“Located in the Duqm Special Economic Zone (SEZAD), the OOMCO Marine bunker fuel terminal will supply the full range of bunker fuel to ships at the port and port anchorage, which promises to further position Oman as a world-class logistics and shipping hub,” the company said.
The terminal will cater to increasing demand for high-quality and sustainable marine fuels, including the highest specification HSFO, VLSFO and LSMGO marine fuel compliant with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 8217, as well as all low sulphur fuel-compliant marine fuels which meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) decarbonisation targets.
“Inaugurating the OOMCO Marine bunker fuel terminal at the Port of Duqm further strengthens the position of Oman as a world-class logistics and shipping hub, which is aligned with the objectives laid out in Oman’s Vision 2040,” Hilal Al Kharusi, Chairman of OOMCO, said. “Our now fully operational terminal contributes to economic growth and diversification in Oman, while capitalising on its strategic position near established global trade routes.”
Duqm cannot challenge the geostrategic location of the international bunkering hub at Fujairah in the UAE, but is better placed to service vessels heading from Colombo to Suez. Middle East-based feeder specialists told Seatrade last year that around half of the container line vessels serving the Far East to Europe call the Persian Gulf, while, according to the US-based Strauss Center, some 20 to 30 percent of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz every day.