10 trends in tank storage identified by global experts.

Dr. Rashid Alleem, Director General of Seaports & Customs and Sharjah Free Zones Authority.

Fresh from this month’s Tank World Congress and Expo 2014 we pick out ten key trends found in the Congress delivered by our expert speakers including Sharjah Free Zones Authority, Port of Amsterdam, Sohar Port & Freezone, Port of Salalah, Gulf Petrochem, ENOC, the Energy Institute, Galana and many more. The event proved hugely popular and was attended by over 1,600 attendees across the Tank Storage industry. Tank World Congress and Expo will return in 2015 and free tickets are now available. See below to register.

1. The industry is undergoing a shift from crude oil to refined products. Cleaner and lighter fuels and alternate fuels are in greater demand than even before. This is partly related to growing environmental legislation regarding governing fuels and changes in customer demands.

Sustainability and tank storage; a deepening relationship.

A major challenge for those involved within storage is how to develop plans and strategies that not only enhance economic performance but also demonstrate high standards of both environmental stewardship and responsible social performance. Commonly known as sustainability, this is a growing focus for the industry, with oil and gas sustainability spending set to reach $6.5bn in 2017 according to a recent report from Verdantix, a significant increase from $5.4 billion in 2012. Today Tank World looks at this subject and gains insight from Dr. Rashid Alleem Director General Department of Seaports & Customs and Sharjah Free Zones Authority, and a leading expert in this field, about the growing role of sustainability within the oil and gas storage industry.

BP Storage tank in Bilbao, Spain (Courtesy of BP PLC).

To start I asked Dr Alleem how he defines sustainability: “Sustainability means survival. Sustainability means success. Without sustainability, global economic crisis like the historic 2008 economic meltdown will continue to take us back and affect our economic progress. Sustainable development in the present highly competitive global markets calls for a vision and long-term planning.  In our quest for sustainability we fail to make use of the best of available resources and in the right manner. Sustainability does not only ensures our survival but it also ensures survival of our generations to be.

Event Preview: Tank World Expo and Congress 2014

With just under a month to go until the Tank World Congress and Expo, Tank World News gains an exclusive sneak preview of the event which is set to bring two days of expert insight, practical case studies, in-depth discussion, technology launches and networking to Dubai on April 14^th & 15^th 2014.

With over 85 speakers delivering keynotes, case studies and workshops across the two days its impossible to cover all the highlights but we are honoured to have an introduction from H.E Dr. Matar Al Neyadi, Undersecretary of Ministry of Energy of United Arab Emirates who are also officially endorsing the event. Once H.E Dr. Matar Al Neyadi has opened the Executive Congress, a leading figure within the industry and region as a whole, Dr. Rashid Alleem, Director General Department of Seaports & Customs and Sharjah Free Zones Authority delivers a powerful presentation asking the key question – Sustainability: Fact or Fiction? Next up in the opening session sees high-level insights from industry giants Saudi Aramco and leading European facilities Ports of Zeeland and Amsterdam.

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Industry Insights: Rajagopal Kittu, Product Manager, Rosemount Tank Gauging MEA.

“Safety, accuracy & efficiency on every aspect of the industry will be the major drivers in future.”

Luke Upton: Many thanks for the time today. as an introduction, can you tell us a little bit about your current role at Rosemount Tank Gauging? 

Rajagopal Kittu (RK): “Hello Luke, as the Business Manager with Rosemount Tank Gauging MEA offices, my role covers Technical Sales, Marketing, Key Account Management, Project Pursuit, and allied business partner relations in the region. Having the privilege of early and continuous engagement with regional users since inception of Radar Tank Gauging technology in late 90’s in ME, makes my role even more interesting to see the adoption and maturity of this niche application.”

LU:  Thanks and Smart wireless technology is a growing development found within many terminals, what are the main advantages of employing it?  RK: “Extending Intelligence” – To see what’s happening in areas and applications that were previously out of physical or economic reach. Eg: Valve Position Indication for Manual isolation valves found in piping manifolds.  Bringing reliable process measurement data via Wireless communication from proven Radar Level gauges have filled in the gaps, providing better insight, on sites with poor infrastructure to establish communication with the control rooms. Some users with existing wires, like to reclaim them for other critical use such as implementing ESD Overfill Prevention loops on storage tanks, by implementing Wireless Tank gauging. In sites where Tank gauging is more critical, the wireless communication provides a means for establishing a redundant communication path and enhances the overall reliability. It also provides a wealth of diagnostic data to the host system which in most cases is not available with legacy wired systems. Wireless technologies provide huge savings in infrastructure, design and labour needed for installation and commissioning, and remove the hot work and downtime often required by their wired counterparts.”

Industry Insights: Riza Altunergil VP of Commerce, ERGIL

“To utilize gas as the prominent fuel, countries need to invest more on pipeline construction and maintenance as well as LNG terminals for storage and distribution which would keep pace with the rapid increase in production.”

Today Tank World talks to Riza Altunergil VP of Commerce at ERGIL one of the leading engineering companies specialized in design, engineering and manufacturing of pressure vessels, storage tanks and storage tank equipment. Based in Turkey ERGIL has offices in the U.A.E., Azerbaijan and Singapore and is a rapidly growing company.

Industry Insights: Mark Korzec, Director of Oil and Gas Sales, Colfax Corporation.

“For a long while the technology within fluid storage and movement did not move as rapidly as the technology in other industries. But this has changed in recent years. Hesitancy to develop and deploy new technologies has eroded and we are now seeing the benefits of its deployment.”

