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UAE-based Gulf Petrochem says that its new oil terminal in Fujairah will drive future growth for the company as it moves forward with plans to expand its infrastructure.

The company recently announced the start of construction of the first phase its oil terminal in Fujairah, UAE comprising of 17 tanks with a total capacity of 412,000 cubic metres (cbm). The first phase is due to be commissioned in the second quarter of 2012 and subsequent phases will take the full capacity to 1.2 million cbm.

The terminal will feature dock pipeline connectivity to the Port of Fujairah, a pigging system for all dock pipelines, operational flexibility to handle Class A, B, C products in all tanks, a road tanker unloading and loading facility and will be built to NFPA standards, including all support systems such as OWS, ETP and compressor station.

The EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract was awarded in June 2010 to Topaz Engineering, through its subsidiary Nico International Hydrospace. Mott MacDonald was appointed project management consultant and given the task of overseeing the entire development.

Once completed, the new terminal will enable Gulf Petrochem to provide independent storage services for its liquid petroleum products and for customers at one of the world's leading bunkering ports.

Gulf Petrochem’s Chief Executive Harsh Sinha said, “We have identified our oil terminal SBU as the spearhead of our growth and have planned investments in its infrastructure in different parts of the world beginning with UAE. Gulf Petrochem, with its existing oil terminal at Hamriyah and upcoming terminal in Fujairah and India, has a strategic advantage to enter the bunkering arena as part of the expansion of its operations in Middle East.”

"[The] ongoing project in Fujairah clearly indicates the company’s long term vision and commitment to establish itself as an active player in oil & trading industry in the Asia-Middle East region," Gulf Petrochem said in a statement.

In addition to handling trading operations from the UAE and India, Gulf Petrochem has recently opened its office in Singapore in order to expand its business in fuel oil, base oil and bitumen trading.

As Prerit Goel continues to head the trading team, Kalrav Dixit, Jairaj Amin and Nikharv Shah handle trading operations from the UAE, Singapore and India respectively. These professionals have years of experience in oil trading and bunkering.

Based in Hamriyah Free Zone of Sharjah, UAE, Gulf Petrochem currently has four strategic business units comprising of oil refining, oil terminal, oil trading and grease manufacturing.

It has state-of-the-art PLC-based refinery, a condensate splitter, the UAE’s largest grease manufacturing plant and an existing oil terminal with 14 tanks with a total capacity of 35,000cbm at Hamriyah Free Zone.

The company’s trading focus is on fuel oil, gas oil, base oil, bitumen and its emulsions and solvents.