Kuwait Petroleum International

Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), commonly known as Q8 (pronounced Cue-Eight, or Kuwait), is the international subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. It refines and markets fuel, lubricants and other petroleum products in Europe.

Established in 1983, it supplies 4,000 retail filling stations, as well as direct sales operations delivering fuel and heating oil to domestic and industrial users. Q8 also operates an International Diesel Service - a secure fuel card service supported by automated technology for international road transportation companies - in more than 700 located sites throughout Europe. Q8 also has a significant aviation business marketing jet fuel at more than 40 airports worldwide and a lubricants business with five lubricants blending plants, direct sales and marketing activities across Europe and export sales to over 75 countries worldwide.

History

 * 1938	Discovery of oil in Kuwait
 * 1975	Nationalisation of oil wells in Kuwait
 * 1980	Foundation of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation
 * 1983	Foundation of Kuwait Petroleum International - Acquisition Gulf Oil in the Benelux, Sweden and Denmark
 * 1984	Acquisition of Gulf Oil in Italy
 * 1986	Acquisition of Hays Petroleum Services (which had previously been owned by the Kuwait Investment Office, and used the Pace Petroleum brand) and Ultramar in the UK - Introduction of the Q8 brand
 * 1987	Acquisition of BP in Denmark
 * 1987	Acquisition of the Soviet-controlled Nafta in Britain
 * 1990	Acquisition of Mobil Oil in Italy
 * 1997	Joint Venture with Agip - Milazzo refinery in Sicily
 * 1998	Joint Venture OK Petroleum and KPI in Sweden, establishing the OKQ8 brand
 * 1998	Acquisition of BP retail Belgium
 * 1999	Acquisition of Aral Belgium
 * 2004	Acquisition of Tango unmanned sites from Petroplus in the Netherlands (62 sites), Belgium (4 sites) and Spain (1 site); these are typically now branded "Q8 Easy"
 * 2004	Sale of UK operations to a consortium operating under the name Pace Petroleum
 * 2005	Sale of Thai operations to the Malaysian company Petronas
 * 2006	Sale of German operation (which had 37 service stations under the Markant brand) to Westfalen
 * 2017	 A joint venture between Kuwait Petroleum International and OQ was announced for the development of Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical Complex. In the same year, OQ's subsidiary, Oman Tank Terminal Company (OTTCO), began construction of a crude oil storage terminal near Raz Markaz.

The company's logo represents a dhow, a traditional Arab sailboat. The colours yellow, red and blue symbolise the desert, sun and sea respectively.