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Vopak’s seventh phase of expansion to aid capacity

Royal Vopak on Monday announced the seventh phase of expansion of Vopak Horizon Fujairah, adding 478,000cbm of storage capacity for crude oil.

The seventh phase of expansion will feature five storage tanks for crude oil, one manifold and pipeline connection to the new VLCC jetty in the Port of Fujairah, raising the total storage capacity at Vopak Horizon Fujairah to over 2.6 million cubic meters. The expansion will mark the first crude oil tanks in the Middle East for independent storage purposes and will further strengthen Fujairah as a global hub for crude oil and oil products, with room for further expansions.

Vopak Horizon Fujairah is a joint venture between Royal Vopak (33.3 per cent); Horizon Terminals (33.3 per cent) - wholly owned by the Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc); the Government of Fujairah (22.2 per cent); and Kuwait’s Independent Petroleum Group (11.1 per cent). The expansion and jetty connections are expected to be commissioned in the second half of 2016. Most recently, Vopak Horizon Fujairah commissioned four oil tanker jetty pipelines connecting its terminal to the Port of Fujairah, thus significantly strengthening the speed and efficiency of operations for customers of Vopak Horizon Fujairah for a wide range of products.

Saeed Khoory, CEO of Enoc, said: “The addition of more storage space at Vopak Horizon Fujairah will significantly support the region’s oil trade sector, and enhance the convenience of all key stakeholders by providing world-class logistics support. The growth will also contribute to further energise the local economy of Fujairah.” Eelco Hoekstra, chairman of the executive board and CEO of Royal Vopak said: “With its strategic location outside the Strait of Hormuz combined with the available infrastructure and knowledge, the Port of Fujairah is very well positioned to become a crude oil hub in the Middle East. We are excited to build together with our partners the seventh expansion of Vopak Horizon Fujairah and add crude oil tanks to safely serve our customers.”