Mr Rashid Al Shamsi, General Manager of Emirates General Petroleum Corporation (Emarat) and Chairman of Emoil announced the official inauguration of the storage facility which will have a significant impact on the local petroleum industry. The facility will be used for both blending and storing gasoline products to meet Emarat's own requirements for high quality gasoline as well as supplying local and regional markets.

Emoil was established as a joint venture between Emarat, BP Global Investments Ltd. and Trafigura Beheer BV at a total investment of US$32 Million, of which Emarat holds 60 per cent while BP and Trafigura hold 20 per cent, respectively.

Built on an area of 46,000 square meters in Jebel Ali Free Zone, the facility includes nine storage tanks of varying capacities for blending and storing high quality gasoline products with a total capacity of 228,000 cubic meters.

Mr Al Shamsi stated: 'construction started in July 2004, and in June 2006 the project was fully operational. The latest technology complying with international standards was utilized to ensure the highest quality, best operational performance and compliance with environmental regulations'.

The new facilities will have access to three oil berths in Jebel Ali port and pipelines linking them with the existing Emarat Terminal and EPPCO in the Free Zone, plus DUGAS, to provide maximum operational flexibility.

Andy Laven, Head of BP's Integrated Supply and Trading (IST) in the Middle East said: 'BP was delighted to be able to work with Emarat and Trafigura in building and operating a world class oil terminal in Jebel Ali. The project is a perfect fit with BP's aspirations to develop its supply and trading activities in the Middle East. It is truly exciting to see us taking the first steps towards that aspiration.'

Graham Sharp, Director of Trafigura Beheer B.V., added: 'Trafigura is proud to be an investor in the Emoil project and wishes to thank its partners Emarat and BP for their close collaboration to make this project a success and particularly to thank Emarat for their efficient project management.

This is Trafigura's first investment project in the Middle East and we are very pleased with how it has gone and this gives the company great encouragement for further projects in the region'.

Rashid Al Shamsi also announced the official opening of the Emdad facility for storing aviation fuel. 'It gives me great pleasure to officially inaugurate Emdad Aviation Fuel Storage Company today. Emdad will play a major role in the development of the refueling industry in the UAE and in the aviation sector in particular,' he said.

'Emdad will help to meet the increasing demand for jet fuel, especially at Dubai International Airport (DIA), one of the fastest growing airports in the world, and the Dubai World Central airport project, which in the near future is set to be the world's largest airport,' Al Shamsi added.

Emdad was established as a joint venture between Emarat, Air BP and Shell Trading (M.E.) Private Limited, with each partner having equal stakes in the US$43 million company.

The aviation fuel storage facility has a 155,000 cubic meter capacity tank farm built on a 34,000 sq meter area and includes a 12-inch pipeline to transport the fuel direct to Dubai International Airport.

Patrick Romeo, General Manager, Aviation, Local Senior Representative, Shell Markets said: 'Shell's contribution to the UAE aviation industry has been unparalleled ever since it began operations in the country nearly 40 years ago. Now, in light of future demand and urban growth trends, Shell
has launched the Emdad project with key partners to relocate Shell's oil storage terminal operations and improve supply infrastructure efficiency.

"Shell constantly reviews its aviation business strategy in view of the master plan formulated by the aviation industry in Dubai. The company has decided to finance and build the new aviation storage terminal with a connecting pipeline by floating a tripartite joint venture partnership with two major industry players. The Emdad project will not only provide Dubai authorities another reliable operational fuel supply route into Dubai International Airport, but its location in Jebel Ali will help meet the logistical needs of the free zone,' he added.

Mr Thorsten Luft, General Manager Middle East Businesses, Air BP said: 'Air BP's investment in the joint venture marks another milestone in delivering world class infrastructure to support the planned growth for aviation industry in this important region'.

'With this facility Air BP is not only supporting the existing airport in Dubai but also delivers the necessary logistics support for the new airport Dubai World Central. Today this project has put Dubai on the global map of major jet fuel operations, which is clearly recognized as world class', he added.

'Building strong relationships has been the key to success of this impressive project. My thanks goes to all the people involved in this mega project. In particular our sincere thanks go to the Dept of Civil Aviation under leadership of HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum for their continuous support and confidence in the development of this key aviation project'.