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Supply and Distribution

Supplying fuel for the service station at Beaconsfield, UK. (photo)

Supplying fuel for the service station at
Beaconsfield, UK.

A network of some 150 distribution facilities with more than 1,500 storage tanks in around 25 countries serves to deliver feedstocks to our refineries and chemical plants as well as finished products to our Marketing businesses and customers worldwide. We move products in Europe, the USA and other parts of the world through 9,000 km of onshore and offshore pipelines. Our global fleet of around 2,600 Shell-owned or contracted trucks travels around 860,000 km every day, making a delivery somewhere in the world every 13 seconds.

Through various means, we have systematically reduced the cost and time of deliveries. We have adopted fuel-saving driving techniques, made larger deliveries and made the best use of vehicle availability. We also continue to look at opportunities to manage stock levels more efficiently in response to changes in market conditions.

A large refinery can process many different crude oils through various distillation and treatment processes to end up with a wide range of different products. We optimise refinery runs to meet demand in many regions. We assess the value of crude oils, maximise refinery margins, optimise transport and forecast demand, thereby balancing regional supply and demand.