INNOVATING REMOTE SHIP HULL INSPECTIONS WITH DRONES
An increased demand for remote solutions drives game-changing research and development of ScoutDI’s Scout 137 Drone System. Caused by or at least aggravated by, the Covid-19 pandemic, the maritime and offshore world has seen a surge in the need for remote inspection. Fewer hands on deck, increased work pressure and tight work schedules puts seafarer safety at risk and may jeopardise proactive inspection and maintenance work in the maritime industries. Current maritime and offshore inspection regimes are periodic and, as such, may occur more frequently than strictly necessary. That’s for the safety of people, property, and the environment. Better to […]
TECH FOR TANKS
Molly Cooper explores how and why technology in the tank storage sector has evolved so quickly over the last few years. Digitalisation and automation is changing the landscape of the tank terminal, energy and petrochemical industry. It’s the way forward and the industry is leaving pen and paper behind. Catherine Reijans at Sprint Robotics comments on the current state of innovations and robots: ‘The leaps and bounds technology has made in the last year is incredibly impressive. By bridging the needs of asset owners with available robotic solutions, we continue to help accelerate deployment and scaling of inspection and maintenance […]
DISRUPTIONS TO THE GLOBAL MARKET
FETSA’s executive director, Ravi Bhatiani, examines the effects of new EU restrictions on the global energy market. In December, the EU’s restrictive measures on crude oil imports came into effect, as well as a price cap on crude oil. In February, restrictive measures on refined products will also be introduced, with the expectation of a further price cap to follow to cover these impacts. The precise consequences of these measures cannot be predicted with any certainty because this is the first time in recent history, in an interconnected world energy market, that such a drastic intervention in market forces has […]
DEMAND WEAKNESS COULD BE THE REAL OIL PRICE CAP IN 2023
Paul Hickin, director at S&P Global Commodity Insights explains how changing demand for crude oil could impact the next 12 months. The global oil supply map may be reshaped indefinitely after the fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent G7 sanctions and price cap on Russian crude. But the potential impact from the downturn in demand may be even bigger, given uncertainty over the consumption picture in China as well as broader economic weakness globally. Volatility is likely to be the only constant in 2023. Oil demand is being simultaneously challenged by Covid-related lockdowns in key consumer China […]
IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY WITH FLEXIBLE WORKING
Fatima Shafique shares some HR secrets, following the success of Sharjah National Oil Corporation’s new working patterns. During the Covid lockdown, a huge number of companies were forced to ask their staff to work from home. While a number of countries and companies have continued to enforce this, many employees have had to resume office working, after continuing remotely for over 12 months. Focusing on employee well-being is crucial to ensure employees’ productivity and their satisfaction with the company. Remote working during the pandemic helped many employees achieve a better work-life balance, as they were able to spend more time […]
FIGHTING FIRES AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
15 years on, Orcus Fire & Risk’s Marcelo D’Amico speaks to Tank Storage Magazine about his journey to setting up a successful fire protection company. ‘Orcus was started in 2008 at an interesting junction in my life,’ muses owner Marcelo D’Amico. ‘I had just left a stable partnership in a similar company, and decided it was time to spread my wings and start my own. At the time I had a six-month old daughter, no paycheck, no health insurance, and another child on the way. Needless to say, it was stressful.’ ‘The business was really started in my head in […]
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Personal growth and development is the key to success in the industry, according to LBC Tank Terminals’ Karine Huysmans. LBC Tank Terminals’ manager, Karine Huysmans, is constantly striving for better – both from herself and from the tank terminals industry. ‘At the beginning of my career, I took on various roles as an expert. Gradually, I evolved into management roles and the aim of my current position is to transform the business so it is fit for the future,’ she says. THE VARIETY OF THE WORKPLACE As a young graduate, Huysmans was initially looking for work in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical […]
SERVICE AND CERTIFICATION
Marco Dalmeijer and Pim van den Doel tell Tank Storage Magazine how Stolthaven Moerdijk gained two new global certifications. Stolthaven Terminals took ownership of Moerdijk Terminal in 2012. Located in a lock-free port between Antwerp, Belgium, and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Moerdijk Terminal offers all the benefits of the connected area, without the congestion. With efficient rail and road access to the hinterland, it’s no wonder the port stands out. ‘The strategic location of Moerdijk means we are highly accessible, without the congestion of other nearby ports. And the Stolt Tank Containers (STC) depot on site gives customers easy access to […]
ALLEVIATING CONGESTION IN CÁDIZ
