Environmental
& Insurance
In Conversation
Make do and mend – the importance
of asset resilience
AS GLOBAL UNREST MAKES FINANCIAL MARKETS ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION, MANY BUSINESSES ARE EXPERIENCING
A PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTY WITH INVESTMENT IN NEW PREMISES OR EQUIPMENT BEING A RISK MANY MAY NOT WANT TO
TAKE,” SAYS ALAN SCRAFTON, HEAD OF MARKETING FOR ADLER & ALLAN
“At a time like this, maintaining the assets you
already own has never been more important.
To weather any possible storm, asset resilience
should form a big part of a thriving strategy by
using and improving what you’ve already got.
“The assets of those involved in the
storing/transporting of fuel – tanks, pipelines
and associated plant – also have the very
important job of preventing pollution.
“Waiting for things to go wrong before
repairs take place is a backwards approach
that will cost more in the long-term: major
repairs, replacements, downtime and out
of hours maintenance call outs will nearly
always be more expensive than continuous
maintenance with a predictable cost.
“Monitoring equipment, such as
separators and tanks, will provide accurate
information as to asset status, flagging up
small issues before they become big ones.
“Risk assessment should be an integral
part of asset protection, covering things like
cyber-attack, fuel theft, spills and flooding.”
“A throw away culture that focuses on
fast, unsustainable growth is in-part to blame
for some of the economic issues we’ve seen in
recent years,” says Alan.
“A reactive approach to maintenance
will lead to increased repair and replacement
costs, not to mention increase the risk of
downtime, which can be extremely costly.
“Planned maintenance and other steps
to improve the life and running efficiency of a
site and its plant will save a business money,
improve operational output and enhance
environmental credentials.”
adlerandallan.co.uk
Top tips for asset protection
•
Review your operations and consider where risks might lie. By understanding the dangers you can take steps to prevent them, such as
installing flood defences or improving areas of weakness
• Plan ahead – following a risk assessment you will have a better understanding of disasters that could befall your business. Spill response
procedure – do you have appropriate spills kits on site? Plans must focus on human safety and protecting equipment – putting movable
objects out of danger in the event of a flood, for example
• Fuel is an asset – regular fuel testing and subsequent polishing will keep in top condition.
• Extend asset life – protective coatings and linings designed for containment, refurbishment and life extension can be an excellent line of
defence for plant and machinery that comes into contact with chemicals. Linings will also stop fuel leakage and prevent water ingress –
ideal for tanks, flood defences and bunds. For tanks and associated systems that are often exposed to water (by rivers, lakes or the sea) and
are therefore prone to corrosion, Cathodic Protection is an extremely effective solution.
There are also specialist transformative solutions available for existing storage tank installations (above and below ground) that bring tanks up
to the highest levels of environmental safety.
Some, such as DOPA, TankTechnic’s double wall lining solution, also includes 24/7 remote leak detection monitoring, to prevent
contamination, tampering and pollution.
Tank cleaning and fuel polishing are among a range of asset resilience services provided by Adler and Allan. Coatings and
linings, include Adalline 400, hydrocarbon resistant,which gives structural integrity to any surface
60 Fuel Oil News | April 2017