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Hamburg-based Oiltanking GmbH has announced the commissioning of 450,000 cubic meters storage capacity for clean petroleum products at its terminal in the Port of Sohar. The completion of this new expansion increases the total capacity of the terminal to more than 1.3 million cubic metres (cbm).

The new capacity caters for middle distillates and gasoline and comprises of fifteen tanks, a new jetty, four new jetty lines and an additional pump station. First product into the tanks was received in April 2011.

"The terminal’s infrastructure provides excellent operational flexibility, quick turn-around times for vessels and added services such as truck loading, blending and additive injection," Oiltanking said.

Various pipeline connections link the terminal to adjacent petroleum and petrochemical facilities. The six jetties are able to handle vessels of up to 120,000 DWT. The terminal is strategically located in the proximity of major international shipping lanes just outside the Strait of Hormuz.

Oiltanking Odfjell has also commenced with the construction of additional chemical capacity. Twelve tanks with a total capacity of 27,300 cbm are being built to accommodate base oils and a wide range of chemicals such as solvents, glycols, iso-cyanates and acrylic esters. This capacity is due to come on stream by mid 2012.

Oiltanking Odfjell Terminals & Co LLC is a joint venture of Oiltanking Odfjell Oman BV (70%), Oman Oil Company (25%) and a private investment company (5%). Oiltanking Odfjell Terminals Oman BV is a joint venture registered in the Netherlands between Oiltanking GmbH (42.5%), Odfjell Terminals AS (42.5%) and Star Energy Group Limited (15%).

Oiltanking is a subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls AG, Germany, a privately owned petroleum company. It is the second largest independent tank storage provider for petroleum products, chemicals and gases worldwide.

The company has an overall capacity of 18.3 million cubic meters. It owns and operates 71 terminals in 22 countries within Europe, North and South America, Middle East, India as well as Asia.