Summer start for BP?s Salalah fuel service

BP Marine is making a significant progress in the construction of its new portside fuels bunkering facility at the port of Salalah in Oman. The main contractor Fujairah Marine Services has over 150 people working on the site, involved in the construction of BP Marine?s first, new-build bunker fuels? terminal, which is on-schedule to be completed in summer 2005.

The terminal will increase the current 3,000 tonnes per day capacity to around 18,000 tonnes when the facility is fully operational. Overall fuel storage capacity of 96,000 tonnes will remove the need for floating storage vessels and mother vessel charter and will shift operations from vessel-based storage and delivery to land based storage.

Direct pipelines to the four container and two dry cargo berths will enable up to three ships to be simultaneously supplied, providing faster and safer fuel delivery than the existing barge operations. Seve Kyriacou, BP Marine?s Project Manager explained that the new facility would be a showcase for marine fuels bunkering in the region with fast efficient service, design to the highest standards in safety and environmental protection.