15 years after the pilot project on a tank bottom at the Shell Europoort Terminal, Van der Ende has again applied this technique to the bottom of 48.8 diameter tank at the BP Refinery Europoort.
With this reliable and efficient solution for heavily corroded tank bottoms, which are normally replaced by new tank bottoms , the safe service life of the tank can be extended for at least 10 years in a short time.
Replacing a bottom is a costly and time-consuming process. Time that takes away from the operational availability of the storage tank.
In less than 6 weeks, the tank at BP has been upgraded from off-line to on-line again for at least 10 years of non-stop operation.
Replacement of the tank bottom would certainly have involved an off-line situation for a period of six months. Precious time during which no money is made.
In specific cases, it may be interesting to opt for medium-term (about 10 years) operational availability. BP has made this strategic choice at a time when cost savings are a choice.