Olivia Energy Group tells Tank Storage Magazine about the expansion of its Puerto Real Terminal in Cádiz, Spain. Initially built in 2008, Olivia Energy Group’s terminal in Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain represents a highly strategic location. While it’s a local storage company, Olivia Energy Group is focused on global trade, so being situated in one of the five main global shipping lanes is crucial to its business. Being ‘glocal’ is essential. INCREASING CAPACITY Olivia Energy decided to expand the 30,000m3 Puerto Real terminal as the market demand was far outstripping its current capacity. Olivia Energy was experiencing an increased demand […]
INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE ROBOTICS
A variety of exhibitors and industry leaders got together to showcase the new and exciting developments in robotics The 2022 Sprint Robotics World Conference for Inspection and Maintenance Robotics was held at the Rai Centre in Amsterdam. Sprint Robotics promotes the development, availability and application of robotic techniques in technical inspections, operation and maintenance. This year showcased a wide variety of drones, robots and crawlers, all dedicated to helping the oil and gas industry. Over the two-day event, there was a diverse range of engaging talks from industry figures, technology demonstrations and the opportunity to try them out yourself. THE […]
COLLABORATION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME
Tank Storage Magazine checks out the hot topics discussed at last month’s TSA Conference. The 21st edition of the Tank Storage Association (TSA) Conference 2022 took place in Coventry, UK this September. The conference is always a good opportunity to network with professionals in the industry, and this year’s was no exception. In fact, it was maxed out. After chairman Peter McKay opened the conference, the first keynote speech came from Irina Patrahau, strategic analyst, and Michel Rademaker, deputy director, both from The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. Patrahau first presented the Hague Centre’s analysis of how the European storage […]
BREAKBULK’S MOST FOCUSED EVENT
Tank Storage Magazine looks at the highlights and key points from the breakbulk industry’s long-awaited AntwerpXL 2022. The much-awaited AntwerpXL once again opened its doors on October 4-6 after a tumultuous three years. As Tom Hautekiet, CCO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, says: ‘The world collapsed and so did [breakbulk] businesses. [But], now back on track, let us hope the show brings a successful exhibition for all.’ AntwerpXL 2022 was held at Antwerp Expo in Belgium. The show provides a platform for the breakbulk, roro, heavy lift, and project cargo industry, delivering valuable connections and unforgettable experiences for visitors and exhibitors […]
THE FUTURE OF LNG STORAGE
Edward Chen from GTT tells Tank Storage Magazine about the company’s GST LNG tanks and winning the Global Tank Storage Award for Environmental Performance. The gold Global Tank Storage Award for Environmental Performance is awarded ‘to the product or technology that serves to protect the environment and/or reduce emissions at the terminal.’ In 2022, this award went to the GST membrane full containment system dedicated to onshore cryogenic storage developed by Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT). ‘It is a great honour for GTT and GST membrane full containment technology to be recognised and accepted by prestigious judges from the likes of […]
PAINTING TANKS OF THE FUTURE
Josefien Groot, co-founder and CEO at Qlayers tells Tank Storage Magazine about the firm’s award-winning 10Q paint robot. Qlayers’ innovative paint robot recently bagged them the gold Global Tank Storage Award for Emerging Technology. Able to paint tanks safely and effectively, judge Manuel Ronda from Shell calls the 10Q robot an innovation that: ‘ticks many boxes making the best use of the robot is to offset safety, environmental and efficiency issues.’ The 10Q offers a fast, safe and efficient way to coat the exterior of tanks, without exposing people and the environment to the danger of overspray. Qlayers designed the […]
INTO THE UNKNOWN
Marion Cleveland at Advanced 3D Laser Solutions Group shares her experience of being a woman working in male-dominated spaces. Marion Cleveland didn’t always dream of being in the oil and gas industry. In fact, her current role as Business Development Manager for A3D took her completely by chance. ‘I’d known A3D’s Director Colin Pittman from when I’d previously worked in the media industry and was delighted to join him and the rest of the team at A3D’s offices in Chelmsford, Essex,’ she says. Advanced 3D Laser Solutions is a UK- based company specialising in 3D laser scanning and modelling, smart […]
USING LOHC FOR A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SUPPLY
Learn the cost and availability advantages of using liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), like the one from Hydrogenious, for hydrogen transport. Due to accelerating climate change and the Russian war in Ukraine, the flexibility and independence of energy sources has become an even greater focus of public attention. Industrial progress has always been closely linked to the availability of affordable energy. Therefore, the immediate substitution of Russian fossil fuels and the longer- term transition from fossil to renewable energies presents the economy with completely new challenges in terms of security, availability and costs of the energy needed. How can this […]
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
