Qatar Fuel, called Woqod, will provide marine lubricants and technical services to Qatar Gas Transport Co.s fleet of 25 liquefied natural gas carriers, under construction in South Korea. Separately, Woqod becomes Shell Marine Products exclusive marine lubricants dealer in Qatar.
Woqod will supply both the initial fill volumes required by shipyards prior to delivery of each vessel to Qatar Gas Transport (known as Nakilat) and the top-up volumes required for operations by the fleet on a global basis. Doha-based Woqod will also provide marine lubricants under the agreement to the four liquefied petroleum gas carriers owned and operated by Gulf LPG Transport, a joint venture between Nakilat and Q-Ship. Shell will furnish logistics and technical support to Woqod, along with health, safety, security and environmental support services.
To serve Nakilat and other Qatari marine lubricants customers, Woqod said it will develop and operate the necessary infrastructure at Qatari ports and be responsible for sales and marketing. Future Woqod infrastructure is expected to include bulk tanks, barges, and pack product storage facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City port.
We deal in marine lubes, so were in 700 ports in various countries around the world, including in Korea, where the Nakilat fleet is under construction, Qatar Shell communication manager Simon Buerk told Lube Report.
Woqod is a subsidiary of Qatar Petroleum, with which Shell has worked extensively, according to Buerk. He said the market for marine lubes in Qatar is growing.
One reason why is that Qatar is one of the most sought-after energy ports in the world – its well on the way to being one of the worlds largest exporters of natural gas and gas-to-liquid products, he continued. Shells 28,000 b/d gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar is expected to come onstream in 2011. Also, Qatars economy is booming more generally, so its becoming an important market, Buerk added.
Muhammad Ghannam, managing director of Doha, Qatar-based Nakilat, said the marine lubricants contract for its liquefied natural gas carriers helps ensure the fleet is ready to transport more than 30 percent of the worlds liquefied natural gas to locations around the globe by 2010. Nakilat was established by the State of Qatar in 2004.