Shell assures Malaysians no supply disruptions amid rising Mideast tension

SHAH ALAM (Jan 8): Shell Malaysia has assured Malaysians that there would be no supply disruptions following rocket attacks at US military bases in Iraq which escalated the already tense situation in the Middle East.

Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd and Shell Timur Sdn Bhd managing director Shairan Huzani Husain said Shell operates in a safe environment in Malaysia and will continue to ensure its operations in the country run smoothly.

"Our role in Malaysia is to focus in ensuring the smooth customer service operations as well as no supply interruption," he told reporters at the 'Shell Malaysia Rewards Malaysians with 'Ekstra RM20,000' contest giveaway, here today.

He was responding to media reports of rocket attacks at military bases in Iraq which raised the spectre of a growing military conflict in the oil-rich region.

Today’s rocket attack came hours after the funeral of a top Iranian commander, General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad last week.

Back home, Shairan Huzani said Shell has more than 950 stations in Malaysia serving more than 10 million customers every week.

"In these years ahead, we would continue to be committed to increasing the number of stations to be near to consumers, from 950 stations to 1,000 stations and even more and that would be good for Malaysians," he said.

Shell Malaysia, he said, will continue to be wherever its customers want them to be but does not have a specific number of stations it wanted to achieve by end of 2020.

Shairan Huzani was also tight-lipped when asked about capital expenditure, stating that Shell Malaysia will continue to invest in the country because Malaysians deserve all the facilities that the global oil and gas giant provides.

Meanwhile, crude oil price surged as the latest military flare-up between Washington and Teheran unfold, leading stock markets throughout the world to tumble, including Bursa Malaysia.