News

German-based oil and gas software consultancy firm Implico has announced that its Connected Truck and Connected Depot apps are now SAP-certified. Connected Truck links drivers directly with the dispatching and transport planning system, ensuring that trip planning and reconciliation for bulk deliveries is as efficient and transparent as possible. Connected Depot links all users of tank farms…
Read More »

With the pressure on for more storage capacity around the world, Moda Midstream has space to expand. However, as its CEO Bo McCall reveals, growth plans must be flexible as well as prudent. LIQUID terminal provider Moda Midstream completed its 10 millionbarrel crude oil expansion in April, adding 495,000-barrels of tankage at its facility at Moda Ingleside Energy Center (MIEC) in Texas,…
Read More »

With dramatic demand drops amid worldwide COVID-19 quarantines, everyone’s talking about storage. Paul Wiseman takes a close look at the impact it’s having on the US market. USUALLY the rest of the world, including the oil and gas upstream sector, takes tank storage for granted. It is just a stop for petroleum and refined products on the way to buses, cars or boats. But with COVID-19…
Read More »

Oil analytics firm Vortexa shares its insights on the rapid expansion of global floating storage across the oil complex, and how oil flows are being reshaped in unexpected ways in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. GLOBAL markets in the first half of 2020 are oversupplied with oil products at levels not previously experienced by the industry. Transportation restrictions have forced refiners to…
Read More »

This year’s Global Tank Storage Awards was one of the last events before coronavirus restrictions came into force across the globe. Find out more about why this years winners deserved to be recognised for their achievements in safety, sustainability and innovation. DESPITE the challenging circumstances nearly 200 attendees gathered at Rotterdam’s Floating Pavilion on the 10th of March for…
Read More »

COVID-19 has seen a dramatic fall in fuel demand as fewer planes take to the skies and drivers keep their cars off the road. This knock-on effect has meant fuel storage tanks around the world are rapidly reaching capacity and has led to producers scrambling for places to store their excess production. Oil companies have been searching for alternative ways to store crude as traditional storage…
Read More »

WITH hurricane season approaching, now is the time to develop a hurricane preparedness plan (HPP) to ensure the durability and functionality of exposed storage tank terminals. Developed by engineers, HPPs set forth specific action items designed to help storage tanks withstand the impacts of varying categories of hurricanes. Heavy rainfall and inland flooding, tornadoes, storm surge, tidal…
Read More »

What it takes to implement corrosion prediction of tank bottoms. INDUSTRY tank standards set limits on how long flat bottom tanks may be operated before being internally inspected [sidebar 1] based on tank bottom corrosion rates. But many companies are not collecting sufficient data or even the right kinds of data that would actually save them significant costs or even provide them with good…
Read More »

In today’s world of uncertainty, it becomes very important to maintain and manage current assets. Geodesic aluminum domes are an investment within our oil and gas industry that protects the product in the storage tank and has a service life of 50 plus years with some maintenance along the way. WHAT is a geodesic dome? A geodesic dome is a site specific, structurally engineered dome roof…
Read More »

How to reduce construction accidents by implementing better safety measures during the design and planning phase. THE CONSTRUCTION industry faces two challenges that are usually considered separately: the lack of specifics, synergy, and effectiveness, between the safety planning and construction process; and the lack of concurrence between the design and construction process. This article…
Read More »

There was a lot to see in the iTanks Innovation Zone at this year’s StocExpo Rotterdam in March. Together with a group of partners from the iTanks network, the zone was packed with novelties for the tank storage industry. For those who could not come to the innovation zone, here is a recap of what you missed: iTANKS is a knowledge and innovation platform for the portrelated industry, an…
Read More »

As a result of heightened regulatory measures to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, the composition of the fuels used has changed dramatically in recent years. When these biofuels come into contact with water, microbial contamination can occur in the tank. MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION Traditionally when straight hydrocarbon fuels were used, you could have a tank…
Read More »

The footprint of a tank terminal in a local community can be substantial. Safety and environmental concerns are regular features of discussions with local populations and councils, which FETSA takes very seriously. In a hub like Rotterdam, where there is more than one tank terminal, these discussions are of added importance and tank terminals make huge efforts to comply with and even go beyond…
Read More »

RB: We seem to be in a new era of great power competition leading to isolationist and protectionist tendencies; rather than cooperation between trade blocs in a global community. Do you see this negatively impacting international trade movements or are economies too integrated to be impacted by geopolitical trends? Official: Almost certainly there will be a negative impact and less trade…
Read More »

The European Commission wants to create new supply chains for a ‘cleaner’ economy. It wants to collaborate in alliances with private companies, associations, trade unions and national governments to develop new supply chains. One such alliance will be a Hydrogen Alliance. In April FETSA met with the officials working on the EU Industrial Strategy and Hydrogen Partnership to explain the…
Read More »

German independent tank storage association UTV has decided to enlarge its service and product portfolio for its members and intends to introduce a web-based e-Learning tool for the qualification and training of tank farm operators. The learning platform includes a huge variety of different modules which cover knowledge and learning material for the areas safety, operational processes, product…
Read More »

Part of the new FETSA strategy was to become a credible and pro-active voice in EU policy making with an aim of policy makers coming to FETSA for our views so we can help develop policies. An example of this starting to happen is in the area of strategic storage. In advance of EU strategic storage rules being reviewed, and in advance of the Luxembourg government reviewing its approach to…
Read More »

The Tank Storage Sustainability Initiative (TSSI) website is now live. TSSI is a research, development, training and coordination centre advocating sustainability in marine tank storage and refining industries. Officially launched at the 2020 StocExpo in Rotterdam, the platform is operated and managed by Tank Terminal Training (TTT). The website makes it possible for you to verify your…
Read More »

Join the free webinar on 12 May, 13:00 (GMT) to know more about plans of oil companies to upgrade tank farms and oil terminals. To register for the free webinar or receive the recording in English please follow the link - https://oilterminal.org/en/webinar/ The webinar will cover: Overview: industry development strategies and goals before 2030, plans of producers and regulators …
Read More »

European tank terminal operator Evos has begun using a digital connection to the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA).  Via a new interface to a cloud communication service, the tank terminal and the HPA now exchange train data fully automatically – manual entry and transfer by employees are no longer necessary. The solution was developed and implemented by the specialist for tank terminal software…
Read More »