Growing with the times
The 27th International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) Operating Conference and Trade Show will take place in Houston, Texas from 11-13th June 2007.
Over 220 companies exhibit at the show each year, providing the terminal industry with information about the latest technologies around, while the simultaneously run conference provides insider knowledge on the industry’s hottest issues.
With all the hype surrounding biofuels within the terminal industry, ILTA has added a new track this year, on renewable fuels. This set of presentations will examine the rapidly expanding market, and will examine storage, handling and blending strategies. The featured speaker for the event is a partner in a law firm, who is also discussing the investment boom in downstream assets and renewable fuels. The talk will address the prospects for the continued flow of fresh capital into the biofuels industry.
A range of other issues will also be covered at the event, such as the operation of floating roofs, environmental healthUS-based Westway Terminals has big plans for 2007 and beyond.
Westway Terminals is one of the premier providers of bulk liquid storage, and as such owns 29 storage sites worldwide. With roots going back to 1940, the company focuses on niche markets such as chemicals and commodities. The main products it handles are agricultural liquids and specialty chemicals, rather than the more traditional storage liquids such as petroleum or gasoline. But company president Wayne Driggers is not adverse to new products. He has been with the company since 1991, and has been in his current role for five years. ‘We’re always looking at new opportunities, and we look at new products every day,’ he explains. According to Driggers, Westway has spent the past 15 years expanding, and it certainly doesn’t intend to stop now.
The company has 15 sites in the US, 12 in Europe, one in Mozambique and one in South Korea. Its global storage capacity is approximately 400 million gallons, and its customers are most of the top 20 chemical manufacturers and distributors, major oil companies and major agricultural companies.
The 1950s and 1960s were periods of rapid expansion for the company. Westway established numerous bulk liquid terminals on the inland rivers, the Great Lakes, and important rail locations, which greatly expanded its terminal network. In the 1970’s and 1980’s Westway diversified its terminal operations to include the storage and handling of many other bulk liquid commodities. The company is now carrying out the largest expansion in its history at its site in Houston.
