Roel Kremer
A brand new and innovative tank truck transhipment has been built at the Minerals Terminal of Koole Tankstorage. With this, Koole can serve its customers more efficiently. Thanks to innovative technology, loading is done faster and even safer, and it is also more sustainable because of fewer traffic movements on site. Roel Kremer, Project Manager of Koole Tankstorage, explains why he could use KH Engineering in this process.
Roel Kremer has earned his spurs in the sector. Starting as an engineer at Dow, he progressed to supervisor, superintendent and construction manager, and finally to project manager. For the past five years, he has been working as a project manager for Koole Tankstorage . I very much enjoy that', says Roel. Koole Tankstorage is an incredibly dynamic company and is constantly working on improvements in order to respond to the needs of its customers as proactively and quickly as possible.
Energy transition and circular economy
The company has grown considerably in recent times. There is more focus on innovation in an integrated service offering. Koole is strengthening its position in the energy transition and circular economy through the storage of sustainable raw materials and the production of biofuels, among other things.
New loading station
But back to Roel's workplace, at Koole's Minerals terminal at Vondelingenplaat, right next to Shell Pernis. At our Minerals location, where fuels such as petrol and diesel are transshipped, the need arose for a modern tank truck loading station'. At this loading station, tanker vehicles come and go 24/7, loaded with a specific fuel mixture according to pre-agreed specifications. These tankers in turn supply a substantial part of the many filling stations in the Netherlands. The old loading station was coming to the end of its service life. Together with KH Engineering, we researched the feasibility of a new loading station and estimated the costs. The new loading station consists of seven fully equipped loading lanes with up to five loading arms per lane, with the possibility of adding various additives to the products.
At the same time, KH Engineering has already designed preparations for three additional loading lanes, in order to be ready for future expansion.
Crucial automation
With the new new and innovative loading rack for trucks, Koole can work more modernly and efficiently. Automation plays a crucial role in this,' says Roel. 'Customers will be able to place their orders in our system themselves, from the moment of delivery. Once their drivers arrive, they are automatically recognised with their access passes.On a large screen, they see their registration number and the spot they have to drive their tanker to. Next, the filling can start. This process makes the turnaround time for loading a lot shorter. Also, fewer kilometres have to be driven at our location. Safety has also been further enhanced: with the help of cameras, sensors, detection systems and an automated extinguishing system, we really are a forerunner in safety at a tank terminal.
Good professionals
During the realisation of such a large project, the biggest challenge for a project manager is to bring all disciplines together and to ensure that people work well together, Roel believes. And this really was one of those projects that needed all disciplines: civil engineering, piping & mechanical, electrical engineering and instrumentation, steel construction, and an important part of automation. We put a lot of energy into making sure that all the systems were in tune and could communicate with each other. In addition to the aforementioned feasibility research and cost estimate, KH Engineering also provided the engineering of piping, mechanical, structural and civil engineering. They also provided support during the construction phase by acting as a point of contact for the parties involved. I am satisfied with KH Engineering. We have known each other for a long time. I know, better than anyone, that good people are scarce in our sector, and I have found that my discussion partners at KH Engineering are good professionals. This is important, because a project like this needs to be done right the first time and there is a lot of time pressure. You really have to be able to get along with each other if you want to bring it to a successful ending. I have enjoyed working with KH Engineering, and we have already started on the next project: the expansion of a train loading area.