Oil company, SOL Guyana, one of the largest independent oil companies in the Caribbean, yesterday commissioned its first branded Shell Service station at Ramsburg, Providence on the East Bank of Demerara.
While addressing those gathered at the Ramsburg Service station, operated by Dinesh Narine, General Manager of SOL Guyana Inc, Ken Figaro said that the Shell ’Evolution’ image with its modern, cleaner and brighter appearance, is one that is new to the Region and Guyana. He said the company currently operates 16 branded sites in five countries with five more sites expected to be branded by the company in Guyana in the next few months.
Recounting the formation of the SOL Group briefly, Figaro said that the group was formed through the acquisition of Shell’s petroleum distribution and marketing businesses in the Eastern Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname and Belize in February of 2005. He said SOL made a further purchase of Esso’s assets in Guyana and Suriname in November of 2007 and in Haiti in February of 2008.In 2009 the company gained further ground in the aviation business by acquiring Shell’s aviation businesses in parts of the Caribbean including Antigua, St Kitts, St Maarten and St Lucia to mention a few. The transaction covers all aspects of Shell’s aviation fuel businesses including distribution facilities and into-plane equipment.
According to Figaro, following the purchase of Esso’s distribution and marketing assets in 2007, SOL Guyana embarked on firstly de-branding the eight ex-Esso sites here as well as those in Suriname. This move he said is in keeping with the company’s license agreement with Shell International.
He added that the company is nearing completion of the rebranding of the Shell Corriverton site, as well as those at Linden and Vreed-en-Hoop while work is also expected to soon commence to convert the Esso Mc Doom and Regent Street stations to the Shell brand.
Acting CEO of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Mahender Sharma said that yesterday’s event demonstrates SOL’s commitment to the private sector in Guyana and noted that the company’s image will provide a lasting impression of that commitment. He said that figures have shown that the energy sector has contributed greatly to the GDP of Guyana, noting that the country still depend largely on fossil fuel imports.
Sharma also used the opportunity to advise vehicle owners of simple actions which can be adopted to ensure profitable gas consumption. This includes cutting down the time spent on ‘warming up’ the vehicle’s engine, which he noted should not take five minutes. He advised gas station owners and other petrol dealers to obtain a copy of the relevant operational standards for gas outlets from the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) in order to operate in compliance with the relevant regulations.
He also said that the GEA is working assiduously to curb fuel smuggling, noting that the agency has been paying keen attention to fuel dealers operating out of illegal boats, back dams and other areas from where fuel is usually smuggled into the local market. He asked those involved in the illicit trade to desist from doing so since their actions do not benefit anyone, but rather contribute to, among other issues, mechanical problems for vehicle owners.
Motorists can now enjoy the benefits of Shell’s V-Power gasoline which is available at the Ramsburg service station. According to SOL Guyana, Shell V-Power gasoline is the only performance fuel available on the market, which the company noted, was created with technology developed for Ferrari Formula One racing before being adapted for road vehicles.
The company said that the V-Power gasoline was designed to actively clean and protect engines as they work, helping to keep new engines in top condition and restoring older engines to give optimum performance.