Mohammed Saleh Badri, Acting Director General of Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) said today that litre was adopted as a unit of measurement instead of imperial gallon by a total of 122 oil fueling stations across UAE.

Badri explained, "The conversion of unit sales used in the service stations from gallon to litre by all oil companies and corporations operating in the country from the first of January 2010 for a period of 4 months was in line with the UAE Cabinet Decision No. 31 of 2006 on the national system of measurement, which mandates the use of International System of units (SI) as a basis for the legal units of measurement in the country."

Hence in 2009, the UAE Cabinet issued the Decree No. (270 / 3) specifying that from January 1st 2010, new unit sale price for gasoline will be litre and not gallon. Roughly 4.5 litres are covered in the imperial gallon.

ESMA mainly aims at creating quality infrastructure for the country by the means of traceable and reliable measurements, which, as per Badri, "enhance our national economy and facilitate the UAE products to compete in global market."

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), ADNOC Distribution, was able to transform dispenser gauges in 21 stations in Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates, from the time the new measurement came to effect from 1st of January 2010 up to yesterday.