Shell Oman signs agreement with Oiltanking to store base oils

Shell Oman Marketing Company signed a 10-year agreement with Sohar Industrial Port-based Oiltanking Odfjell Terminals to receive and store lubricating base oils for Shell’s Mina Al Fahal lubricants blending plant. The agreement was signed at Oiltanking’s office at Sohar by Shell Oman Marketing Managing Director Adil bin Ismail Al Raisi and Zeger Van Asch Van Wijck, chief executive of Oil Tanking. The Shell lubricant blending plant is a state-of-the-art ISO 9001:2008 certified plant, currently producing more than 60 million liters of different types and grades of lubricants for various uses, including automotive, aviation, marine and industrial products. It exports 70% of its production to more than 22 countries in the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asian States. Oiltanking Odfjell Terminals (OOT) is located in the Port of Sohar, with a current tank capacity of 1,267,500 cubic meters. The upcoming additional storage tanks for Shell Oman base oils are part of a bigger expansion project, adding more chemical capacity to OOT’s current operations. Ahmed Hilal, Shell Oman lubricants plant manager, said, “This agreement will enhance our operational efficiency by having raw material always available within three hours drive from plant professionally stored and handled by Oiltanking at efficient cost avoiding major capital investment and terminal management.” Al Rawahi, Shell commercial fuel manager, said “Shell Oman is exploring more export opportunities as this agreement will make us able to meet local growing demands and increase the plant capacity to produce up to 100 million liters of lubricants annually.” (December 17, 2011)