Sahreej’s depot strategy

A PLACE TO STAY

DEPOTS • TANK CONTAINERS TRANSPORT GOODS AROUND THE WORLD AND THEIR OPERATORS NEED DEPOT SERVICES WHEREVER THEY ARE. SAHREEJ IS WORKING HARD TO PROVIDE JUST THAT

SINCE ITS FORMATION in September 2015, Saudi Arabian tank depot operator Kanoo Tank Services (Sahreej) has set itself the target of continuous improvement in three areas: health, safety and environmental (HSE) performance and training; developing its facilities; and growing its scope of operations and level of customer service.

Sahreej was established by Stolt Tank Containers, the largest tank container operator in the world, as a joint venture with local logistics, real estate and commercial specialist YBA Kanoo, to provide a critical link in international tank container supply chains. Tank operators rely on a global network of cleaning and repair depots in order to keep their tanks in work and, increasingly, they expect the same level of quality and service wherever they are in the world. Sahreej has, therefore, continued to develop its facilities in Saudi Arabia in response to local market developments.

Indeed, in 2021 Sahreej achieved a record in cleaning 10,000 tanks in a single year, while also hitting records for the number of tanks received, repaired, leak tested and statutory tested. At the same time, the time taken to clean each tank was further reduced, falling to an average of just three days per tank across all its sites.

SETTING STANDARDS Fundamental to Sahreej’s operation is adherence to HSE standards. Since its foundation, HSE manager Faris Shali has pursued a plan to continually grow the company’s certifications and to improve staff skills. ISO 9001:2015 was gained in early 2018, followed by its first Gulf SQAS tank cleaning assessment in September 2019, in which Sahreej achieved a score of 89 per cent; this was improved in a subsequent audit to 98 per cent.

Following up on those certifications, and as part of the plan to cover all areas of safety and environmental concerns, Sahreej was awarded ISO 14001:2015 environmental management certification in July 2020 and ISO 45001:2018 occupational health and safety certification in August 2020.

Throughout this time, Shali has overseen staff development, partly through the use of the Intelex system-based Health and Safety platform that identifies key skill sets for every function. Each month a dedicated training programme of theory and practical training is completed with the specific aim of improving skills directly related to each job function. This is complemented by weekly toolbox meetings covering areas that have been identified through the Interlex ‘Near Miss’ reporting format.

In addition, first aid, resuscitation, confined space rescue and working at hight sessions are regularly run. Staff are also trained by outside bodies in specific areas, for instance in tank container handling, and Sahreej places a strong emphasis on its ‘Train the Trainer’ programme. One area that is gaining increasing importance is Behavioural Based Systems, which are already leading to a safer work environment.

It also helps if Sahreej’s customers are aware of what goes on in its depots and,

outside of its own staff training, it conducts on-site ‘ISO tank familiarisation’ sessions, which allow its customers – and their clients in turn – to get a fuller appreciation of the tank container. These sessions always include an internal tank inspection, to get users up close with the crucial aspects of the tank. Sahreej also conducts training sessions at the loading and discharge sites in Saudi Arabia, with a particular emphasis on the correct opening and closing of manlids and the correct tightening and use of gaskets when nitrogen padding and other pressures are involved.

Sahreej is an active participant in the International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO) – its general manager Mike Tunstall is a board member and vice-chair of the tank service providers division – and it makes use of ITCO’s e-learning courses for all its key staff. Sahreej has also participated in recent ITCO webinars on confined space entry and working at height.

BUILD BACK BETTER When Sahreej was first formed, the infrastructure it inherited did not meet the standards of the international tank container market nor those that Stolt Tank Containers expected and required. In response, plans were immediately put in place to develop the three depots in Jubail, Dammam and Jeddah. Those plans again included a strong emphasis on HSE aspects but also on improving operational efficiency and expanding the suite of services offered to clients and the volume of tanks that can be handled.

The work included the greenfield construction of the 100,000-m2 ‘Jubail Mega Depot’ in the Jubail Royal Commission Logistics Area, work on which started in April 2017 with the facility becoming operational in September 2019. A complete renovation of the Dammam depot started in May 2017 and was commissioned in February 2019. All operations are now completed under cover, with full walkways and working at height precautions and equipment. In the repair areas, rotators are used to ensure all work is carried out in the most ergonomic way and to avoid working at height wherever possible.

The pre-existing Groninger cleaning station at Jubail was disassembled and relocated to the Jeddah depot, where it was put into service in February 2021. This site, which occupies 10,000 m2, has also been redeveloped to offer safe working at height and covered working areas. Inspection areas are now in place and the cleaning, heating and storage capacities have all been increased.

Initially, Sahreej only carried out basic repairs but its technical manager, Sarfaraz Selani, has now fully developed its capabilities; Sahreej can now carry out repairs to the frame, cladding, steam tubes and shell, including pitting repairs and shell inserts, at each of its three depots. All work is carried out by qualified welders working to approved Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) and Procedure Qualification Record (PQR) documentation. Sahreej is also able to carry out tank modifications to suit end users’ plant requirements.

PEOPLE AT THE CORE The third element of Sahreej’s plan involves customer service, which it sees as key to its success. Vincent Elic, the primary contact, works closely with both customers and the operations team to ensure that all customer requirements are completed and completed on time. As new projects and customers have come along, Elic is now assisted by Jayson Laya, who has responsibility for special projects.

Attention to customer service has obviously helped Sahreej achieve the record tank throughput figures in recorded in 2021, but it has also expanded its range of services. As well as those mentioned earlier, it can also carry out specialist cleaning for isocyanate and latex tanks, cross-loading, on- and off-hire inspections, road tanker and intermediate bulk container (IBC) cleaning and tank leasing. It is also offering emergency response assistance.

Tunstall believes that the success of Sahreej is down to having an excellent team that is empowered and encouraged to train and develop, together with the desire to find more services to cater for the needs of the tank container industry. Fully supported by its joint-venture partners, Sahreej is looking forward to higher volumes and adding more services to support tank operators and the Saudi Arabian oil and gas sector in general via the increased use of sustainable ISO tanks. www.sahreej.com

SAHREEJ HAS WORKED HARD TO BRING ITS THREE

DEPOTS IN SAUDI ARABIA UP TO INTERNATIONAL

STANDARDS, AS TANK OPERATORS HAVE COME TO EXPECT