All Vopak image Courtesy of MUC Engineering""Working with different professionals with a diverse outlook can be challenging, but by engaging all the stakeholders in an appropriate manner ensures the right result for the project.Guus Driessen, Project Manager & Structural Engineer Royal Haskoning >> 10rangeinternational

VOPAK HORIZON FUJAIRAH LTD OIL TERMINAL IN UAEEXPANSION OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST BUNKERING CENTRES In the Gulf of Oman, on the East coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Emirate of Fujairah, is one of the world's largest bunkering centres. Vopak Horizon Fujairah Ltd (VHFL) operates an independent onshore oil terminal, designed to handle products including naphtha, gasoline, gas, oil, kerosene, methanol, methyl tertiary buthyl ether (MTBE) and fuel oil. VHFL intend to build additional petroleum products storage tanks and handling facilities in the vacant plot next to the existing VHFL facilities, with piping connections to existing VHFL Berths for receiving, storing and exporting class 1, 2 and 3 petroleum products. The project is named as "Phase 6 Expansion" and has both Onshore and Offshore Works."The petroleum products are received from tanker vessels berthing at one of the six existing berths and one Single Point Mooring (SPM) of the VHFL jetty. The terminal can accept tankers of up to 175,000 DWT. The Onshore Works for the Phase 6 Expansion primarily consist of new storage tanks and associated facilities within the terminal and jetty piping to the battery limit that separates the Onshore and Offshore facilities", Project Manager and Senior Engineer, Guus Driessen elaborates. The Phase 6 Offshore Works consist of two components: the new pipes and associated mechanical, electrical and instrumentation works from Onshore Battery Limit up to the existing berths and the marine civil works to facilitate installation of new pipelines.Guus continues, 'Royal Haskoning has been commissioned to review the tender design and supervise the offshore contract works. The design and construction for the offshore contract has been assigned to Athena S.A. Within the scope of this contract additional piping, fittings and strengthening of the existing trestle have to be provided as some sections of the existing trestle structures are not capable of carrying the additional pipeline loads. 'The existing truss capacity is upgraded by adding another tier on top, accommodating seven new pipe lines. Verification calculations of the truss include load-history calculations: The stresses in the structure before changing the geometry need to be included after geometry modifications and after adding the weight of the new pipes. However, the design will be easy compared to the construction of the new tier; Installation of the new tier is only possible when the existing pipes are not in operation. The Contractor has to manoeuvre carefully between safety requirements and small operational windows when the berths are not occupied. Land reclamation in front of the VHFL terminal is ongoing for further future expansion of the terminal. Royal Haskoning is providing technical assistance for this as well", Guus adds.Guus Driessen g.driessen@haskoning.ae+971 50 910 6875rangeinternational >> 11