Viva Energy opens new Karratha lubricants facility
Viva Energy has unveiled its industry-leading lubricants facility in Karratha, redefining how these critical products are delivered to mining, oil and gas, construction and other industrial businesses across WA’s Pilbara region.
Building on Viva Energy’s more than 45 years of supporting the resources sector in the Pilbara, the commissioning of the more than $25m Karratha facility will bring more than 2.4mL of on-site lubricant storage capacity and an additional purpose-built grease facility tailored to support the needs of local industry.
A low-carbon future
The opening of this facility represents Viva Energy’s significant commitment to the Pilbara economy. Traditionally, the transportation of lubricants to the Pilbara has involved a complex, 6,500km journey, beginning with a voyage by ship from Singapore to Fremantle and concluding with a 1,500km trek by truck to Karratha.
With the new facility, products will be delivered directly from Singapore to the Port of Dampier, cutting the sea journey by more than 1,000km and bypassing the 1,500km road journey from Fremantle. On road freight alone, that is a reduction of more than 450,000km travelled every year — a significant reduction in carbon emissions that aligns with Viva Energy’s forward-facing goals.
Viva Energy Resources and Lubricants General Manager Kerry Watson says this change will streamline the transportation of lubricant products, improve efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and underpin timely and reliable deliveries.
“By shortening the supply chain and reducing the kilometres travelled we are implementing a much more efficient supply chain for us and our customers. As an added bonus, Viva Energy is also reducing associated transport emissions by cutting the distance travelled by around 30%,” he said.
“This initiative contributes to lowering the environmental impact of our logistics operations and supports the company’s commitment to operational efficiency. It also reflects sustainability priorities shared by Viva Energy and many of our regional customers.”
Quality assurance and secure supply chains
As the licensed Shell Lubricants Macro Distributor in Australia, this investment demonstrates Viva Energy’s commitment to providing customers with a trusted supply of quality products to support their operations which include some of Australia’s most remote mines and offshore facilities.
The products produced at Viva Energy’s Karratha facility are tested and filtered to ensure it consistently exceeds industry requirements.
Viva Energy Australia Mining, Fuels and Lubricants Sales Manager Gavin Syminton says the products supplied from the facility exceed the industry standard for bulk lubricants.
“The facility positions us to better support our customers’ key projects and drive sustainability whilst supplying a quality-assured product,” he said.
As part of Viva Energy’s thorough testing, every flexibag is sampled and tested inbound inspection to ensure clarity, correct colour, marketable odour and viscosity within ±1% of the Certificate of Analysis.
Precision tank batching is also used to achieve uniform product distribution and truck samples are validated against batched tank viscosity, maintaining a tight ±1% tolerance for quality assurance and ensuring consistent load verification.
Even when batching isn’t feasible due to high customer demand, truck samples are directly tested against product specifications ensuring customers get quality products every time.
Having a dedicated lubricants facility also secures regional supply chains by enabling shipping from Shell’s regional lubricant blending plants directly to the Pilbara mining region. This enhances supply certainty by streamlining logistics, offering reduced transit times and the ability to rapidly respond to customer demand.
“By shortening the supply chain we are improving security, making us a reliable supplier to support local industry,” Mr Syminton said.
Supporting regional communities
Viva Energy Australia WA and Northern Territory Operations Manager Robyn Smart says the company’s growing footprint in Karratha is supporting the region.
“We employ locally through Karratha, which has given us the opportunity to deepen our community partnerships and also bring in a number of Indigenous partners,” she said.
“Our growth has also given us the opportunity to engage with community groups, such as the Men’s Shed Karratha. We will be able to supply them with byproducts, like metal and wood, that are used in the transport of bulk lubricants and grease for their members to utilise.” This enables this organisation to further contribute to the local community where you may find a number of men making furniture or equipment for local schools or Cubby houses for local Childcare centres and Camp Quality raffles.
Viva Energy Australia has also sought local Indigenous partnerships to assist them with the success of the lubricants facility. Murtimurti Group specialises in quality waste management and water services and is passionate about the traditional Yaburara lands and conservation for future generations. They believe strongly in their connection to Country and are passionate about contributing to the current industries whilst delivering a service that protects the rugged Karratha; Dampier and further Pilbara region.
Viva Energy’s Karratha facility is set to revolutionise the delivery of critical lubricants and greases for mining, oil and gas, construction and industrial businesses right across the Pilbara. By streamlining its supply chain and cutting thousands of kilometres off traditional transport routes, it is boosting efficiency, supporting local industry and slashing carbon emissions.
Source:
Viva Energy
Viva Energy western region sales manager Gavin Syminton
Gavin.Syminton@vivaenergy.com.au
+61 439 091 528
