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UP FRONT 01

CONTENTS VOLUME 44

•

NUMBER 11

UP FRONT

New and interesting

Southbound train

Letter from the Editor

Van den Bosch looks to Africa

30 Years Ago

Bundle of tanks

Learning by Training

HGK takes over Köppen operations

Tall Tales of Hazmat

Here to help

REGULATIONS

Vopak works on ammonia

News bulletin – storage terminals

28 TSA INSIGHT

Hazchem Network reaches 20

The magazine of the Tank

News bulletin – tanks and logistics

Storage Association

after 40

Ahead of the game Joint Meeting gets ready for 2025

Tell CID

CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION

INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING

How it should be

Through the maze

Canada wants your details

Brenntag sees markets normalising

News bulletin – regulation

Expect the worst CBA survey shows pessimism

SAFETY

Always on top

Use it or lose it

NACD becomes ACD

CTU Code proves its worth

Keep watch Lines want unified cargo screening

News bulletin – safety

IIPC counts containers

News bulletin – industrial packaging

33 BACK PAGES 34

Chemical chairs Changing of scene at Biesterfeld

News bulletin – chemical distribution

Conference diary

Incident Log

Not otherwise specified

STORAGE TERMINALS

NEXT MONTH

TANKS & LOGISTICS

Leading light

Storage terminal markets

Aim higher

LBC takes a lead on sustainability

Suttons digitalises with LogChain

Green shoots Peacock proves itself sustainable

Managing Editor Peter Mackay, dgsa Email: peter.mackay@chemicalwatch.com Tel: +44 (0) 7769 685 085 Advertising sales Sarah Smith Email: sarah.smith@chemicalwatch.com Tel: +44 (0) 203 603 2113 Publishing Manager Sarah Thompson Email: sarah.thompson@chemicalwatch.com Tel: +44 (0) 20 3603 2103

Joint Meeting decisions

Keep it in the ground Koole and carbon capture

More new energy projects

Labelling and compliance

Publishing Assistant Francesca Cotton Designer Petya Grozeva Chief Operating Officer Stuart Foxon Chief Commercial Officer Richard Butterworth

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HCB Monthly is published by CW Research Ltd. While the information and articles in HCB are published in good faith and every effort is made to check accuracy, readers should verify facts and statements directly with official sources before acting upon them, as the publisher can accept no responsibility in this respect. ©2023 CW Research Ltd. All rights reserved

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02 UP FRONT

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• Sustainable Chemistry for safer chemicals HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2018

UP FRONT 03

EDITOR’S LETTER

In March 2021, the containership Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal for six days, causing untold disruption to all manner of supply chains and affecting businesses around the globe. That event was accompanied by live images of a massive ship quite obviously in the wrong position in the canal, making headlines for days. Something even more significant is currently playing out in the world’s other short cut, the Panama Canal, although being rather less dramatic it is going under the radar as far as TV and general press news are concerned. The canal has for some time now been experiencing congestion, with increasing waiting times for both northbound (Pacific to Atlantic) and southbound transits, as a result of increasing seaborne traffic. This year, though, the particularly strong El Niño effect led to a drought in Central America and, as the Gatun Lake also supplies fresh water to the people of Panama, the Panama Canal Authority reduced the number of available transits even further, by around half. Draft restrictions have also been put in place, meaning that each ship that does transit is carrying less cargo. The Authority has also warned that it may have to prioritise containerships and place a possible total bar on oil and LNG

regular fees that, for the largest ships, can approach $1m. Some of the big liner operators have put in place surcharges to help cover the costs, surcharges that will be passed on by shippers to their customers. For those in the tanker trades, the options are more limited. There is a lot of energy moving out of the US Gulf ports these days, most of which is heading to buyers in Asia. But that trade depends on the arbitrage between US domestic prices and what Asian buyers are prepared to pay. If vessels have to wait a long time (or are prohibited from transit), or pay additional fees, there is a risk that the freight cost will outweigh the arbitrage. According to shipbroker Fearnleys, the proportion of US LPG exports heading east from the Gulf has risen from 61 per cent in third quarter 2022 to 72 per cent in the same period this year, adding at least ten days sailing (if going via Suez) or 12 days via the Cape of Good Hope. Add the same on for the ballast leg back to the US and it amounts to one export voyage disappearing. That has been good news for some ship operators, with spot rates for very large gas carriers hitting unprecedented levels in the past month. But there will be a limit: charterers cannot pay an unlimited amount and still make a profit. And there

tankers, which is bad news for US producers shipping to Asia. There are plenty of vessel operators, it seems, that are happy to let their ships wait for passage through the canal, and also to pay eye-watering sums – as much as $4m a time – to buy an auction slot to jump that queue. That’s on top of

may well be worse to come: some shipowners are avoiding Suez at present because of the Israel/Gaza situation, while the ‘dry season’ in Panama kicks off this month. Some analysts reckon things can only get worse for most of 2024. I hope you are prepared to pay the extra. Peter Mackay

