The UAE’s Brooge Petroleum and Gas Investment Company (BPGIC) plans to construct an oil refinery in Fujairah, Pipeline Oil and Gas Magazine reported.

The refinery is set to produce bunker fuel with a production capacity of 250,000 barrels per day (b/d). The first phase is expected to be completed by Q1 2020.

“The new facility will contribute to bolstering the growing status of the Emirate of Fujairah in the Oil and Gas industry and help meet the growing demand for shipping fuel that complies with the new international laws on capping sulphur content in shipping fuels,” Nicolaas Paardenkooper, BPGIC CEO said.

The facility will be the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to comply with the new regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 by capping sulphur content in shipping fuels.