Vopak Announces Increase in Storage Capacity at Amsterdam's Westpoort Terminal

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Terminal operator Koninklijke Vopak NV (AMS:VPK) (Vopak) (Rotterdam, Netherlands) has announced plans to add extra storage to the terminal under construction at the Port of Amsterdam's Westpoort industrial zone.

Construction of the terminal began in 2009. The facility was designed to meet the high demand for storage at the Port of Amsterdam, which is an important logistics hub for the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region. The initial plans called for a storage capacity of 620,000 cubic meters, of which a large portion has already been leased on a long-term basis when it becomes available.

Vopak operates a terminal in Amsterdam that specializes in storage and trans-shipment of vessel fuels, but the terminal to be expanded will be used for the storage, blending and trans-shipment of gasoline, diesel, biofuel and other clean-oil products.

BAM Leidingen & Industrie (Nieuwleusen, Netherlands), a member of the Koninklijke BAM Groep NV (AMS:BAMNB) (Bunnik, Netherlands), is general contractor on the project, which is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2011.

The increased demand has caused Vopak to amend its plans for the terminal by adding an extra 570,000 cubic meters, bringing the total capacity of the terminal to 1.2 million cubic meters. The terminal will include facilities to blend products and components to bring them up to the standards required by various markets.

The terminal is being constructed to cater to both ocean-going vessels and traffic through inland waterways. The completed terminal will contain two marine jetties capable of accepting vessels up to a dead weight of 120,000 tons, while eight berths will cater to the smaller vessels, up to a dead weight of 20,000 tons.

Storage tanks at the terminal will have capacities ranging from 10,000 cubic meters to 40,000 cubic meters, and the complex will include a coupling system to connect the storage tanks with the pier's pipes, vapor-processing and pipe-cleaning systems, a wastewater purification plant, and a fire-extinguishing system.

The terminal will be the first in the Port of Amsterdam to include a vapor-processing system, which is designed to take care of vapors released from loading vessels. According to the environmental assessment and planning applications lodged with the Noord-Provincial Provincial council, vessels will not be allowed to use the terminal unless they have the required couplings to connect to the vapor-processing system.

Liquid products from the terminal will be shipped by tankers to the United States and other overseas destinations that have a high demand for gasoline, while the European market will be served by tank barges using inland waterways. The Port of Amsterdam plays an important role in the flow of gasoline products between Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.

Investment details for the terminal and the additional storage capacity have not been disclosed, as Vopak has a policy of not disclosing financial information for any of its projects.

In addition to the ARA hub terminal, Vopak operates logistic hub terminals in Houston, Texas; Fujairah, United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf; and Singapore.

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