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30 YEARS AGO A LOOK BACK AT DECEMBER 1993

OLDER READERS MAY well remember the MariChem series of exhibitions, which had started life as a forum for the deepsea chemical tanker business but had become, faute de mieux, the gathering of choice for the burgeoning tank container sector. HCB’s December 1993 issue was timed to appear just ahead of the 1993 MariChem event in Amsterdam and was packed with relevant editorial coverage and advertising support. That included a report from the inaugural meeting of the Tank Container Association (TCA) in October 1993, where a diverse group of companies – largely from North America - involved in all aspects of tank containers agreed the need for a unified voice to help promote the tank container concept. There was also already talk about the possibility of merging with the more established International Tank Container Association (ITCA), whose membership largely comprised tank operators, a sector only thinly represented within TCA. The need for a unified approach to tank containers was nowhere more ably illustrated than in Geneva, where the UN Sub-committee of Experts had, at its seventh session in July 1993, been tasked with sorting out the different ways of regulating tank containers/portable tanks. There were at the time four distinct sets of requirements for the constriction and operation of intermodal tanks: those in the UN Model Regulations; those in the IMDG Code; those in RID and ADR; and the

There was no opposition to the idea of harmonisation but, as was already apparent, complete harmonisation would not be easy to achieve – and indeed has remained elusive. Discussions are still going on this year in Geneva about the benefits or drawbacks of the ‘dual approval’ of tank containers/portable tanks to UN/IMDG and RID/ADR standards. Progress has been made elsewhere over the past three decades, though, not least in the realm of computerisation (or ‘digitalisation’ as we now speak of it). The December 1993 issue featured several photos of happy workers busy at their computer screens, though back then screens were small and monochrome, while the computers themselves were often the size of a garden shed. Nevertheless, we were already beginning to see talk about ‘visibility’ in the supply chain and how better tracking of transport assets could offer confidence to shippers about their cargo in transit. The chemical industry was also working to improve its image with the public. Mike Corkhill, HCB’s founding editor, who was still at the helm in 1993, wrote in his comment column about the challenge faced by the sector and the potential for the still relatively new Responsible Care concept to persuade the rest of the world that it was taking steps to clean up its act. Having emerged from Canada nearly ten years before, Responsible Care had now been taken up in around 30 countries worldwide and there were moves in both North America and Europe to

US requirements. Disharmony was seen as detrimental to safety and also undermined the very idea of the intermodal tank – that it should be capable of being transported anywhere in the world by any mode.

beef it up with third-party assessments and verifications. It all seemed pretty novel at the time but now it is just part of doing business – and of ensuring the chemical industry retains its licence to operate.

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER APRIL 2022 2023

UP FRONT 05

LEARNING BY TRAINING by Arend van Campen

OPEN COMMUNICATION AND CONVERSATION

THE ABILITY TO communicate, i.e. to exchange information and use it as energy needed to remain autopoietic (self-sustaining), applies to all physical, biological and therefore anthropogenic (man-made) systems, as humans are an essential part of nature. This includes our hazardous cargo and marine terminal industries. Goals humans set often incorporate ulterior motives and therefore depend or become dependent on non-communication, resulting in an entropic, disordered state due to lack of energy or deliberate lack of information, also known as lying, which defines entropy. We live in a society that is in a harmful crisis of perception because people do not understand the importance and significance of information as the energy that forms, builds and maintains order and guarantees functionality. Life maintains life itself. Life creates and maintains negentropy (negative entropy) or order in an entropic universe. Life somehow escapes the second law of thermodynamics since the inception of life. Sustainability has become an outdated and perilous definition abused to enforce all kinds of rules. It costs taxpayers a lot of money to reduce carbon emissions, but this method of enforcement is negatively dependent, which means it benefits a few, but at the cost of the many. It would be better to change the term ‘sustainability’ to ‘non-harmful functionality’ of man-made things.

where life sustains life and maintains the conditions for survival and evolution through feedback. Metabolism maintains metabolism and balances universal entropy. Humans can ‘steer’ towards a goal through feedback. By observing how disinformation is used to manipulate reality, even if it is physically impossible but potentially harmful, we can use this science to learn. It will become clear that ideological goals based on information deficits, lies or suppression of information can never be achieved. Censorship by UN, US or EU laws is impossible because they cannot break the physical trinity of information-matter-energy. The harmful result of censorship will be social and ecological entropy, societal disorder, as you can already observe today. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza are exact examples of human caused disorder (entropy). The information to stop these bloody conflicts is available, but due to the perception problem, those who believe they benefit from these wars are unwilling to learn. What they are trying to do is to escape laws of nature and physics. This is impossible and harmful. Geopolitics is and has always been about ‘who gets what’. But this rather new science of information theory and cybernetics contradict that humanity can defy humanism. Therefore rehumanisation is the only road towards survival of us all. Where are the professors of ethics, the church or UN to condemn the acceleration of dehumanisation?

