TANK CONSTRUCTION & REPAIR

New products, new requirements, and the boom in the oil price are among the factors driving investment in tank construction and repair. Tank Storage magazine talks to manufacturers about developments in the industry.

New build, old challenges

The stream of new tank construction projects currently in progress or slated to start in the near future is partly a consequence of new product streams and new product developments in the chemical industry, says Jan Jochems, Director of Netherlands-based tank construction firm, IVENS. Another factor is the old chestnut of environmental regulations.

One of the ways tank design has changed in recent years is towards higher pressure design, he explains, which produces lower emissions as well as creating a wider range of storage possibilities.

Jochems has also noticed a trend towards larger building projects, which are subcontracted as turnkey jobs. "The purchaser expects from the tank contractor not only his specific technical know-how as tank builder, but also his ability to coordinate other tasks," he comments.

At present, IVENS is building tank farms for ADPO and Oiltanking Antwerp, including a total of more than 40 new storage tanks - a combination of carbon and stainless steel, and shop-built and fielderected tanks.

Shop-fabrication of larger tank sizes, in order to minimise delivery time and optimise building quality, is another tendency noted by Jochems. "To date, the largest tanks shop-fabricated and transported by IVENS have a diameter of 19.5m and height of 15m, and this seems certainly not to be the end of this development," he say.