The terminal, with a total annual handling capacity of 250,000 kilo litres (KL), is expected to ease the supply and availability of petroleum, non-petroleum and petrochemical cargo in the northern parts of India. The first phase of the terminal has a capacity of 110,000 KL.

The second phase, with a capacity of 140,000 KL, will be commissioned by mid-March 2015.

The terminal’s location offers a logistical advantage to the north-western markets.

This project stands as a stepping stone for the terminal storage sector within the Indian market, further consolidating the company’s plans for India and also its future investments, strengthening Gulf Petrochem’s position as a leading player in the global oil space, said Manan Goel, Director, Gulf Petrochem.

Gulf Petrochem’s oil terminal in Pipavav port is a modern asset with facilities adhering to Indian and global safety guidelines. The company has already started receiving confirmed interests from major oil companies for tank hiring, he said.

The terminal has 46 tanks of different capacities for different product requirements for all classes of petroleum products, chemicals, petrochemicals, vegetable oil, lube base oil, fuel oil and bitumen.

It has an oil berth with a 12-metre draft for handling medium range vessels that carry up to 40,000 tonnes of cargo. The terminal’s bitumen lines are heat traced as they are installed with two MKCal/hr boilers for heating products like bitumen/fuel oil and maintaining the desired product temperature.

The terminal benefits from having hinterland connectivity by road and rail. There are independent multiple bay gantries for truck loading and full rake rail siding for handling multiple products, the company said.

The Gulf Petrochem Group, headquartered in the UAE, specialises in oil trading and bunkering, oil refining, grease manufacturing, oil storage terminals, bitumen manufacturing, and shipping and logistics.