Norbert Wiener, the founder of cybernetics, the science of command and control of animals and machines, concluded that our universe is disorderly. This means that it tends towards equilibrium (nothing moves anymore) but the dynamics of natural and universal entropy is the basis on which life thrives. He wrote that our planet is, in a sense, an enclave

This is the latest in a monthly series of articles by Arend van Campen, founder of TankTerminalTraining, who can be contacted at arendvc@ tankterminaltraining.com. More information on the company’s activities can be found at www.tankterminaltraining.com.

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TALL TALES OF HAZMAT By Grahame Moody

DANCING IN THE DARK THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION of ‘flammable’ means a substance is capable of being set alight. Inflammable seems to mean the same thing. What, if anything is the difference between the two? You know that when it is said that ‘every day is a school day’, you will get an eye roll and a resigned sigh because you know you’re about to get a lecture about some esoteric and meaningless subject. This is no different, so in we go, boots an’ all. When discussing what the Romans did for us, let us ignore for a moment straight roads, numerals, leap years and hot baths and instead focus on language. Specifically, the prefix ‘in-’. The Latin ‘in-’ meant ‘not’, ‘opposite of’ or ‘without’. It could also mean ‘into’, ‘in’, ‘on’ or ‘upon’. Without trying to confuse matters further, this is not the only example. The Latin word inaudire meant ‘to hear’ whilst inauditus meant ‘unheard of’. Invocatus meant uncalled or uninvited and invocare meant ‘to call, appeal to’. Quite a few of these contradictions found their way into the English language. In the 17th century inanimate, which is generally accepted to mean ‘lifeless’, could also mean ‘infused with life’. These confusing word-forming elements gradually sorted themselves out and it is now

To quote someone famous, you can’t start a fire without a spark. Or can you? The answer is, yes you can. To spend a moment examining how and when the word ‘flammable’ is used, specifically in the classification of hazardous substances, let’s begin with the (in-)flammability of liquids. As we know, this does not mean that the liquid itself would be capable of burning, and in fact, it doesn’t but that the vapour would. This is as opposed to solids, where flammable means just that. Or does it? Does it mean something solid can be ignited with the solid as fuel plus oxygen and a source of ignition? Or even just an increase in heat? Here’s a question that would not normally be asked – what do white phosphorus, fish meal and coal (yes, common or garden house coal) have in common? The answer is that they are all examples of substances liable to spontaneously combust under normal conditions of transport, or when in contact with air or water are liable to spontaneous heating to the point where it ignites. Therefore, the answer to the original question is yes, a solid can suddenly ignite, with or without a source of ignition or an increase in heat. These substances are not exactly run-of-the-mill but are

more or less accepted that ‘in-‘ means ‘not’ and the worst of the confusion is over. The words flammable and inflammable are the exception and the two words are interchangeable, although the shorter word would win a popularity contest hands-down.

significant and dangerous enough to warrant their own sub-divisions, namely 4.2 and 4.3. The (in-)flammability of gases depends upon what is suspended in the gas. More specifically, when flammable gases in aerosol form mixed with air or oxygen in the right proportions leads to a flammable or even explosive mixture.

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER APRIL 2022 2023

UP FRONT 07

In general terms, it seems fair to say that liquids, solids, and gases will not normally burn without an external source of ignition.

So now we know. Flammable means the same as inflammable and you don’t have to be dancing in the dark to start a fire.

So far, so good. However, you just know that in our complicated world of conundrums, pedantry and smart aleckisms another couple are about to drop. 1.Water can explode (see below*). 2.Oxygen alone cannot start fires or explosions. 3.Coal dust in mines and grain dust in silos can ignite explosively if rapid combustion occurs in a confined space. Last smart-aleckism for the purposes of this exercise is – would you like to take a guess at what is considered to be the most flammable of all the gases? Chlorine trifluoride. This gas reacts with glass, ash and even asbestos, making them flammable. Also, even non-flammable, inert gases can cause explosions. This is because the boiling point of a liquid rises with pressure, and the contents of the pressurised vessel can remain a liquid as long as the vessel is intact. If the vessel’s integrity is compromised, the loss of pressure drops the boiling point, which can cause the liquid to convert to a gas expanding rapidly and we know what that’s called, don’t we? This phenomenon is called a boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion.

