Shell opens expansion facility at Dubai free trade zone

March 14, 2003
Dubai Shell Chemicals opened a $1.2 million expansion to its Dubai terminal at the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) Monday, doubling the terminal's capacity to 7,000-8,000 tonnes, reported OPEC News Agency.

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Mar. 14 -- Dubai Shell Chemicals opened a $1.2 million expansion to its Dubai terminal at the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) Monday, doubling the terminal's capacity to 7,000-8,000 tonnes, reported OPEC News Agency.

The terminal originally was set up as Shell's operational unit in the Middle East in 1994, and the expansion represents part of the company's strategy for developing its chemical business in the Middle East, said Ghassan I. Ashqar, Shell Chemicals commercial and operations manager for the Middle East and Pakistan.

Expansion facilities included new storage tanks for polyols and a manufacturing unit for onsite processing of a wide variety of polymeric polyol blends. The unit uses state-of-the-art technology adopted from Shell's plant at Pernis, in the Netherlands, said Ashqar. He said this latest version of the technology, with Shell proprietary software, was the first of its kind in the Middle East.

"The plant is fully computerized and at the touch of a button we can produce�whichever polymeric polyol grades that customers want," Ashqar said. "This project is part of a recent spate of heavy investments made globally by Shell Chemicals to meet growing demand and strengthen its position in the polyol industry."