---

Shell Marine announced on Thursday that it has expanded its global marine lubricants network to over 700 ports in 58 countries. The new locations include ports in Australia, China, Europe, Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

In Australia, Shell Marine is working with Viva Energy Australia, Shell's macrodistributor, to add 16 ports across all six Australian states. Shell is also entering the Saudi Arabian market in five key ports: Dammam, Jeddah, Jubail, Tanajib and Yanbu, as well as additional ports in France, Italy and the Netherlands.

In China, Shell Marine has added 51 ports - including 16 shipyards - to its current network of 33 ports in the country. These new ports include Baoshan port in Shanghai, Dongguan, Fuzhou, Shenzhen, Wenzhou, Zhanjiang and Zhangzhou.

Shell's latest announcement comes just seven months after the company announced that it had expanded its marine lubricants network by more than 70 ports in less than a year to 604 ports in 56 countries.

With Shell's port coverage at somewhere around 530 ports during the second quarter of 2015, this means that the oil major has increased its coverage by more than 30 percent over a period of approximately 18 months.

Mobile app

The company has also updated its Shell Marine app to include mobile reporting of customers' Shell Rapid Lube Analyst reports.

The new app adds to other features such as mobile tracking of orders, interactive vessel guides to Shell Marine's lubricants offer, and an area to contact Shell Marine's international customer service centre, which is available globally 24/7. The app is available in 40 markets - in Australia, Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East - on both iOS and Android mobile platforms.

"We are pleased to enhance our ability to streamline our customers' operations with our latest update on the Shell Marine app, as we continue to supply our customers with our high quality products and technical services into more ports," said Marcus Schaerer, Shell Marine's Global Marketing Manager.

Earlier this month, Bunker Index reported that, due to local demand, Shell's new lubricant oil blending plant in Indonesia had ramped up production to also include the company's latest marine engine oils: Shell Argina, Shell Gadinia, and Shell Melina.

In September, Shell launched its new cylinder lubricant, Alexia 140, which is described as being an ultra-high BN oil with a BN of 140. It is targeted for use on its own or as part of an onboard lubricant blending or mixing system.