Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic) has begun the construction of 290 km-long Muscat-Sohar Products Pipeline (MSPP) that will connect the Mina Al Fahal Refinery and refineries in Sohar region to an intermediate distribution and storage facility at Jifnain Terminal
Valued at US$320mn, the project is the first-of-its-kind to be constructed in Oman, enabling Orpic to eliminate its reliance on above-ground methods of transportation for oil products.
Upon commissioning in 2016, the Jifnain Terminal will deliver 50 per cent of Oman’s fuel via the modern storage facility, according to Oman Observer.
Orpic CEO Musab al Mahruqi said, “To achieve our vision of building an Omani integrated refining and petrochemical business we are proud of, we must support opportunities to grow our people, grow our business and grow our capacity to meet the needs of Oman and international markets.
“In addition to meeting the domestic demand for fuels, which is growing at seven per cent per annum, this project will deliver numerous social, economic and environmental benefits including job growth, improved road safety, increased jet fuel supply, logistic efficiencies, and reduced pollution resulting from pipeline transportation”
Orpic Logistics, joint venture between Orpic and the Spanish firm Companía Logística de Hidrocarburos (CLH), are responsible for the MSPP project. Oman-based GPS Company is the lead contractor for the project, supported by Spanish firms Abantia and Diseprosa.
CLH managing director Salvador Guillen added that the MSPP has a highly dedicated and professional team committed to delivering the project objectives.
“We are honoured to be part of Orpic’s OLC project team and participate in such an important operation for Oman.”
Orpic’s MSPP project is split into three sections: MAF-Jifnain Terminal, Jifnain Terminal-Airport and Sohar-Jifnain Terminal with 40 km, 30 km and 220 km respectively.
The project will constitute modern control systems with latest SCADA technology, leak detection, and telecommunications network. It will also be equipped with loading facilities designed to cater to the loading of more than 500 trucks per day.