CTS Group’s Gert van Meijeren shares his preliminary observations from the fire at Cuba’s main oil terminal in Matanzas. The recent tragic tank fire at Matanzas, Cuba, has attracted a lot of attention. 16 firefighters lost their lives and four large hydrocarbon tanks were destroyed in the blaze. The incident generated many public comments, but very few address the initial full-surface fire incident and the following fire response efforts. Also, many comments ignore the fact that the incident started in a tank that immediately had a full-surface fire; clearly storing a product above its flash point. At the time of […]
FIRE FIGHTING FOAM TRANSITION REQUIRES A SOUND PLAN
The experts at Kenbri Fire Fighting explain how the European Chemicals Agency’s expected PFAS restriction will impact operations. It is expected that the production, trade and use of PFAS-containing products will be severely curtailed starting January 2023. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has drafted a PFAS restriction that is expected to take effect starting 1 January 2023 and will have a significant impact. Hans Huizinga, fire fighting foam and safety consultant at Kenbri Fire Fighting, explains: ‘We have been informing companies and safety regions about the massive upcoming changes in the area of fluorinated fire fighting foam for over five […]
FLAME ARRESTERS FROM STORAGETECH
Emission and air pollution control equipment manufacturing and engineering company Äager discuss their fire-fighting products. Flame arresters are used to directly protect terminal assets and can be integrated both inside and at the end of a pipeline. Äager specialises in innovative solutions for air pollution and emissions control, providing safe and customer-oriented solutions for fire-fighting equipment with its brand Storagetech. HOW FLAME ARRESTORS WORK Flame arresters are a piece of protective equipment that can be integrated both inside and at the end of the pipeline. They are specially designed to prevent the spread of fire into a system by blocking […]
MARINE OPERATIONS IN A DIGITAL WORLD
How the UAB-Online SaaS platform is optimising marine operations for liquid bulk handling for sea-going and inland vessels. Dutch-based liquid bulk handling specialist UAB-Online is sure that the time and cost savings its software brings to North European trades can be replicated on the international high seas. In fact, the firm is gearing itself up to dominate this market. These may be tough goals to achieve, but discussions to expand the UAB-Online SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) application system to the sector have already started; with interested parties in the ports of Houston, US and Singapore. UAB-Online’s digitised platform is recognised as the […]
DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS
Cameron LNG enhances process performance via Hint’s automated information management system. Automation is on the minds of most companies striving for more efficient operations, cutting the cost to run and maintaining business-critical process equipment. Automated information management system fine-tuning and client-software provider collaboration in response to ever-changing needs can meet multiple challenges, as Cameron LNG found out. CAMERON LNG’S PROJECT Cameron LNG recently installed new fiscal metering for gas chromatographs (GCs), which are analytical instruments that measure the content of various components in a sample of liquified natural gas (LNG). These metered instruments, used in the LNG separation and analysis […]
ESTABLISHING A DIGITAL MARKETPLACE FOR STORAGE OPPORTUNITIES
The Tank Tiger tells Tank Storage Magazine why digitalisation in the sector is so important and how it can be implemented to make processes seamless. In the days before Airbnb, there was no way to communicate to each interested party the myriad of living spaces with spare capacity, in real time. However, with the advent of online marketplaces, each seller could update their portfolio in real time, and buyers could efficiently query through a large database, across multiple variables, to find what they need. As a result, Airbnb not only made the hospitality industry more efficient, but also expanded it […]
DIGITALLY CONNECTED SUPPLY CHAINS & TERMINAL AUTOMATION
Sam Reid CEO of Dearman Systems, discusses how the digitalisation of terminals and the wider supply chain is impacting operations. Terminal automation software has evolved since its inception in the 1980s. Over the decades, the software has increasingly been used to streamline loading operations, simplify inventory management, enhance security, and automate reporting. Generally, bulk liquid storage operators know that it is worthwhile to automate their terminals, but the level of automation can vary drastically. Some companies choose to install state-of-the-art field instrumentation and connect everything together in an automation system. Others choose to maintain some manual reporting and operational processes. […]
FIT FOR THE FUTURE
Bulk liquid storage provider TanQuid digitalises its Duisburg terminal with technology from downstream IT specialist Implico. In March 2022, the long- running innovation partners in the downstream sector, TanQuid and Implico, were pleased to announce the completion of a visionary digitalisation project. After intensive planning and implementation work, all processes at the Duisburg, Germany, tank terminal now run with the future-ready terminal management system (TMS) OpenTAS TMS 6.0. In addition, the team uses specialised cloud services from the innovative Supply Chain United (SCU) portfolio. The all-embracing software solution is designed to match the location’s unique requirements. It marks the logical […]
INCREASING EFFICIENCY, IMPROVING SERVICE AND REDUCING COSTS WITH AI
