CHEAPER, FASTER AND MORE FLEXIBLE

Nico van der Veen, terminal manager at Argent Energy’s terminal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, tells Tank Storage Magazine how Terra Inspectioneering’s drones have improved Argent’s tank inspections My previous job was working in the sewerage industry, and I don’t like people working in confined spaces, such as in tanks, which is potentially dangerous and sometimes unnecessary. It has become my personal quest – if it’s not necessary to put people in tanks in confined spaces, then they shouldn’t be in confined spaces. That’s where my interest in drones comes in. Together with my colleagues from maintenance we set up the overall process based upon this starting point. SOME BACKGROUND TO ARGENT ENERGY Argent Energy is a subsidiary of John Swire & Sons, a UK-based, global conglomerate. It consists of three plants manufacturing biofuels, mainly biodiesel. What we do here in Amsterdam is generate biodiesel made from Category 1 materials, so that’s mainly animal waste, but also other feedstocks. Argent Energy has two sites in the UK as well, in Motherwell in Scotland, and in Stanlow in England. WHAT FACILITIES DO YOU HAVE IN AMSTERDAM? The terminal consists of...