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Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) has this week launched its new dark oil products terminal in the eastern Indian port of Visakhapatnam.

With a total capacity of approximately 94,000 cubic metres (cbm) the new facility is the largest terminal in the country to exclusively store dark oil products, handling IFO 380, IFO 180, IFO 500 and other fuel oil blends, lube oil, bitumen, High Flash High Speed Diesel(HFHSD), Low Sulphur Heavy Stock (LSHS), Light Diesel Oil (LDO) and furnace oil.

The new terminal has been completed within only 15 months on a 38-acre site and is said to be the industry's first fully automated terminal.

The facility is strategically located near to HPCL's Vizag refinery in Visakhapatnam. It will recieve products from the refinery as well as via jetties and dispatch the products by rail and road and via pipelines for bunkering and tanker loading.

The site is also said to be the first in the country to provide full blending capabilities, which could turn Visakhapatnam into a main bunkering hub on the east coast of India.

HPCL currently operates two refineries in Mumbai and Vishakapatnam, which produce a variety of petroleum fuels and specialties. The company also owns and operates the largest lube refinery in India, which accounts for over 40 percent of the country's total lube base oil production.

HPCL is the nation's second largest supplier of marine fuels after Indian Oil Corporation. It is also very active in the marine lubricants market, supplying to customers at all the major Indian ports.