Muscat: BP Marine, the only fuel supplier operating in Oman's Port of Salalah, reports that traffic growth there over the past year has been such that it is to enlarge its $15m fuels terminal in the port. Serving the likes of Maersk - including the world's largest containership, Emma Maersk - the showcase deepwater container refuelling service will now see a fifth berth added during Q1 2007 and a sixth by the end of next year.
Since entering full service in July 2005, approximately 1,200 vessels have refuelled at the terminal - which uses a land-based port-side pipe delivery system rather than vessel-based storage - making it one of BP Marine's busiest facilities worldwide. The company currently supplies an average of 50,000 tonnes of bunker fuel a month, and believes this figure could soon rise to 70,000 tonnes.
Chris Young, BP Marine's fuel manager for the Middle East, comments: "The facility in Salalah enables BP Marine to store 90,000 metric tonnes of fuel oil 380cst and since 1 October we have doubled our gasoil storage to 11,000 metric tonnes, the result of a further US $1.75 m investment programme. This has increased our flexibility and capability to blend down from IFO 380cst to IFO 180cst and supply the increasing demands for gasoil in the region. It has also meant that the refuelling process has a reduced environmental risk as the need for floating storage vessels is totally eliminated." [29/11/06]
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