April 3, 2013 [H.E.S. Beheer N.V.] - The new train loading/unloading station at Botlek Tank Terminal, Rotterdam (HES interest 50%) was completed on 1 April and the first train was loaded the very next day.
The new station was commissioned on 2 April with the loading of around 1,000 tonnes of biodiesel destined for a refinery in Bavaria (Germany). The product was transferred from one of the storage tanks to a 16-wagon block train.
The new train loading/unloading station, with two 340-metre tracks, was built by a consortium of contractors and completed on schedule in six months, at a cost of about €2 million. The station can fill or empty six wagons simultaneously, at a rate of 400 tonnes per hour.
This new facility will further Botlek Tank Terminal’s ambition to cover all modes of transport and is a response to growing customer demand for rail transport. It will be used initially to load and unload block trains with biodiesel to and from Germany, Austria and Italy.
Driven by growing customer demand for rail transport, throughput is expected to rise quickly, from around two trains a week at the start to one train a day. The facility can also be modified in future to handle other oil products such as aviation fuels, gasoline, diesel and edible oils. In the medium term, throughput could increase to two trains a day.
BTT has a state-of-the-art terminal with ample deepwater berths and facilities for the transhipment and storage of a wide range of liquid bulk products. The 420-metre sea jetty is capable of handling two seagoing vessels of up to 115,000 DWT and two tank barges simultaneously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Safety and environmental protection are a high priority at BTT and the company’s management system has ISO 9001, ISO 14000 and OSHAS 18000 certification. The company is also AEO-certified.
The existing terminal, consisting of 34 storage tanks with a combined capacity of 200,000 m3, is one of the most environment-friendly tank terminals in the world. The Port of Rotterdam is making good progress with reclaiming part of the harbour to double the size of the existing site. The reclaimed site, which is currently scheduled for partial hand-over in mid-2013 and completion in mid -2014, will allow BTT to expand storage capacity substantially, probably in one or more phases, to a maximum of 750,000 m3.
