Expecting Oil Trade Boom, Fujairah Oil Terminal Invests in VLCC Project

Expecting Oil Trade Boom, Fujairah Oil Terminal Invests in VLCC Project

An oil tanker is being loaded at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia on May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo

The Fujairah Oil Terminal is investing an estimated $45 million to upgrade the infrastructure at its storage facilities, betting on a surge in crude trading and storage demand at the United Arab Emirates oil hub, the company's chairman told Reuters.

FOT's expansion, financed by a new $280 million debt facility, will connect its terminal to the Port of Fujairah's very large crude carrier (VLCC) loading facility and the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) pipeline, said Steve Bickerton, senior managing director at Prostar Capital and chairman of FOT.

"That's a game changer because it gives us access to customers who want to be moving crude oil through VLCCs and it gives our customers direct access to the ADCOP, which brings Abu Dhabi's Murban Crude into Fujairah," said Bickerton.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of next year, Bickerton said.

Abu Dhabi in March launched the Murban crude futures contracts, a physically delivered contract with delivery at Fujairah, offering a rival pricing benchmark and allowing traders to hedge Middle East crude and refining margins.

UAE national oil