The Dutch petroleum company Shell, opened a new Shell Care Outlet in Fujairah this week, signaling an increase to its network of 13 franchised Shell Care Outlets in the UAE.The Grand Opening ceremony party was honored by the presence of H.H. Shaikh Saqer Bin Srour Al Sharqi and Mr. Abdullah Bin Haikel Al Bulushi the Emirates Bank Manager in Al Fujairah Bank.
Marwan Ramadan, Sales Manager in Shell Lubricants, said:
“The automotive industry in the UAE is experiencing a sharp growth resulting from more vehicles on the road. The huge number of cars will require a correspondingly massive service support infrastructure. The new Shell Care Outlet has been opened as Shell aims to increase its share in the growing market of car care servicing.”
The crucial announcement in the report is that the UAE has the world’s highest ratio of vehicles to the population.
The UAE is currently home to some two million vehicles of which 1.3 million are passenger cars. In Dubai alone, vehicles registered in 2006 reached over 700,000, which was a 12 percent increase from 2005 figures. Abu Dhabi has recorded the biggest change with a 700 percent increase in the number of vehicles over the last five years.
This might be good news for Shell and other petroleum companies but it is bad news when considering the further congestion of the roads and the increased pollution in the atmosphere.
Geoff Pound
Source: ‘Shell Opens New Car Center in Fujairah,’ MENAFN Press, 11 April 2007.
Image: Picture of Dubai traffic, bumper to bumper.
