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Marine lubricant supplier Total Lubmarine says that higher demand in the Asia-Pacific region has been a significant factor in its decision to open its largest lubricant blending plant in Singapore.

Last week (July 3) saw the opening of Total's new state-of-the-art facility in the Singapore Lube Park, located in Tuas South, with an annual production capacity of 310,000 metric tonnes.

The new production hub will boost Total's lubricant supply in the Asia-Pacific region, which already represents more than 25% of its overall lubricant sales.

According to Total, the new facility will produce "high-quality" lubricant oils for a range of segments, including automotive, industrial and marine.

"With a population of more than 4 billion, Asian demand for lubricants is expected to grow by 18% and reach 20 million tonnes by 2025, almost a half of global demand. Total intends to double its Asian sales, with production from the new plant accounting for a majority of the accelerated growth," the company said in a statement.

Welcoming the opening, Total Lubmarine's Head of Marketing, Serge Dal Farra remarked: "This vast new plant underlines the commitment that Total has to the region and the importance of the shipping industry to us. Singapore is one of our busiest and most important marine hubs and we are able to meet our customers' complex supply and technical support needs from here."

He added: "The new facility will provide direct access to the sea via a large brand new jetty allowing for easy delivery of raw materials and quick loading of finished products onto supply barges."

As well as being the world's biggest bunker port, Singapore is also a leading marine lube hub. Total Lubmarine supplies 75 types of marine lubricant, including cylinder oil for slow-speed engines running on Emission Control Area(ECA)-compliant fuels below 0.1% sulphur, Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs), as well as greases, compressor, hydraulic and refrigeration oils.

In 2012, Total Lubmarine added three 700-deadweight-tonne (dwt) double-hulled barges to its Singapore-based fleet to enable more ship deliveries. The vessels have a cargo load capacity of 860 cubic metres for bulk and packaged lubricants, and are fitted with fire-fighting equipment. They are operated by Lubmarine's logistics partner, Ocean Tankers, which operates a diverse fleet of support vessels and is a specialist in ship-to-ship transfers.