Bulk breakthrough for L.P.G. in S.I.

Press, 4 November 1978, Page 1

Bulk breakthrough for L.P.G. in S.I.

The first licence was granted yesterday for the bulk distribution of liquid petroleum gas (L.P.G.) throughout the South | Island. The No. 9 Transport | Licensing Authority, sit--1 ting in Christchurch, gave ! a licence to Freightways i Bulk Services, Ltd. to * ; distribute L.P.G. for Rock ! Gas, Ltd. in the South j Island. I L.P.G. has only been ! distributed in individual ; cylinders until now. I Demand for the gas in the South Island was increasing under Government promotion, and carrying it in cylinders had proved inefficient and uneconomic, said the special projects manager for • Freightways Bulk

Services, Ltd (Mr J. D. J. Bell) in a submission to the authority. Under the new system, which will start soon, the gas will be taken by rail from Kapuni to Wellington, by sea from there to Lyttelton, and then pumped into a special road-tanker Unit for the journey from Lyttelton to an approved storage plant in Christchurch. Mr Bell said that the road tanker was “an extremely sophisticated , unit, incorporating the I best safety features.” The Transport Licensing Authority did not say whether the LPG. bulk tankers would be allowed to use the Lyttelton Road i Tunnel, but the chairman of the Road Tunnel j

Authority (Mr V, G. Spiller) said last evening that they probably would. “The L.P.G. cylinders are allowed through at present under escort, and the unnel is closed to other traffic. A bulk container carrying L.P.G. should he able to go through under the same conditions." be said. Dozens have died in a huge gas explosion in Mexico. —Page 8