Russian-Based Oil Company Opening Plant on the Cooper River

Delfin, one of Russia’s largest enterprises, specializing in the branding, mixing and packing of motor oil, transmission oils and automobile fluids, plans to expand their operations to the United States…North Charleston to be specific.

This Monday (12/08/08), the president of the company toured a 42-acre property on the banks of the Cooper River, which was purchased by the Delfin last year for $20 million. This Virginia Avenue property is projected to receive $55 million worth of improvements when Delfin is done renovating it. Already though, this retired Shell Oil Products plant has “several storage tanks, rail connections, office space and about 257,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space.” (Not to mention a pier that extends 140 feet into the River.)

Delfin explains that the appeal of the Lowcountry was not the beauty nor the abundance of natural resources, but instead it was the advantages of the Cooper River facility, including an on-site shipping terminal. According to a recent article in the Post and Courier, Delfin USA “plans to spend tens of millions of dollars turning a North Charleston industrial terminal into a major oil-mixing and bottling hub.”