Letter from the Editor

EDITOR’S LETTER

Autumn has arrived (up here in the northern hemisphere, anyway) after what has been a long, hot and dry summer for many of us. But while the weather has changed, many of the challenges facing global supply chains have not – indeed, in many respects things are getting worse.

For a start, the Covid pandemic is still with us, notwithstanding President Biden’s assertion that it is over in the US. Waves of infections are causing problems for logistics planning, especially when they result in port closures, as they have done intermittently in China this year. The war in Ukraine rumbles on with no sign of imminent resolution; aside from the humanitarian cost, this is affecting supplies of Russian oil and gas as well as ammonia and grain from Ukraine, pushing up commodity prices – including those for chemical feedstocks - to increasingly painful levels.

On top of all that, operators in the chemical logistics chain are dealing with port congestion, labour shortages and general inflation (as are we all). In Europe, the dry summer caused problems on the Rhine, with low water levels hampering traffic – though the arrival of autumnal rains should ease that, at least till next year. Hupac has reported problems on the rail network, noting that maintenance work is expected to continue through the winter, and appealed for greater coordination.

At the same time as all this disruption, chemical producers and logistics companies are having to face up to the demands for a new approach to environmental management, the looming energy transition and greater sustainability on the road to net zero. That is going to take a lot of investment over the rest of this decade – and the decades to follow – at a time when, because of current disruption, investment decisions are hard to make.

There’s no better time, then, for the European petrochemical industry and its logistics service partners to gather together once more under the umbrella of the EPCA Annual Meeting, which takes place in person in Berlin from 4 to 6 October.

The past three years have forced us all to think about the value of personal relationships in our work and in our own lives at home. But after that time when work happened at home, there will be a deep well of pent-up demand to get back to face-to-face communication, the shaking of hands (or pumping of fists) and the sharing of beers. For those who have never experienced the EPCA Annual Meeting, it must be explained that, for all the stellar personalities taking part in the business sessions and giving their insights from the very top of the industry, it is what goes on in the suites, bars, meeting rooms and coffee shops, not just in the hotels that host delegates but all around, that make this the must-attend event that is has been for more than five decades.

And, as EPCA puts, it, this year’s Annual Meeting is crucial: “Never has it been more important for our industry to step up to the challenges associated with achieving net-zero, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and creating a positive impact at scale to play an active role in sustainable transformation. How will our industry rise to these challenges?”

That’s a big ask. We wait to see how the future pans out.

CONTENTS

VOLUME 43 • NUMBER 09

UP FRONT Letter from the Editor

30 Years Ago Learning by Training 01

04

05

TANKS & LOGISTICS Embrace the change What’s new in SQAS 22

A smart move New look for Talke 06

08

Save our seals ITCO appeals for PFAS 10

Coping in a crisis How Suttons has managed 12

Spread the joy Synda provides the link for tanks 14 Changing the rules Chemical Express values drivers 16 Group thinking Dachser promotes groupage 18 News bulletin – tanks and logistics 21 News bulletin – chemical distribution 24

TANKER SHIPPING Back in black Chemical tanker market improves 28 Gone fishing EBU calls for more investment

Watch the gas grow LPG tanker markets surge News bulletin – tanker shipping 32

34

38

STORAGE TERMINALS In the blood Advario fulfils its remit 40

It takes a village Gothenburg leverages new fuels 42 How green is the valley Vesta and Uniper go for ammonia 44 Goalmouth action Rotterdam, Moerdijk define the cluster 46 Bottoms up Square Robot offers in-service survey 49 News bulletin – storage terminals 50

COURSES & CONFERENCES Conference diary 53

SAFETY Incident Log 54

Getting better Survey finds confidence improving 56 News bulletin – safety 58

REGULATIONS Heavy lifting UN experts get through hefty agenda 60 Stick, not carrot EPA plans RMP improvements 67 Where does it all go wrong? VCA seminar hears about enforcement 68

BACK PAGE Not otherwise specified 72

NEXT MONTH IATA’s annual changes TSA conference report Industrial packaging markets Sustainability and digitalisation

Managing Editor Peter Mackay, dgsa Email: peter.mackay@chemicalwatch.com Tel: +44 (0) 7769 685 085

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Publishing Manager Sarah Thompson Email: sarah.thompson@chemicalwatch.com Tel: +44 (0) 20 3603 2103 Publishing Assistant Francesca Cotton

Designer Petya Grozeva

Chief Operating Officer Stuart Foxon

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