*A tank of pressurized liquid water held at 204.4°C (400°F) might be pressurized to 1.7 MPa (250 psi) above atmospheric (‘gauge’) pressure. If the tank containing the water were to rupture, there would for a brief moment, exist a volume of liquid water which would be at: • Atmospheric pressure • Temperature of 204.4°C (400°F). At atmospheric pressure the boiling point of water is 100°C (212°F) - liquid water at atmospheric pressure does not exist at temperatures higher than that. But at that moment of rupture, the water would boil and turn to vapour explosively, and the 204.4°C (400°F) liquid water turned to gas would take up significantly more volume (≈1,600-fold) than it did as liquid, causing a vapour explosion. This is the first in a regular series of articles by Grahame Moody, senior analyst (technical services) of Hazmat Logistics, who can be contacted at sales@hazmatlogistics.co.uk. More information on the company’s activities can be found at www.hazmatlogistics.co.uk.

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AHEAD OF THE GAME MULTIMODAL • THE JOINT MEETING IS GETTING ON WELL WITH THE PREPARATION OF AMENDMENTS COMMON TO RID, ADR AND ADN THAT WILL ENTER INTO FORCE IN 2025

Model Regulations but it also hears proposals from member states and non-governmental organisations with consultative status. The Joint Meeting is currently well on the way to finalising the amendments that will enter into force in 2025, which reflect the 23rd revised edition of the UN Model Regulations, adopted in December 2022, as well as other changes.

THE AUTUMN SESSION of the Joint Meeting of the RID Committee of Experts and WP15, the Working Party on the Transport of Dangerous Goods of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), was held in Geneva this past 19 to 27 September. The session was chaired for the last time by Claude Pfauvadel (France) with Silvia García Wolfrum (Spain) as vice-chair; she will assume the chair for next year’s sessions as Claude Pfauvadel is soon to retire. The autumn session was attended by representatives of 22 full member states,

in-person only and, following difficulties experienced by the UN Sub-committee at its summer session, it was evident that the UN Office had taken steps for streamlining the issuance of identification badges, which will in future be managed by a digital process. The session was not without its difficulties, however; a number of official documents that had been submitted in French had not been able to translated in time. The aim of the Joint Meeting is that, by involving experts and regulators from the different modal bodies, harmonisation can be

TANKS MATTERS As is the usual procedure, most of those papers relating to tanks were passed on to the Working Group on Tanks, which met for three days at the start of the session under the chairmanship of Arne Bale (UK). Separately, the Joint Meeting held a discussion on the basis of a paper from the Netherlands, which suggested that the requirements for the carriage of foodstuffs, articles of consumption and animal feeds in tanks that have previously carried dangerous goods are not well defined, with particular reference to 4.3.2.1.6 and

as well as a representative from Zimbabwe in a consultative capacity. Also attending were the EU, the European Agency for Railways (ERA) and 14 international non-governmental organisations. This was the first time since the Covid pandemic that the meeting had been held

maintained between the three European rulebooks: RID for rail, ADN for inland waterways and ADR for road, though this latter is being applied more widely than just in Europe these days. The Joint Meeting is the primary point of discussion for those amendments deriving from changes in the UN

special provision TU15 of RID and ADR. The Joint Meeting Joint Meeting confirmed that such simultaneous or alternated carriage of foodstuffs and animal feeds in tanks, containers and receptacles used for dangerous goods is forbidden in the EU according to Regulation 852/2004. However,

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

REGULATIONS 09

RID/ADR/ADN do not forbid the practice in principle, subject to certain restrictions, and it was felt it would be helpful to harmonise these provisions in RID/ADR/ADN. The Netherlands will continue to work on the topic and return with a new proposal. The Working Group on Tanks began by revisiting its amendment to RID/ADR regarding sight glasses agreed at the previous session but left in square brackets. This will result in 6.8.2.2.11 being revised to read: Level-gauges shall neither be part of, nor fitted to shells, if they incorporate transparent material which can, at any time, come into direct contact with the substance carried in the shell. The Working Group on Tanks looked at the relevant parts of the discussions of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Harmonisation of RID/ ADR/ADN with the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, which had met in April 2023. A number of the resulting proposals related to the assignment of tank codes in Table A of Chapter 3.2 (the Dangerous Goods List), and it was agreed that: • For UN 1391 and 3482, the proposed replacement of ‘L10BN(+)’ in column (12)

should be ignored and that tank code retained • For UN 1835, PG II, the proposed replacement of ‘L4BN’ in column (12) should be ignored and that tank code retained • For UN 3423, the current tank code in column (12), ‘SGAN/L4BN’, is to be replaced by ‘S10AH/L10CH’; new special tank provisions are inserted in column (13): ‘TU14 TU15 TE19 TE21’ for ADR and ‘TU14 TU15 TU38 TE21 TE22’ for RID • For UN 3553, the new entry for disilane, the proposed tank code ‘PxBN(M)’ was accepted; the special tank provisions are ‘TA4 TT0’ for ADR and ‘TU38 TE22 TA4 TM6’ for RID • For UN 3560, the new entry for tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution (TMAH), the proposed tank code ‘L10CH’ was accepted; the special tank provisions are ‘TU 14 TU15 TE19 TE21’ for ADR and ‘TU14 TU15 TU38 TE21 TE22’ for RID. Two new transitional measures relating to these changes were adopted: 1.6.1.55 Substances assigned to UN No. 1835

