New bunker terminal launched at port of Duqm

Oman Oil Marketing Company (OOMCO) says the opening of a new bunker terminal at the Port of Duqm marks the first step in its quest to be a top Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) marine fuels supplier by 2027.

The new terminal will offer high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO), very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and low sulphur marine gasoil (LSMGO). Bunkers will also be delivered by barge, with the addition of the 10,000 metric tonne (mt) MT Alpha, with a pumping rate of up to 1,000 cbm / hour.

Commenting, Hussain Jama Bait Ishaq, Acting Chief Executive Officer of OOMCO, said over the next six years the company was seeking to position itself as one of the premier bunker suppliers in the Middle East and Africa region, whose marine fuel market, he noted, is expected to grow more than 12% over the next three years.

‘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. Through this milestone, we are taking a step forward to achieving our goal to be among the top fuel bunker suppliers in the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] by 2027.’

OOMCO’s bunkering services are underpinned by the nearby Duqm refinery, which, when completed, will have the capacity for 230,000 barrels per day. As Ali Ahmed Muqaibal, General Manager – International Retail, Oman Oil Marketing Company explained during Petrospot’s Middle East Bunkering Convention in January: ‘Having the Duqm refinery next door will give us an automatic advantage,’ said Muqaibal.

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. An additional capacity of 19 million barrels is earmarked for the site as part of its future development.

Source: Bunkerspot