News

Angie Murray and Carrie Weaver from Enterprise Products Partners tell Tank Storage Magazine about the company’s new focus on evolving technologies for a lower carbon economy Over the past year or two there has been an increasing interest in the energy transition and the future lower carbon economy from companies connected to the oil industry. Tank storage and midstream companies are no…
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Jason Hornsby tells Tank Storage Magazine about Navigator Terminals’ push towards sustainable product logistics Sustainability is not a new concept for UK tank storage and energy infrastructure company Navigator Terminals. With the recent focus on the energy transition, the COP26 conference and ever-more stringent climate targets, companies and industries the world over are looking at how to…
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The leading and only independent cavern operator in northwest Europe is preparing for underground hydrogen storage STORAG ETZEL was formerly a public enterprise under the name IVG. It was commissioned in 1971 to build an underground storage facility at Etzel, Germany, with a capacity of 10 million tonnes. This was to store crude oil as a national stockpile and to operate the aboveground…
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Exolum’s Andres Suárez looks back on a year of change for the company formerly known as CLH Group On 1 March 2021 , CLH Group, the leading terminal company in Europe, with operations in eight countries, announced a major rebrand, transforming itself into Exolum. The focus of the newly renamed business, as it said at the time, is on ‘adapting its business to decarbonisation and the energy…
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Francis Osborne from Argus Media examines government regulations, supply chain changes and emerging fuel options As unusual and catastrophic weather events increase in frequency the issue of climate change is rapidly rising up the global political agenda. The recent COP26 meeting in Glasgow may have demonstrated that the global community is still a long way from forging a collective approach but…
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Paul Hickin from S&P Global Platts looks at how shipping can meet decarbonisation targets Shipping’s efforts to meet decarbonisation targets will be both extremely easy and very tough. Near-term regulations look achievable while potentially shifting 2050 limits look more like ambitions than credible goals. Shipping will have to balance these competing challenges. The International…
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IHS Markit’s Olivier Maronneaud looks at the effects of the energy transition on oil products, petrochemicals and subsequently tank storage companies the last 24 months and the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedent period in many respects. For the first time in decades – except during war times – governments around the world have imposed restrictions or closed borders, limiting…
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Ravi Bhatiani, executive director at FETSA, looks at how requirements for compulsory stocks needs to evolve with the energy transition The storage capacity of FETSA members also includes strategic reserves held for emergencies and supply disruptions under the Compulsory Stocks Obligation (CSO). Strategic reserves has been a prominent issue in political discussions over the last few months with…
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Ground improvement specialist firm Menard USA has bought Farrell Design-Build Companies, a speciality geotechnical contractor based in California, US. Farrell Design-Build Companies was founded in 1999 by Tim Farrell, who will remain president of the company following the acquisition. It builds deep foundation and ground improvement support for heavy structures, parking garages, office,…
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Nine leading tank storage experts have all made their predictions for the storage & transportation market for 2022: Rutger van Thiel, CEO, Alkion Terminals 2021 was another successful year for the Alkion Group in a challenging and changing environment. The pandemic continued to demand our vigilance, but we continued to show solid performance in terms of safety, sustainability and…
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Italian robotics manufacturer Gerotto Federico has been investing for over 20 years in R&D to identify and propose technological solutions that could meet the increasingly strict requirements of industrial maintenance. Gerotto has always worked to ensure that cleaning operations are effective and efficient, putting operators’ safety at first. ‘We have always been convinced,’ says…
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German cleantech company Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies has formed a joint venture with Emirates Specialized Contracting & Oilfield Services (ESCO) to deliver hydrogen infrastructure in the Middle East. The head office of the new Hydrogenious LOHC Emirates is in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and aims to provide solutions for hydrogen storage and transport at any scale and distance. The JV will have a…
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TotalEnergies has selected TWTG’s NEON vibration sensors for Total Refinery Antwerp in Belgium. NEON vibration sensors send an RMS velocity value at 15 minutes intervals and can therefore give a good picture of the overall condition of an asset. Usually, vibration of assets is monitored manually at monthly intervals with the results analysed by an expert. The process is labour intensive and…
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EchoStar Mobile, a subsidiary of satellite communications company EchoStar Corporation, has designed and introduced the first pan-European S-Band LoRaWAN network using its own licenced spectrum. The private network offers added protection against cyber attack and requires less CAPEX investment than some alternatives. It can be used for mobile and fixed applications, and widely distributed sites.…
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French company Azur Drones, which supplies drone-in-a-box solutions for surveillance and inspection, has signed a new framework agreement with TotalEnergies for the use of its drone technology at all the energy major’s sites. Azur first deployed its Skeyetech system at TotalEnergies’ Feyzin site in 2020. They carry out daily visualisation, sensor measurement and critical infrastructure…
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The Energy division of Pond, a US-based full-service engineering company, has promoted William Anderson to associate principal and vice-president of energy. Anderson will lead Pond’s Commercial and Utility business development teams and continue to serve energy clients worldwide. Pond Energy offers services including asset integrity, coatings, compliance, corrosion control, maintenance and…
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Non-person entry tank cleaning specialist company Re-Gen Robotics has licensed UK-based industrial fuel services company Eurotank to use its robots for cleaning horizontal and cylindrical tanks in forecourts, and fuel storage tanks. As part of the deal, Re-Gen has bought a large Ex Zone 0 rated robot from Eurotank, adding to their four bespoke tank cleaning systems already in full-time…
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Wayne Geyer looks at the variety of causes in tank fires and explosions, and the importance of awareness Explosions and fires in the petrochemical industry capture headline news locally, nationally, and globally depending on the severity and location. Best practices with safety in operations and management are essential to avoid injury and death. Unfortunately, far too many incidents continue…
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HydroCarbon Solutions’ tank cleaning technology generates useable oil from tank sludge Born in oilfields of West Texas back in 2004, HydroCarbon Solutions (HCS) has been cleaning aboveground storage tanks one at a time for the past 17 years. Bringing environmentally friendly technology and non-person entry to the hazardous job of crude oil tank deposition cleaning, HCS has seen the demand for…
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Ingrid Pederson looks at the drawbacks of time-based inspections and the improvements gained by switching to risk-based inspections Political obstinacy  frequently cancels new pipeline projects while the energy demand continues to grow. This dichotomy is requiring existing infrastructure to be maintained longer and pushed harder. At the same time oil price crashes and a global pandemic have…
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