Gulf RAK Oil launches lubricant plant

Dubai: Ras Al Khaimah Government and Hinduja Group’s Gulf Oil International has commissioned Gulf RAK Oil LLC, a state-of-the-art lubricant manufacturing plant and grease processing facility in RAK Maritime City.

The plant was inaugurated by His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, in the presence of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development. The launch of Gulf RAK Oil was also attended by Gopichand P Hinduja, Co-Chairman, Hinduja Group of Companies, M. K. Lokesh, Ambassador of India to the UAE.

Frank Rutten, Vice-President International of Gulf RAK Oil, said: “The plant is strategically located to enjoy easy accessibility as well as supportive trading policies which makes it viable for our products to be available at much more economical rates to the end user across the GCC and Mena region.

“As a major producer of lubricants in the emirate, Gulf RAK has been set up with a state-of-the-art manufacturing and storage plant. An ambitious expansion plan has already been charted out for the plant to ensure a market share of at least six to eight per cent in the next four years, which is expected to reflect in the rolling plan with Gulf RAK Oil’s existing customers, GCC customers of GOMEL Jebel Ali and new customers,” he said.

‘Obvious choice’

The present blending capacity of the plant on a three shift basis is 30,000 MTPA of lubricants. Proposed expansion plans of the plant with new machineries and equipment will see an increased blending capacity of 44,000 MTPA. The facility has the present bulk storage capacity of approximately 7000 MT for base oils and 2000 MT of finished products.

The lubricant market in the GCC is estimated to be about 1.5 million tonnes and growing at around eight per cent. As a region, it is the second biggest regional markets in the world, after Asia Pacific.

Spanning across an area of over 13 acres, the production facility at Gulf RAK provides for blending, filling and storage of finished products. The plant has also been set up with a small pack filling line, drum decanting unit for blending, drum and bulk filling facilities. The plant holds the capacity to fill small pack up to 6,000 MTPA in addition to grease production and filling of 10,000 MTPA.

Jim Stewart, CEO and Board Member of Investment and Development Office (IDO) of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah, said: “Gulf Oil is an established leader with more than 110 years of expertise in the oil and gas industry specialising in lubricants, greases and other speciality products. They were an obvious choice to collaborate with and give shape to the long standing dream of IDO to see real-time growth in the manufacturing industry sector. This is a highly lucrative partnership with mutual promise of growth. We are exciting to take this partnership forward with many expansion planned in the pipeline.”