One of New Zealand's biggest fuel suppliers is increasing its Port of Tauranga fuel supply by 8million litres to meet the growing demand from cargo and cruise ships visiting Tauranga.

Mobile Oil NZ has announced an existing 8m litre tank at its Mount Maunganui terminal on Totara Street has been upgraded into a fuel oil tank to store and handle heavy fuel oil.

Increasing numbers of cruise ships have led to Mobil upgrading its fuel storage in Mount Maunganui.

Mobil's lead country manager, Andrew McNaught, says the project represents a significant investment in Mobil's New Zealand operations.

'In addition to increasing our fuel oil storage capacity, we have utilised state of the art technology to semi-automate our processes and improve safety.”

Andrew says the additions were made to service the rapidly growing demand from cargo vessels and cruise ships docking at the Port of Tauranga.

The Mount Maunganui Terminal is owned and operated by Mobil. It supplies petrol and diesel products to commercial, industrial and retail customers across the central North Island as well as marine fuel oil for bunkering at the Port of Tauranga.

Since 2007, Mobil has made significant investments in maintenance and other improvements in its network of terminals and service stations across New Zealand, says Andrew.

'Over the last six years, Mobil has invested over $70 million in improving the safety, reliability and viability of our fuel distribution and retail facilities in New Zealand.”