April 27, 2020 [Hydrocarbon Engineering] – Visser & Smit Hanab, a 100% subsidiary of VolkerWessels, has officially handed over the subsea pipelines to HES Hartel Tank Terminal, a project of HES International B.V.

 
These underground pipelines connect the HES Hartel Tank Terminal with the nearby BP refinery. The completion of this part of the project represents another step forward in the development of the state-of-the-art 1.3 million m3 liquid bulk storage terminal.

The total package of pipelines installed consists of one 24 in. steel pipeline, four 16 in. steel pipelines and an HDPE pipe of 315 mm, all with a length of around 1000 m.

The pipelines were installed by means of Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD). Visser & Smit Hanab have also installed pipelines in the pipeline corridor and the created manifolds.

Director of Visser & Smit Hanab, Aldo Krijgsman, said: “Visser & Smit Hanab has been involved in this project from the outline design phase of the project until the final completion. We are proud of the added value which we have delivered to HES Hartel Tank Terminal in the realisation of their new tank terminal. The Horizontal Directional Drillings, which have been executed were complex and challenging, nevertheless they have been installed in a safe and controlled manner. The cooperation between Visser & Smit Hanab and HES Hartel Tank Terminal on an engineering, operational and safety basis has been excellent.”

Project Director of HES Hartel Tank Terminal, Charles Smissaert, said: “Due to the constructive and professional cooperation with the team of Visser & Smit Hanab, the subsea pipelines were handed over to HES within budget and on time. Moreover, the work is executed without any incidents and we attach great value to that. Safety is crucial for the success of this terminal and our future business.”

In addition to transport by pipeline, loading and discharge will predominantly take place by vessels and barges. In recent months significant progress has been made in the development of the 1.3 million m3 tank terminal for the storage and transhipment of petroleum products and biofuels in the Port of Rotterdam. The Port of Rotterdam Authority completed works on the maritime facilities at the end of 2019. Complying with the COVID-19 measures, construction works on tanks and the related civil and piping works are currently continuing unabated.

HES Hartel Tank Terminal will be the first terminal in the Netherlands that will be built according to the latest PGS 29 regulations for tank storage, meaning that the terminal will meet very high safety and environmental standards. After commissioning, the terminal will be operational 24/7 and it will provide jobs for approximately 80 people.

————-