The Emirates National Oil Co (Enoc's) plans to expand its bunkering centre in Fujairah to handle around 1.1 million cubic metres of oil with loading and discharging facility to serve tankers up to 140,000 dwt and draft of 18 metres.

Vopak Enoc Fujairah presently has 30 tanks with a total capacity of 800,000 cubic metres of oil, said Captain Tamer Masoud, harbour master at the Port of Fujairah.

Captain Masoud presented 'the Fujairah Marine Industry Update 2002' during the first day of the second International Fujairah Bunkering and Fuel Oil Forum (Fujcon 2002) being held at Al Diar Siji Hotel from April 14 to 16.

He pointed out that Fujairah has become one of the premier global bunkering hubs and maritime service centres in the world. Its success stems from the strategic location which lies outside and about 70 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz at the crossroads of the eastern and western markets.

"A monthly average of 408 vessels calls at Fujairah offshore anchorage," said Capt. Masoud.

"Well organised anchorage areas, low operating and port handling charges, efficient marine and laboratory services are important requirements of a competitive modern terminal. The availability of all marine services, increasing terminal capacities, bunkering and de-sloping fleets have prompted Fujairah to boom as one of the largest oil tankers converging points."

Last year, 4,893 vessels called with a total of dead weight of 521 million tonnes, 76 per cent of which were tankers, he added.

The Port of Fujairah facilities include two onshore sludge treatment facilities each with an annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes, offshore and onshore garbage collecting facilities, eight self-propelled slop barges and two slop storage tanker facilities with a total of dead weight of 230,000 tonnes.

The port also has 16 self-propelled bunker barges and 6 storage facilites with a capacity of 624,000 tonnes dwt, he added.

He said onshore storage facilities which include Vopak Enoc Fujairah, Emarat and Eppco, with a capacity of 950,000 cubic metres, in addition to other 6 tanks under construction with a capacity of 300,000 cubic metres, making a total of 1.25 million cubic metres of oil products.

"Vopak Enoc has another plan to build a single-point mooring buoy which will enable it to handle even larger crude tankers from August 2002," said Capt. Masoud.

Hussain Sultan, group chief executive and Enoc board member, said Enoc provides offshore and inport marine products supply in Fujairah. Average monthly bunkering volume demand exceeds 800,000 tonnes.