Batinah Expressway gets fuel stops

Vinod Nair -
Muscat, Jan 16 -
Four 24/7 mobile fuel stations will be established on the recently-inaugurated 270-km Batinah Expressway.
All the four stations will begin operations by the end of February.
An agreement to this effect was signed on Wednesday by Salem bin Mohammed al Nuaimi, Under-Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), and David Kalife, CEO, Oman Oil Marketing Company.
The mobile fuel stations will be established alongside truck weighing stations at four different sites, taking into account the entry/ exits points for motorists.
Mobile fuel stations will encourage users of all types of vehicles to take advantage of the expressway and reduce travel time between Muscat and northern regions of Oman as well as the neighbouring countries.
Speaking to the Observer, Kalife said, “Building a conventional service station takes at least six months, but these stations can be readied within a month.” “First, we will start the fuel services and then introduce other facilities, including convenience stores.” The Ministry of Housing plans to allocate plots on both sides of Batinah Expressway in Suwaiq, on right side in Saham and on the left in Liwa for setting up fuel stations.
Apart from the fuel stations, facilities to be offered at these sites include a mosque, shopping centre, car service and a restaurant.
Oman Oil operates four out of the five fuel stations operating on the Muscat Expressway.
The company said it has a 39 per cent share in the retail fuel market and hopes to reach 40 per cent in the next two years, which was actually a part of its five-year goal.