines from each of the tanks ; connected to drum-filling and iker-truck installations. A modem nt for cleaning, testing and ntmg 44-gallon drums is installed part of one of the buildings.

The terminal is connected to dis irging buoys in the harbour by longest submarine pipeline in

Australian waters. From the water’s edge it extends 4,300 feet into the harbour and the installation of this was a major engineering problem m itself. Coral was blasted from the sea bed to pave the way, at places special concrete supporting blocks were laid, the line was built on shore to the exact contour of the ocean bed, and then the whole 4,300 feet of it was floated out and lowered into position.

The pipeline is specially coated with anti-corrosive, but as an added precaution there is also special cathodic protection” magnesium

blocks attached to the line and act ing as a sort of wet battery gene rating a small amount of electricity.

The scientific explanation is that the polarity of the system causes the magnesium blocks to be corroded away while the pipeline will not be affected by salt water corrosion ” me magnesium blocks will be re placed at intervals.

Oil tankers will be able to tie up at large buoys at the seaward end of the pipeline and discharge then cargoes direct to the bulk terminal t£inj£S On two acres adjacent to the

General view at the opening-showing three tanks and drum-filling igloo. -Photo by W. L. Macgowan.

terminal site, the company has erected three residences for the staff and three more are contemplated.

FRT Moresby has already had reason to be thankful for the new terminal. After it was

opened, price for distillate was re duced by Bld a gallon, diesel oil by 9d, aviation spirit by Hid and motor spirit by l/3ld. In this period when all prices are on the up and up, this reduction really is something.