Shell recently opened a Gas-To-Liquid (GTL) base oil hub in Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), about 30 Km from Dubai, and made Shell’s first delivery of GTL base oil in late December 2014. GTL base oil specifically enables the development of premium oils for engines, as well as in speciality products, including process oils and transformer fluids.

This new facility in Jebel Ali is Shell’s fourth GTL base oil storage hub alongside its existing hubs located in Houston, Hamburg and Hong Kong. The new addition completes the full global reach and coverage of Shell’s supply of GTL base oil. The hub will facilitate the quicker and simpler distribution of GTL base oil to be manufactured into finished products nearer to the end customer.

Product from the hub will be used in Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology, Shell Risella X, and Shell Diala X for customers in the Middle East and in certain markets beyond such as Egypt, India, Pakistan and South Africa.

Speaking on the new hub, Dennis Cheong, Shell Vice President Supply Chain, said “Shell Lubricants has a strong and dependable global supply chain producing high quality products and providing consistent delivery to our customers: these GTL base oil hubs are an integral part of this. Shell is the only company with a reliable supply of GTL base oil. This new hub accomplishes the full global integration of our transportation and storage of GTL base oil. This is a clear demonstration of where Shell’s integration and innovation add value for Shell’s customers.”

The GTL base oil is made in the Middle East at the Pearl GTL plant in Qatar, a partnership between Qatar Petroleum and Shell. The plant is the world’s largest source of GTL products.

Sheikh Thani Al Thani Deputy General Manager for Qatar Shell stated, “GTL products represent a pioneering innovation to increase the supply of highly-demanded liquid hydrocarbons. They offer significant advantages in many applications as they are virtually sulphur free, colourless and odourless. These attributes of GTL-based products make them very attractive to help meet the growing requirements of consumers and we are extremely proud to be at the leading edge of innovation that produces these and future superior products.”