WITH A host of oil and gas projects now back on the agenda in Oman and the UAE, Vijay Tanks & Company LLC is looking to take advantage of the increasing number of tenders which will be on offer, according to company director Das Raghu Nathan.

Higher oil prices mean that hopes are rising for better business opportunities for the company n the Sultanate this year. Vijay Tanks is a major player in the design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of atmospheric storage tanks, cryogenic storage tanks, high pressure spheres, mounded storage tanks, shop pressure vessels, heat exchangers, process columns, pipelines and process plants for industries including refining, petrochemicals and fertilizers.

Established in India in 1956, the company has been providing its clients in Oman and the Gulf with extensive technical knowhow and experience since 1984. Whilst the oil and gas sector represents the core of the company’s work in the Gulf, it is looking to diversify, according to Raghu Nathan, by targeting the water and desalination sectors in particular.

The company has played a key role in some of the most prestigious oil and gas projects in the Sultanate. It has built the flare stacks for Oman LNG (working under Bahwan Engineering), while it has also provided tankage work for PDO operations at Yibal, Nimr, Marmul, and Mukhaizna. Their current commitments include the EPC of a $6 million oil storage depot for NOSCO, UAE, and the EPC for the MTBE storage tanks to be located at the Oman Refinery Company facilities at Mina Al Fahal, Oman.

The tanks are fabricated at their shop facilities in Oman and the UAE, to the clients requirements. The company’s advanced engineering expertise is a central aspect in its status as a world class organisation. Its diversified range of engineering skills enables Vijay Tanks to offer a singular source of responsibility for large and complicated industrial projects.

Safety is a cornerstone of Vijay Tanks’ operations, and the company has developed a comprehensive system based on Shell/PDO safety procedures. As a result, the ISO 9001-certified company has won several safety certificates from PDO, Shell, BP amongst others.

While Vijay Tanks clearly has the expertise to deal with many aspects of a tank project, Raghu Nathan emphasizes that the company chooses its contracts carefully.

‘‘We opt for projects where we can really utilise our expertise, providing high quality products, excellent safety record, technical knowhow and on schedule track record at a relatively low cost.’’