He pointed out that construction work had started sometime ago for the pipeline that will connect the Sohar refinery plant to the Al Jifnin station and that the construction of the pipeline linking the station with Mina Al Fahal has started. “Hopefully, the station will become the largest terminal for the storage and distribution of petroleum products in Oman,” he said.

Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic) had signed an agreement in January, 2014 to set up Orpic Logistics in partnership with the Spain’s Logistica de Hidrocarburos, in order to establish and operate a pipeline to transport multiple oil products in both directions between the refineries of Muscat and Sohar and linkthem to a central storage facility in the Al Jifnin area.

Orpic laid the foundation stone in March 2014 for the pipeline and the Al Jifnin terminal as part of its efforts to increase efficiency in the Sultanate to keep pace with the continued growth in fuel consumption and contribute to improving environmental aspects and road safety.

The project is divided into four parts that include a 40 kilometre/10-inch pipeline extending from the Mina Al Fahal Refinery to the Al Jifnin Station, a 30 kilometre/10-inch pipeline extending from the Al Jifnin station to the Muscat International Airport, and a 220 kilometre/18-inch pipeline extending from Sohar to the Al Jifnin station for filling tankers.

The project will use the latest modern control systems, data collection and detection of leaks and techniques of visual communications networks systems, as well as loading ports designed to load more than 500 trucks of fuel per day.

Suarez said the Al Jifnin station project includes several sections, such as a storage space for fuel containing 12 reservoirs to store four types of fuel, in addition to a station for transferring fuel to the Muscat International Airport and 16 outlets that can supply fuel to about 500 trucks a day heading to a number of governorates, such as the Governorates of South Al Batinah, Muscat and Al Dakhiliyah, and to water tanks, a building for administrative operations, elements of traffic safety devices, an automatic fire alarm and surveillance cameras.

He said the Al Jifnin station, once operational, will reduce fuel tanker traffic on the roads of the Governorate of Muscat by 70 per cent. The number of trucks is expected to be less than 400 per month in 2020, something which will lead to the promotion of road safety in Oman and thus a decrease the number of accidents and increase the proportion of safety, as well as reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere in the Governorate of Muscat because of the transfer of tonnes of oil products and enhance the efficiency of the provision of aircraft fuel efficiency and logistics.