Oman Oil Marketing Company has launched a new bunker terminal that will offer three grades of marine fuel at the Port of Duqm.
As informed, the new Port of Duqm terminal will offer the highest specification HSFO, VLSFO and LSMGO marine fuel. Moreover, the terminal has been designed to meet the increasing demands for quality marine fuel, including all low sulfur fuel-compliant marine fuels in line with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) decarbonization targets .
Bunkers will also be delivered by barge, with the addition of the 10,000 metric tonnes (MT) the MT Alpha – capable of delivering HSFO 3.5% Sulphur, VLSFO 0.5% Sulphur, LSMGO, at a pumping rate up to 1,000 cbm/hour, according to the company.
“The bunker fuel market in the Middle-East and Africa region is expected to grow at more than 12% during the period of 2022-2025. The commissioning of the bunker terminal means OOMCO can now offer the growing number of Duqm fleet customers access to high-quality marine fuels that meet their requirements coupled with state-of-the-art facilities, support infrastructure and above all effective supply chain,” said Hussain Jama Bait Ishaq , Acting Chief Executive Officer of OOMCO.
Strategically located on Oman’s south-east coast, the new marine fuel terminal will serve the international shipping market given its close proximity to significant shipping traffic accessing the Suez Canal, Arabian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean.
“We are confident that our ambitious growth plans, supported by our location within the Duqm Special Economic Zone, will allow us to sustainably grow the terminal, delivering further economies of scale and facilitating the purchase of larger volumes to benefit our customers. We look forward to establishing the Port of Duqm as a strategic bunkering hub for international shipping and Oman as a major shipping and logistics centre for the region and the world,” Ali Ahmed Muqaibal , General Manager – International Retail at OOMCO, added.
OOMCO’s bunkering services are underpinned by the nearby Duqm refinery, which, when completed, will have the capacity for 230,000 barrels per day.
In addition, the nearby Ras Markaz storage terminal is also currently under construction, geared to offer six million barrels of storage capacity once completed in 2022.