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or 3560, may be carried until 31 December 2026 in accordance with the classification provisions and transport conditions of RID/ADR/ADN applicable to UN 1835 TETRAMETHYLAMMONIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION up to 31 December 2024. 1.6.1.56 Substances assigned to UN No. 3423, may be carried until 31 December 2026 in accordance with the classification provisions and transport conditions of RID/ADR/ADN applicable up to 31 December 2024. The Working Group on Tanks did not support the inclusion of other proposed transitional provisions relating specifically to the new tank codes. The Working Group on Tanks also addressed the assignment of two different tank codes for Class 8 corrosives (for ADR, those with classification code CT1); this involved the insertion of additional footnotes in the explanatory table in 4.3.4.1.2, to indicate specific tank codes to be used with hydrofluoric acid and hydrogen difluoride solutions. The International Union of Railways (UIC) returned to an issue left open in 2022, relating to the holding time for empty tank wagons and tank containers that have contained refrigerated liquefied gases. After work in collaboration with the European Industrial Gases Association (EIGA), UIC was now in a position to make a formal proposal, which received general support. It was agreed that the consignor is responsible for offering the empty uncleaned tank wagons and tank containers in a condition that the pressure relief devices are not activated during carriage. It was agreed to amend 4.3.3.5 by adding a new sentence at the end: The requirements of 4.3.3.5 need not be complied with for empty, uncleaned tanks/ tank-containers. In addition, in 4.3.3.6, “and for refrigerated liquefied gases:” is added after sub-paragraph (d) and a new sub-paragraph (h) is added at the end: When empty, uncleaned, unless the pressure has been reduced to a level that ensures that the pressure relief devices will not activate during carriage4 The Netherlands had identified what it felt was an error. The last paragraph of 1.8.6.2.1

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

had been introduced to exempt competent authorities from having accreditation while the requirement of 1.8.6.3 applies. However, the last sentence of 1.8.6.3.1 requires the inspection body to “additionally be accredited according to the standard EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012…”, which means that those competent authorities performing inspections must still be accredited. Discussion revealed that this is not the only conflict between 1.8.6.2.1 and 1.8.6.3.1; however, a proposed solution offered by the Working Group on Tanks did not find favour with the Joint Meeting and further clarification is needed. The Netherlands also queried the applicability of EN 12252 in the table in 6.8.2.6.1 of ADR, where reference is made to 6.8.3.2 on items of equipment. However, 6.8.3.2 seems to suggest that 6.8.2.2 is not applicable, which is not the case. Clarification is therefore needed. There was support for the case presented but the proposal to add a note might, it was felt, set an unfortunate precedent and lead to a plethora of explanatory text. The Working Group on Tanks suggested adding a new note after the heading of 6.8.3 to

make it clear that the special requirements of that section supplement or modify the requirements of section 6.8.2; plenary did not support this, pointing out that such text already exists in 6.8.1.3. The Joint Meeting did, though agree to insert ‘6.8.2.2’ before ‘6.8.2.3’ in column 3 of the table in 6.8.2.6.1 against EN 12252:2005 + A1:2008 and EN 12252:2014. Another brief paper from the Netherlands addressed the obligations of in-house inspection services, which are more limited than those of the competent authorities and accredited inspection bodies but are not, it felt, well defined. Its paper proposed a new 1.8.6.4 in RID/ADR to deal with the omission. While the Working Group on Tanks could see the logic behind the proposal, it felt the solution offered was over-elaborate. A simpler solution, which was adopted by plenary, was to add ‘authorization and’ before ‘surveillance’ in 1.8.6.1 and in the title of 1.8.7.7. In passing, it was also noticed that 1.8.8.6 contains an outdated reference to 1.8.7.7.1(d); this has been changed and will in the 2025 editions read ‘1.8.7.7.1(b)(ii)’. Belgium reported that, during inspections of tank wagons carrying gases of Class 2, the maximum allowed working pressure (MAWP)

