Gulf Oil International announced that, via its Gulf RAK Oil LLC joint venture, it began producing lube oils and greases last week at its Ras Al-Khaimah (RAK) blending plant in the UAE, located approximately 90 kilometers, or 50 miles, northeast of Dubai. The initial planned production at the plant is expected to be 10,800 metric tpa of grease and 20,000 metric tpa of lubricant oils. With its other two blending plants located in Jebel Ali, approximately 35 kilometers, or 20 miles, southwest of Dubai, the facility will increase Gulf Oils UAE annual production capacity to more than 150,000 tons.
The Gulf RAK Oil lubricating oil blending facility in Khor Khuwair Maritime City, in the emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah, was inaugurated last week by His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah in the presence of Gopichand P Hinduja, Co-Chairman, Hinduja Group of Companies.
Situated on a plot of 11 acres on the waterway leading to Port Saqr in RAK, this Gulf RAK Oil operation, a joint venture between the Gulf Oil International Group and the Investment and Development Office, Government of Ras Al Khaimah, is capable of producing all kinds of automotive and industrial lubricants.
The plant has 7 base oil storage tanks capable of storing up to 8,000 tons and three additives tanks. The facility also has 4 finished product tanks, 3 blending kettles, one VI Improver dissolving kettle, 9 intermediate storage tanks, besides filling machines. The facility can produce up to 30,000 tons of lubricating oil and greases.
The facility will increase Gulf Oils UAE annual production capacity to more than 150,000 tons with its other two blending plants located in Jebel Ali. These plants will cater for Gulf Oils market in the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and East European countries.
His Highness also inaugurated the specialty grease processing facility of Standard Greases and Specialities LLC, located in the same facility in Ras Al Khaimah. Standard Greases and Specialties LLC is another joint venture between Gulf Oil International Group and the Investment and Development Office, Government of Ras Al Khaimah and Standard Greases and Specailties Pvt Ltd, India. This JV will produce all kinds of automotive and industrial greases, utilising the infrastructure of the Gulf Oil JV and has a capacity to produce 10,800 tons of greases per annum.
The Investment and Development Office, Government of Ras Al Khaimah, is the central investment office of the Government and is tasked with a number of important mandates in support of the vision for the continued growth and development of the Emirate.
Standard Greases and Specialties Pvt Ltd, is one of the biggest grease manufacturers in the world and has its headquarters in India. With 7 manufacturing facilities spread across India and Indonesia, Standard Greases is the largest private label grease manufacturer in India.
Gulf Oil International Group, which owns the Gulf trademark outright in essentially all countries outside of the United States, Spain and Portugal, now operates in more than 130 countries worldwide and has 20 manufacturing plants across the world. Owned fully by the Hinduja Group, Gulf Oil also operates gasoline service stations in many countries across the world.
In late 2007, Gulf Oil International, along with the Dabbagh Group, its joint venture partner in Saudi Arabia, purchased 100 percent of the shares in the Saudi Arabian Lubricating Oil Company (Petromin), the largest manufacturer of (blended) lubricant products in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the largest market share, from Saudi Aramco and Mobil Investments S.A., an affiliate of ExxonMobil. Recently, Gulf Oil acquired the Pennsylvania-based specialty-lubricant maker, Houghton International for $1.045 billion
Gulf Oil Limited Partnership, a totally different entity, based in Massachusetts, owns the Gulf trademark in the United States, having acquired from Chevron in January 2010 all right, title and interest in the Gulf brand name in the United States.
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