New tank farm for ADPO in Port of Antwerp

Six months after being awarded the contract, Geldof (Engicon nv) has placed the last storage tank on the left bank of the Scheldt in Antwerp for the new ADPO LLH (Liefkenshoek Logistic Hub) Terminal. The new tank farm has 57 tanks and has given ADPO, a provider of logistics services as well as storage and handling, an additional storage capacity of 37,500 m³. The terminal has now been complete for three months and is operational.

Full scope project

It is quite a challenge to complete a terminal in barely half a year. “For us it was Geldof’s full scope approach that made the difference. They took a lot of things out of our hands,” says Johan Aerts, Project Manager at ADPO. “Their team took over responsibility for the entire coordination from design to installation and was our single point of contact. This facilitated smooth communication and collaboration. In addition, we were able to carry out all the preparations at our site while our tanks were already being manufactured in Geldof’s workshops. This method of working significantly shortened the lead time and made it possible to start operating our new terminal in a relatively short time.”
“We are well-known for this typical shop-built approach,” says Kevin Mortier, Project Manager at Geldof. “We have built up vast knowledge and expertise in this area. Which is necessary for producing a terminal of 57 tanks in a high-quality and safe way in such a short time.”

Fascinating logistics

The logistical process of such projects is always fascinating as the fully finished tanks are shipped in their entirety. It requires the necessary know-how to manage this properly. Kevin Mortier: “For this particular project, in addition to the usual risks we also had to take into account the tides during the unloading, which added to the difficulties. We had to make optimal use of the high tide to unload the tanks because it was impossible at low tide andthe work had to be suspended. Once the tanks were unloaded, they still had to cover a few hundred metres by road to the site where they were finally lifted onto their foundations.” The terminal has now been complete for almost three months and is fully operational.

March 19th, 2015