REGULATIONS 11

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is often not present on the corrosion-resistant type examinations and initial inspections plate or the tank shell. On investigation, it between the two documents. This is of seems that industry has found various particular concern to tank containers, which reasons for not doing so, not least since the move intermodally. Specifically, in 6.8.1.5.1 of MAWP for compressed gases varies according ADR, a note requires that tank containers are to the partial pressure of the product and the inspected by an inspection body approved or DG Label ID poster order operating temperature. Belgium felt there is Freerecognised bywith theevery country of registration; this clearly some confusion in the different is missing in RID. provisions in Chapters 6.7 and 6.8 and offered Most experts were in favour of deleting this some proposals to clarify the requirements. note in ADR, though no consensus could be The Working Group agreed that Chapter 6.8 reached since there were a number who were is consistent and that tanks for compressed, in favour of adding it to RID. The Working liquefied or dissolved gases do not require Group referred the matter to plenary, which marking of a maximum working pressure on noted that the provision in ADR is only the tank plate. It addressed this by adding the applicable to tank containers that are words ‘(for Class 2 see 6.8.3.5)’ at the end of permanently used in road transport; it invited the last sentence of 6.8.2.5.1. WP15 to consider the matter at its session in It was also noticed that while Chapters 4.3 November 2023. and 6.8 use the term ‘maximum working France had identified a problem resulting pressure’, in 4.3.3.4 it appears twice as ‘maximum allowable working pressure’. As a result, the word ‘allowable’ is deleted on both occasions. Belgium was also concerned that an error had crept into the 2023 editions of ADR and RID, with an inconsistency in the application of

from the terminology used in relation to the information required to appear on a plate (often to as 850 the ‘manufacturer’s Tel:referred +44 (0)870 50 51 Email: sales@labeline.com plate’) attached to the tank, as required by 6.8.2.5.1 of RID/ADR. It is common practice, www.labeline.com particularly in rail transport, to display this additional information on side panels. In the

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French versions of RID/ADR (and the German and Russian versions, it was said), two different terms are used – ‘plaque’ and ‘panneau’. The English versions use ‘plate’ in both cases and this, France said, has led to different interpretations. France offered a simple solution, which was rapidly adopted. In the English text in 6.8.2.5.2 and 6.8.3.5.6, ‘(on the tank itself or on plates)’ is amended to read ‘(on the tank itself or on panels)’. This was agreed by plenary. Another paper from France sought amendment of 4.3.4.2.1, which requires the surface temperature of tanks carrying substances at elevated temperature to be no higher than 70°C, to prevent burns when the tank is touched. However, openings and closures cannot always be insulated to comply with this provision and, in any case, are located where they cannot easily be touched. France offered an amendment, which was adopted so that rather referring simply to the ‘outer surface of the tank’, 4.3.4.2.1 should read: Where hot substances are loaded, the temperature of the outer surface of the shell,

excluding openings and their closures, or of the thermal insulation shall not exceed 70°C during carriage. An informal document from France picked up on the change to the title of 6.8.2.6.2, which means that reference to EN 12972:2018 is no longer appropriate in 6.8.2.6.1. This is now deleted. Also, in 6.8.2.6.2, reference to 6.8.2.3 is added in column 3 in the row for EN 12972:2018. Germany spotted that, when the new entry for UN 3550 Cobalt dihydroxide powder was added in the 2023 editions of RID and ADR, it was assigned tank codes S10AH and L10CH, in accordance with the rationalised approach. This indicates that the substance may be offered for carriage in a liquid (i.e. molten) state. However, research shows that cobalt dihydroxide has no melting point – in fact it decomposes at around 160°C prior to melting – so it is not possible to offer the substance for carriage in the molten state. The Working Group on Tanks agreed, deleting the tank code L10CH from column (12) of Table A of Chapter 3.2 against UN 3550. In addition, special tank provisions TU14 and

TE21 (ADR) and TU14, TU38, TE21 and TE22 (RID) were also deleted from column (13). The Joint Meeting asked the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) to check if any transitional measure were needed. OUT FOR DISCUSSION While the topics listed above all involved proposals for specific amendments for the 2025 editions of the regulations, the Working Group on Tanks also held some more general discussions. EIGA and the European Cylinder Makers’ Association (ECMA) said that, having referenced EN ISO 23826:2021 in RID and ADR (especially in 6.8.3.6), the use of ball valves for battery vehicles/wagons and multiple-element gas containers (MEGCs) is now permitted. However, this standard is not explicitly referenced in EN 13807:2017 and, for clarity, it would be desirable to add a note to the table in 6.8.3.6 to highlight the permission to use ball valves. France had a similar issue, with the additional thought that 1.1.5 applies in this case. The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) reported that EN 13807 is due for revision, likely after RID/ADR 2015 enter into force. The Joint Meeting confirmed that ball valves meeting the provisions of EN ISO 23826 may be fitted on battery wagons/vehicles or MEGCs. At its spring session, the Working Group on Tanks had discussed the difficulties presented by the dual approval of tanks (portable tanks and tank containers) under Chapters 6.7 and 6.8 and most experts expressed a preference for forbidding dual approval, albeit there are advantages for users. France now made a proposal to eliminate the possibility of dual approval, with a limited transitional provision extending existing dual approvals to the next periodic or intermediate inspection before 1 July 2027. The proposal was strongly rebutted by the International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO), which pointed out that UN portable tanks with RID/ADR 6.8 approval have been

