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Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) on Monday inaugurated its advanced lubricants and grease manufacturing plant in the port of Fujairah.

Spread over an area of 63,500 square metres, the plant has a current blending capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes (mt) of mineral and synthetic lubricants based oils, and 5,000 mt of grease per annum. With the completion of Phase II, Phase III & Phase IV in 2012, 2013 and 2014, the advanced ENOC Lubricants & Grease Manufacturing Plant (ELOMP) will have the capacity to produce over 250,000 mt of lubricants and greases.

Commenting on the new facility, Saeed Abdullah Khoory, Chief Executive Officer, ENOC, said: "Fujairah has the right policies and infrastructure to serve as a leading regional hub for exports and imports. With the inauguration of ELOMP, we are reiterating our trust in the potential for growth offered by of the Emirate of Fujairah. We are confident that the plant will contribute significantly to the expansion plans of the Fujairah Free Zone."

Khoory added that ELOMP will serve as a key driver in the expansion of ENOC to new global markets. "Through our integrated approach to blending, analysis and filling, ELOMP will manufacture a wide range of lubricants independently and cater to the needs of ENOC’s growing list of clients from over 50 countries in the Middle East region, Africa, South East Asia and the Subcontinent."

Featuring technologies including automated blending and metering systems, ELOMP can maximise blending flexibility in respect of product volumes and types. The plant can blend a wide range of oils including automotive engine oils, gear oils, transmission oils, speciality oils, industrial oils such as marine, railroad, hydraulic, turbine, compressor and gear oils, as well as automotive and industrial greases.

ELOMP facilitates lube blending for various grades and applications, grease manufacturing, small package filling, drum filling, coding and labelling of packs and testing & analysis. Its Automatic Batch Blending System has a single shift production capacity of 53,000 mt per annum (Current Phase), while the six filling lines can undertake small can, pail, drum and grease filling.

The plant has its own supply line connection from the jetty to nine base oil tanks, which have a total storage capacity of 11,000 mt. This supply line can also be used for reverse supply of finished products to marine vessels and barges. ELOMP’s strategic location in the port of Fujairah provides the plant with direct access to the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, ensuring dispatch of supplies directly to vessels.

Khoory concluded: "ELOMP further builds on our long-term partnership with Fujairah, where we commenced operations with the launch of EPPCO Retail and Vopak Horizon. Fujairah is a true hub, a meeting point for shipping lines in the East and the West and is an outlet for the Subcontinent and East Africa. We are committed to further developing our footprint in Fujairah to support the Emirate’s plans to become one of the largest hubs for bunkering. ELOMP is in line with the government’s strategic plan to diversify the economy and leverage industries that have high potential for growth."