24 B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR
Ports & Storage
January/February 2019
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T
wo significant projects were completed at the back end of
2018 in Port of Rotterdam.
Phase 2 of the HES Botlek Tank Terminal expansion project is now
complete, according to HES International.
“Although the tanks were already operational for a while they still
needed to be painted. With the completion of this paintwork Phase 2
is officially concluded,” the company said.
“The current capacity of 490,000 cbm will however soon be
expanded again as we will start the next project on short notice. This
expansion consists of six tanks for biofuels with a total capacity of
20,000 cbm. All our investments are backed by multi-year customer
contracts.”
Meanwhile, Euro Tank Terminal (ETT) has extended its jetty in the
Calandkanaal resulting in considerably increased occupancy.
Now the terminal can load or unload two large tankers at one time.
Customer service team leader Lissy Helbers explained: “At our jetty in
the Calandkanaal, we receive around 22 VLCCs a year. These large
tankers are over 300m long and usually spend three or four days
berthed at the jetty. Whenever a VLCC was berthed there, we had
too little space to handle a second large range (LR) tanker at the same
time. With lengths reaching up to 280m, LR tankers are slightly
Euro Tank Terminal has extended its jetty
in the Calandkanaal and can now load or
unload two large tankers at one time
shorter than VLCCs. In the past few months, we have extended the
jetty by 20m and moved the berthing and loading/unloading
infrastructure. Now we are able to load or unload a VLCC and an LR
tanker simultaneously. This makes a huge difference to our jetty
occupancy.”
The jetty extension was planned and carried out in co-ordination
with Port of Rotterdam Authority. “During the preparatory phase, we
sat down together to work out the available options along the
Calandkanaal. This canal is an important shipping route to various
port terminals. We wanted to extend the jetty as much as possible
without obstructing other shipping. This aim has been achieved,”
Helbers added.
After the extension, ETT was for the first time able to receive and
handle a VLCC (Atromitos) and an LR2 tanker (Ridgebury John Zipser)
at its jetty. It was a 450,000 tonne cargo of fuel oil for two different
clients. The VLCC was 330m long and the LR2 over 270m. This meant
the jetty’s maximum capacity was being used. It should be noted that
when a VLCC is being combined with an LR2 that is longer than
250m, ETT will always check at the site to ensure the smaller vessel is
properly berthed.
Phase 2 of the HES Botlek
Tank Terminal expansion
project is now complete
GPS, Equinor to
develop LPG terminal
S
outh East Asia is to receive its first independent LPG
storage facility. Global Petro Storage (GPS) has signed a
long term agreement with Equinor, a multinational energy
company, to develop the terminal in Port Klang, Malaysia.
The new facility will be the first independent, refrigerated LPG
terminal in Malaysia, and will provide storage services exclusively to
Equinor.
Equinor will bring LPG to the terminal and sell into the domestic
market in Malaysia as well as selling volumes to markets like
Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The facility will have capacity to turn over 1.5million tonnes of LPG
each year and will be able to handle very large gas carriers (VLGC)
and pressurised LPG vessels on its jetty. Work will begin in January
2019 and the 135,000 cbm terminal should be completed by early
2021.
GPS is the majority shareholder for the project and will develop,
own and operate the LPG facility.
Eric Arnold, Managing Director and CEO of GPS said: “The new LPG
terminal is a highly strategic, unique asset that will give Equinor a new
platform in South East Asia, and enhance its reach into the region,
where the LPG market is growing.”
GPS and Equinor’s agreement to develop the facility represents the
first time the companies have entered into formal partnership.
The announcement in Malaysia comes just one month after
construction began on GPS’s terminal project in the Port of Hamriyah
in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with two long-term partners. The
terminal, GPS’s first investment in the Middle East, will provide
services for industrial reprocessing of waste oils, trading, import and
bunkering.