The experts at Supplai tell Tank Storage Magazine how the company is making artificial intelligence accessible to the tank storage industry. Supplai is an artificial intelligence (AI) software developer. The company was founded in May 2020 by CEO, Koen de Jong and CTO, Casper van Lit. Supplai implements AI algorithms that make processes more efficient and effective. It is forging ahead with tailor-made AI solutions, and de Jong’s background means he understands the particular challenges of the tank storage market. AI THAT DELIVERS VALUE ‘Supplai’s approach is to get to know the customer and how they work, understand their problems […]
DESIGNING IN SECURITY
Safwan Akram, MSS director at Help AG explains how Saudi Arabia is supporting key infrastructure in cybersecurity. With many terminals becoming increasingly digital, it opens doors for cyber-attacks. When talking about critical infrastructure such as tank storage terminals, any extraction of data or limitations of functionality can have a devastating impact on both a terminal operator’s reputation and finances. Incapacitating a terminal can also wreak havoc on global supply chains. This could push prices up even more, impacting local and global markets. Hackers targeting terminals are not amateurs – they are typically highly organised and professional groups that work systematically […]
RESILIENCE, SECURITY AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY
Holger Berens, chairman of the Board of the German Association for Critical Infrastructure Protection discusses holistic approaches to business security. The recent acts of sabotage on the Baltic Sea pipelines have shown that, in today’s disruptive times, the focus cannot only be on security against cyberattacks. In order to ensure adequate security, attacks from the air (e.g. drones), on land (e.g. overcoming perimeter protection) and from the water (e.g. remotely operated submarines) must be included in the risk and business impact analysis. Of course, cyber threats cannot be ignored, either. The question has to be how a holistic security system […]
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ESOS PHASE THREE
Dan Ellis, head of sustainability at Adler and Allan, discusses how to ready your operations for the government’s new regulations. The government’s Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) aims to boost the energy efficiency of UK businesses. It’s a mandatory programme that applies to large UK companies with a specified turnover and headcount. As part of ESOS, qualifying businesses must track and report energy usage across their buildings, processes, and transport. They’re also encouraged to find cost- effective ways to cut consumption. The scheme runs in four-year phases. Adler and Allan is currently in phase three, and the countdown to compliance […]
ADAPTING TO CHANGING NEEDS
Simon White, Stanlow Terminals’ lead engineer, looks at how the terminals industry is adapting to growing climate pressures and how Stanlow itself is supporting the drive to net zero. As the UK moves to embrace the next steps in its net zero campaign, the use of traditional fuels is set to decline, while sustainable alternatives will play a growing role. The pace of change is accelerating as 2030 comes ever closer and the UK strives to hit emissions targets by 2050. Information recently published by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) covering tank storage in global supply chains has […]
CRUCIAL & SUSTAINED ROLE FOR LNG IN ASIA’S SUPPLY
DNV analyses how the demand for LNG in Asia is expected to change. Energy demand is expected to continue rising across Asia, with a predicted peak in the early 2030s; approximately 20% higher than 2020 levels, according to DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook. Renewable sources are expected to meet a majority of the growth forecast. However, the medium-term growth potential of greener options in Asian markets is limited by challenges in integrating them with existing electrical infrastructure, all while ensuring reliable, secure, and dispatchable power. This means that the requirement for natural gas, the lowest carbon fossil fuel, will also grow […]
STOCKPILING, ENERGY SECURITY AND THE SINGLE MARKET
FETSA’s executive director, Ravi Bhatiani, tells Tank Storage Magazine about the proposals for a Single Market Emergency Instrument. A more volatile world leads to greater economic planning for worst case scenarios. In September, the European Commission proposed a Single Market Emergency Instrument. While this was partly triggered by the war in Ukraine, it was mostly prompted by the lack of stockpiles of critical supplies at the start of the pandemic and the semiconductor shortage. In summary, the Single Market Emergency Instrument establishes a framework of measures to anticipate, prepare for and respond to impacts of crises on the single market. […]
EUROPE’S AMBITIOUS NEW AMMONIA TERMINAL
Tank Storage Magazine speaks to ACE Terminal’s project director, Egbert Vrijen, to find out how this cross-company collaboration is facilitating the import of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier into northwest Europe. In the port of Rotterdam, three strategic partners, Gasunie, HES International and Vopak, have joined forces to develop an import terminal for ammonia as a hydrogen carrier. By working together, the group aims to use existing Gasunie pipeline infrastructure at the port, combined with Vopak’s tank storage expertise and HES International’s terminal experience. ACE Terminal is planned to be operational in 2026. ‘The planned terminal is strategically located with […]
