UAE’s ENOC Group has announced a strategic alliance with India’s state-owned Indian Oil Corp. (IOC), to expand its global footprint while building on IOC’s R&D infrastructure to mitigate future manufacturing challenges.

The ENOC-IOC partnership includes R&D efforts, to jointly develop cylinder oil compliant to the IMO sulphur cap of 0.5%, from the current 3.5%. The environmental impact of these efforts on ocean transportation will have technical, operational and commercial consequences.

The agreement will also enable ENOC to expand its presence to more than 180 ports in 28 countries to provide its customers with high-end marine lubricants and technical services.

“The marine oil industry is becoming more eco-conscious as international regulators set standards to control air pollution from ships. With tighter restrictions in designated emission control, ship owners, marine oil manufacturers and suppliers need to work together to ensure greater quality control. ENOC’s alliance with one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies, IOC, will help mitigate these environmental risks through world-class research & development and manufacturing that meets the IMO standards,” said ENOC Group CEO Saif Humaid Al Falasi.

With the approaching International Maritime Organization (IMO) global sulphur deadline in January 2020, ship owners are racing to become compliant within the next year. The aim is to reduce sulphur content in marine fuels to reduce the impact of pollution on populations living close to ports and coasts specifically.

The partnership will also enable ENOC to obtain approvals from existing manufacturers in the Indian subcontinent more swiftly, through IOC’s R&D centre .

The ENOC Group-IOC alliance is one of biggest collaborations within the marine lubricant industry, with both entities within the sector jointly offering greater value proposition for its customers.