 SOME TANK CONTAINERS CANNOT QUALIFY AS UN PORTABLE TANKS BUT OTHER DIFFERENCES ARE LESS EASILY EXPLAINED

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REGULATIONS 13

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successfully operated by industry for many to be operated also outside the airfield, years without incident; indeed, this was comprising a box-shaped tank with a reduced All UK consignors must have an standard practice even before the introduction shell thickness, with three compartments of a appointed DGSA by 1st January 2023 of UN portable tanks, when ‘IMO tanks’ were maximum 15,000 litres capacity. Each local, professional dual approved. ITCO also said that the need For acompartment is filledconsultant or emptied via a single DGSA, contact Labeline for removing or restricting dual approval has bottom valve in the middle compartment, with Free DG Label ID poster with every order justified, with no detailed The ‘Biennial’ returns! not been properly stop-valves between the three compartments evidence of need being provided. The cost to open; during off-site transport, these industry of any change could be immense. stop-valves are hermetically closed. This EIGA was not against the idea in principle design was brought to it for approval in but did point out that some countries, ports or accordance with Chapter 6.8 of ADR. terminals would not accept 6.7 portable tanks Germany was of the opinion that operation unless they are also approved as 6.8 tank with openable partitions is not described in containers. The Working Group was surprised ADR nor in the relevant standards, THE multimodal regulatory update such as EN 18thInOctober at this, as it was the intention that 6.7 portable webinar 14564:2019. addition,2022 according to 1.4.3.3(f), tanks should be able to be carried by all the filler shall ensure that all closures are modes of transport and filled or emptied in closed after filling and there is no leakage; any RID/ADR/ADN contracting party/state. this is impossible in the case described. Overall, there was support within the Moreover, while the vehicle is moving by road, Working Group to remove dual approval but it was felt that there should be a better understanding of 50 the51 consequences before Tel: +44 (0)870 850 Email:and sales@labeline.com such change is made. ITCO offered to organise an intersessional meeting. www.labeline.com Germany came with a query about a unique design of aircraft refuelling vehicle, designed

it is a three-compartment tank but during filling and emptying it is effectively a singlecompartment tank.850 How50 does Tel: +44 (0)870 51 this fit with ADR? Email: sales@labeline.com The Working Group on Tanks decided that, since only one type of fuel can be carried, www.labeline.com leakage between the compartments does not pose a safety issue. However, as the use of

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openable partitions is not defined in the regulations or in standards, the design could not be considered acceptable as an ADR tank. Germany also queried the use of water chambers on vacuum-operated waste tanks as, during work on EN 14025, issues regarding legal compliance have arisen. Such waste tanks have been optionally fitted with water chambers for many years in Germany – and in other countries – so as to have water available in the case of an accident for cleaning and rinsing. So far, no incidents related to the operation of the water chamber, which is not pressurised, have been reported. Germany illustrated three options for the external and internal arrangement of the water chamber. The Working Group on Tanks agreed that all three arrangements comply with ADR. The Netherlands provided some information on the intersessional discussions on the holding time of tanks, with particular emphasis on those used for the transport of refrigerated liquefied gases. While, in an ideal

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

world, the calculation of the holding time is preferable, in real-life situations this proves very difficult to perform due to the number of variables. A number of potential ways forward were suggested. The Working Group on Tanks welcomed the documents, valuing their contribution to the debate, but it is clear that more work is needed. France recalled that the 2023 editions of RID/ADR include an amendment that reflects discussions relating to the use of tanks whose inspection period has expired, which led to a new provision in 4.3.2.3.7. The question has now arisen: what type of inspection should be carried out if the due date for an intermediate inspection has passed? France’s opinion is that this should be an intermediate inspection, unless the date for the next periodic inspection is approaching, but it is aware that other countries are systematically requiring a periodic inspection. The Working Group on Tanks confirmed that, following earlier discussions, it had been

agreed that an intermediate inspection is sufficient in these cases. The International Union of Wagon Keepers (UIP) offered to present a formal proposal for clarification at the next session. Poland referred to 6.8.2.5.1 of RID/ADR, which requires that the date and type of the most recent inspection is marked on the tank plate, with the date showing the month and year in the format ‘mm/yyyy’. However, it said, in practice this is not fully observed and the year is often shown with two digits, e.g. 03/23 rather than 03/2023. Poland suggested wording should be introduced to avoid any variation. The Working Group on Tanks was of the opinion that 6.8.2.5.1 does not specify the format for the date (the English version of ADR certainly does not) and that, in any case, ‘03/23’ and ‘03/2023’ are equally understandable. Furthermore, in many cases there is limited space available on the tank plate and the shorter version is easier to position. It was decided not to regulate on the

