Motorists and representatives of the automobile industry gathered for the recent launch of Shell's synthetic Helix Ultra range of premium lubricants, made from natural gas with patented Shell PurePlus Technology.

Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology is the company's most technologically advanced lubricant to date and the first motor oil designed from natural gas. It was unveiled by Sol Petroleum Jamaica Limited, the official Macro Distributor for Shell Lubricants.

General manager of Sol Petroleum Jamaica Limited, Robert Jackson, said Sol Jamaica was pleased to deliver on its promise to keep Jamaica on the cutting edge of advances in high-performance lubricant technology.

"The new Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology will give motorists in Jamaica access to Shell's latest and most advanced motor oil designed to deliver an exciting range of key benefits which meet the needs of modern engines," he said.

"At our company's launch just under two years ago we pledged to deliver quality products and services, customised solutions, flexibility and excellent sales support to customers, building on the legacy of Shell lubricants in Jamaica. Today's event is our continued fulfilment of that commitment, and we anticipate that our customers will certainly respond positively to this superior quality range of fully synthetic lubricants," Jackson stated.

Guests at the launch were assisted by Sol and Shell's technical specialists and took the opportunity to explore and learn more about the new range of Helix Ultra products.

"Sol's longstanding partnership with Shell continues to be to the benefit of our customers and we are proud of our continued association with the world's leading supplier of high-quality motor oils. It is in keeping with this tradition that we will continue to support our customers by ensuring that they can always make informed choices of the best lubricants available for their particular vehicle application."

The new Shell Helix Ultra synthetic line of premium motor oils introduces a new way of producing synthetic base oils from natural gas with the patented Shell PurePlus Technology, a leading-edge gas-to-liquid technology process that converts natural gas into a crystal-clear base oil with virtually none of the impurities found in crude oil.

Jonathan Brice-o, Shell Lubricants Cluster Marketing manager for Latin America, said this enables Shell to develop superior lubricants and constitutes a significant step-change in the composition of Shell Helix Ultra motor oils since base oil typically makes up approximately 75 to 90 per cent of a motor oil.

"This launch marks the culmination of 40 years of research in gas-to-liquid technology at Shell lubricants technology centres worldwide. Shell PurePlus Technology is paving the way for the next generation of motor oils by offering possibilities for new viscosity grades that can provide engine protection in more extreme conditions. This is a big moment for our brand and we want to shout about this milestone to excite and delight our customers," Brice-o said.