Today Tank World Editor, Luke Upton, speaks to Mark Korzec, Director of Oil and Gas Sales for Colfax Corporation, a veteran of over 43 years in the industry and an expert speaker at Tank World Expo. Working with Oil Companies, Engineering firms, and Design Institutes around the globe Mark has gained a unique perspective on our industry and has a particular focus on sharing his experience of tank farm and terminal operations. Mark travels regularly around the world and as such a broad view of the dynamic changes that the global fluid movement is currently undergoing.

Luke Upton (LU): Thanks very much for the time today, you travel a lot in your job, quite simply, what are you seeing out there?

Mark Korzec (MK): No problem. It’s a really interesting time at the moment, and what it really comes down to is a dramatic change in the movement of oil. Traditionally it would flow from east and in particular the Middle East, to the West but now we are seeing an increasing movement from west to east. There are a couple of factors causing this change including the USA exporting its own oil, a rising demand in Asia and the accessing of African oil. In the last 5 years alone there have been over 70 discoveries in Sub-Saharan African and the decline in demand from Europe.

Facility Focus: Zeeland Seaports (Netherlands)

Today Tank World profiles Zeeland Seaports, a European hub and gateway for handling of liquid bulk in the Netherlands. The two ports Vlissingen and Terneuzen which make up the Zeeland Seaports are ideally located , right between Rotterdam and Antwerp, with free access to the open sea and a first-rate network of road, rail, pipelines and inland waterway links to the hinterland of Europe. Even the largest seagoing vessels are able to call Zeeland Seaports with a minimum of deviation from main shipping routes and without tidal restrictions. In addition, the ports handle a wide range of short sea and inland vessels providing a comprehensive network of cargo services right across Europe.

Flexibility, speed, quality and customer friendliness are other reasons for more and more companies to choose Zeeland Seaports as their strongest link to Europe. With plenty of space for development, Zeeland Seaports has ample opportunities for future growth. Zeeland Seaports and its experienced staff look forward to helping customers develop and grow their business.

Industry Insights: Peter Mackay, Editorial Director, Hazardous Cargo Bulletin.

“Keeping up to date with the major international trends, be they political, economic or technological is essential – it’s a global business, now more than ever – and the decision making needs to be the same.”

Today Tank World News sits down with Peter Mackay, Editorial Director of Hazardous Cargo Bulletin and Day One Chairman of Tank World Expo that took place in Dubai in April. Peter has been with Hazardous Cargo Bulletin, a global magazine covering all kinds of dangerous goods but with a particular focus on liquid chemicals and liquefied gases, for over 20 years is an expert in its regulation and operation. He spent his early career with Drewry Shipping Consultants before moving on to industry journalism.

Luke Upton (LU): Hello Peter, with your experience there’s plenty that we could talk about today but perhaps we can start by looking at some of the key changes and trends that you are seeing emerge.

Pete Mackay (PM) : “Hi Luke, well, as always there is plenty going on, in fact we may not have been in such a period of flux since the 1970s. The USA is undergoing a huge change, with its accessing of domestic supplies of crude and its shift from being an importer of LNG to an exporter being nothing short of a revolution. With its own supply of oil it has in some ways disengaged from the global market in terms of pricing, to fill up your car is cheaper in the US than anywhere else in the world bar some of the Gulf states. But if the exports of US LNG and crude become more significant they will get plugged back into the global market and this is likely to have an effect on the domestic price. Let us not forget that in the US, the price of filling up the car is a major political issue!

Interview: Sami Habbab, CEO Delta Rubis

Today Tank World talks to Sami Habbab, the CEO of Delta Rubis, the leading independent liquid fuels storage player in the Mediterranean region and an expert speaker at Tank World Expo. Delta Group entered the oil industry in 1984 as Delta Petrol with its floating storage facility in Iskenderun. Subsequently, the company built and operated its first bulk liquid storage terminal in Ceyhan, Turkey and then built another one in Poti, Georgia to service the Caspian oil exports. In 2007, the capacity of the Ceyhan Oil Storage Terminal was doubled and reached 650,000 cbm. In January 2012, Rubis Terminal, amongst the top 10 largest independent liquid storage operators in the world, partnered with Delta Petrol to form Delta Rubis.

Luke Upton (LU): Thanks for the time today Sami, it has now been two years since Delta Petrol partnered with Rubis Terminal to become Delta Rubis. What have you learnt in this time?

Sami Habbab (SH): It’s been a great two years as together we’ve been able to grow and develop quickly.  As Delta Rubis, we have moved forward with determined steps and with a new strategic vision and also been able to seek out new expansion opportunities in Turkey, Black Sea, the Mediterranean and Middle East regions in not only in liquid fuel storage, but also in side sectors such as LPG, liquid chemicals, biofuels. The progressive sophistication of oil products and increased volatility in the global oil markets requires flexible value added and diverse logistics services in global markets which Delta Rubis is now able to provide.

FREE Middle East and Africa Industry Insights report for Tank World subscribers.

TankWorld has an exclusive offer for all it’s followers – a FREE copy of the Tank Storage Forum Middle East and Africa Insights report. This report brings together the main themes of the conference and goes beyond the presentation slides to draw conclusions from the show, regarding storage development in the MEA region.

Contributors include Horizon Terminals, DELTA, GPS Chemoil Terminal, Saudi Aramco, AQABA Development Corporation, SOLVOCHEM, Gulf Petrochem, Emerson Process Management, Endress and Hauser, Port of Salalah, Stolthaven Terminals and many more.

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Not only will you be updated with all the latest news, views and videos from the world of rail and metro but we will send you the report within 5 days.This exclusive offer ends at 1pm GMT Friday 6th December 2013 so sign up today!

To find out more about Tank World Expo 2014 held in Dubai April 14-15 visit www.tankworldexpo.com