An export-oriented bitumen refinery will become operational in the next three years at the industrial port of Sohar in Oman.The Sohar Bitumen Refinery is being set up by the Mashael Grop at an investment of more than $200 million. An agreement was signed recently between the group and the Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC).

Ground-breaking for the refinery will take place by the end of this year.
The Mashael Group of companies is a diversified group with a special focus on the oil and gas industry and has offices in Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Malaysia.
The plant will utilise the latest technologies to provide a one-stop bitumen supply centre with a capacity of 30,000 bpd, producing up to 1 million tonnes of bitumen a year with about 20 per cent of the production prioritised for the Omani market.
According to Bryan Chen, executive director of the Mashael Group, there were two main reasons for choosing the Port of Sohar. The port was located in the centre of his group’s markets and therefore the most strategic location. Bryan Chen said that after visiting most ports in the region, the Port of Sohar proved to have the most impressive infrastructure and development plan.
The Industrial Port of Sohar, a 50/50 joint venture between the Government of Oman and the Port of Rotterdam, is managed by SIPC. Jan Meijer, the CEO of SIPC, said investment for the bitumen refinery came despite the economic recession. He also said 85 per cent of the port area had been leased out since 2003.
Signing the bitumen refinery contract were Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Oman’s Minister of Commerce and Industry and chairman of SPC, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, owner of the Mashael Group.