24 B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR
Ports & Storage
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ased in the heart of Spain’s Basque country Petronor is
celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Founded in 1968 by a group of Basque industrialists, and with a
potential processing capacity of 12 million tonnes of crude oil a year,
it is now the biggest refi nery in Spain.
With a work force of 940 and another 6,200 in related jobs, it is
the major source of employment in the area. In the past fi ve years it
has invested a total of €1.2 billion and its average annual tax
contribution is over €700 million, somewhat more than 10 percent
of the net total of taxes collected in the Biscay region.
Closely related to Port of Bilbao since its establishment, Petronor
combined the construction of the Muskiz refi nery with the fi nancing
of infrastructure anticipating the competitive advantage derived
September/October 2018
The Punta Lucero terminal has one of the greatest water depths in Europe
from the refi nery having access to a deepwater port.
A key part of the port’s infrastructure is the Punta Lucero dock,
which is an impressive 2,500m long and with a depth of 32m at low
tide.
The Punta Lucero Maritime Terminal, which entered service in
1975, has one of the greatest water depths in Europe. It can accept
tankers with a draft of up to 30m and 500,000 dwt.
Petronor exports over one third of its production, which amounts
to 18.21 percent of all exports from Biscay and 9.7 percent of the
Basque country’s production, and represents more than 40 percent
of traffi c in Bilbao port
Petronor’s future depends on maintaining its commitment to
innovation. In 2016, it created the Petronor Innovation Company to
collaborate with science and technology institutes in the fi elds of
energy and advanced manufacturing. The company invests about
€90 million a year in technology for the Muskiz plant, and hopes to
achieve the highest levels of competitiveness, energy effi ciency and
productivity while complying with the environmental and safety
standards.
This policy of innovation has led to the transformation of Petronor
in terms of using digitisation, Industry 4.0, artifi cial intelligence and
big data.
Petronor’s aim is to be one of the most effi cient refi neries in the
world, which requires achieving an availability of 98 percent,
improving energy effi ciency, continuing to innovate and converting
into a platform that offers diversifi ed energy via different platforms.
Currently, 15 percent of its workers and 26 percent of its board of
directors are female. Some 35 percent of the students who receive
scholarship grants via its annual professional training programme
are also female. The aim is to continue along these lines, so that the
presence of women continues to increase.
To mark the 50 years of doing business, Petronor is celebrating
with a programme of cultural, social and entertainment activities
throughout the year.
Also in Bilbao, German fi rm ASK Chemicals last year started the
fi rst phase of its new plant in Bilbao port as a strategic point for the
south west Europe market.
The intention is to provide a better service to clients by unifying
production in a single plant. This phase required an investment of
over €7 million and includes a 10,000 sqm factory, the transfer of
production from factories in Idiazabal and Artiniega and the
purchase of new equipment.
In the fi rst quarter of 2018, ASK Chemicals fi nished the second
phase at a cost of about €3 million, involving partial transfer from
installations in Castro Urdiales.
ASK produces speciality chemicals for the foundry sector.
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of Antwerp offers continuity and sustainable innovation in a world of constant change.
World-class logistics and storage facilities act with unsurpassed operational excellence
and customer focus. A chemistry you can really feel.
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Everything is
Possible at the
agellan Midstream Partners and LBC Tank Terminals
have announced plans to increase Seabrook Logistics’
crude oil and condensate storage and dock capabilities in the
Houston Gulf Coast area.
Seabrook Logistics, owned 50/50 by subsidiaries of Magellan and
LBC, plans to construct nearly 700,000 barrels (111,000 cbm) of
additional crude oil and condensate storage in Seabrook as well as a
new Suezmax dock with up to a 14m draught and approximately
400,000 bpd of dock capacity.
Following completion of the announced expansion, Seabrook
Logistics will own approximately 490,000 cbm of storage,
deepwater access through an Aframax dock and a Suezmax dock
and connectivity to Magellan’s Houston crude oil distribution
system, providing it access to multiple inbound crude oil pipelines.
This latest expansion is estimated to cost approximately US$120
million, shared equally by Magellan and LBC, and is expected to be
operational by late 2019, subject to receipt of all permits and
approvals.
If the facility were fully built out, Seabrook Logistics would have up
to 870,000 cbm of storage capacity and a total dock capacity of at
least 700,000 bpd, with options to further increase dock throughput
capacity.