REGULATIONS 15

matter and leave the option of two or four digits for the year. Another informal document from Poland sought advice on how to implement the requirement in EN 12972, point 5.8.3 on the leakproofness test pressure, which states that “Internal leakproofness of shut-off devices shall be tested at the leakproofness test pressure as well as at a pressure of not more than 0.2 bar”. This seems to contradict the provision in 6.8.2.4.3 of RID/ADR that the pressure of the leakproofness test, whether for liquids or gases, shall not be lower than 0.2 bar. The Working Group explained that the whole of 5.8.3 has to be considered and the provision highlighted by Poland refers to an additional test if shut-off devices are tested separately from the tank. It was suggested that the wording of 5.8.3 could be improved but no amendment to RID/ADR is required. France sought the Working Group’s opinion on another apparent contradiction, this involving the maximum working pressure of tanks with the L4BH code. According to 6.8.2.1.14(d), tanks for the carriage of substances with a boiling point of not more than 35°C shall be designed for a calculation pressure not less than 4 bar; as per 6.8.2.2.8,

this means the safety valve shall be set at not less than 3 bar, which would also be the maximum working pressure. In light of this, is it possible to approve L4BH tanks with a maximum working pressure of less than 3 bar? The Working Group confirmed that tank vehicles are permitted to have tank code L4BH and a working pressure of less than 3 bar, though in such cases some competent authorities – though not all – impose a restrictive list of substances permitted to be carried. More discussion is needed on this point, though there was insufficient time to deal with it at the autumn meeting. SETTING STANDARDS CEN provided its usual update on its work to develop new or revised standards of relevance to RID/ADR/ADN. The Working Group on Standards has been advised that work is to start on an amendment to EN ISO 17871:2020 Gas cylinders – Quick-release cylinder valves – Specification and type testing. The Working Group on Standards has also reviewed several standards that are open for public enquiry, assessing them all as suitable for inclusion in RID/ADR. These are: EN ISO 18119:2018/prA2 Gas cylinders –

Seamless steel and seamless aluminium alloy gas cylinders and tubes – Periodic inspection and testing EN ISO 10297 Gas cylinders – Cylinder valves – Specification and type testing prEN 17339 Transportable gas cylinders – Fully wrapped carbon composite cylinders and tubes for hydrogen There are several other new and revised standards that have been submitted for formal vote or that have already been published. Again these have already been assessed as suitable for inclusion in RID/ADR: EN ISO 11623:2023 Gas cylinders – Composite cylinders and tubes – Periodic inspection and testing FprEN 14129 LPG equipment and accessories – Pressure relief valves for LPG pressure vessels EN 14432:2023 Tanks for the transport of dangerous goods – Tank equipment for the transport of liquid chemicals and liquefied gases – Product discharge and air inlet valves EN 14334:2023 LPG equipment and accessories – Inspection and testing of LPG road tankers EN 14433:2023 Tanks for the transport of dangerous goods – Tank equipment for the transport of liquid chemicals and liquefied gases – Foot valves FprEN 14025 Tanks for the transport of dangerous goods – Metallic pressure tanks – Design and construction FprEN ISO 21011 Cryogenic vessels – Valves for cryogenic service. The Joint Meeting adopted references to the new EN ISO 20111 in 6.2.4.1 and 6.8.2.6.1, and to the updated EN ISO 11623:2023 in 6.2.4.2 and EN 14334:2023 in 6.8.2.6.2. CEN also supplied an updated list of the latest versions of standards to be cited in RID. CEN volunteered to submit an official document with an updated list of standards to be referenced in RID/ADR, for consideration and adoption at the next session in March 2024. The second part of this two-part report on the autumn 2023 session of the Joint Meeting, which will appear in next month’s HCB, will cover more work on the harmonisation of RID/ADR/ADN with the UN Model Regulations, miscellaneous proposals for amendment, reports from other working groups and other business.

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TELL CID

IN 2011, AN audit by the Office of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) confirmed an earlier internal audit by Transport Canada (TC) that showed it had no accurate idea of the number of businesses in Canada that were involved in the import, offering for transport or transport of dangerous goods. As a result, TC had insufficient information available to allow it to understand the risks posed by some products and operations; nor did it have the means to collect such information or to assess risks and properly evaluate priorities for its risk-based oversight programme. As a result of these findings, which were

developing the database it needs, which it is calling the Client Identification Database (CID). TC says it will use this database to allow it to better assess risk, enhance overall safety measures and facilitate effective communication and collaboration between itself and registered persons and organisations. RULE CHANGES To give effect to the new CID, Transport Canada published an amendment to the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR), adding Site Registration Requirements, on 6 October. It took effect on

possession of a person conducting these activities, but does not include a location where dangerous goods are used only in the scope of a person’s work or as raw materials in products that they manufacture.” It is then explained that Part 17 applies to a person (which is taken to include a corporation or other organisation) who imports, offers for transport, handles or transports dangerous goods at a site located in Canada that they own or operate. It does not apply to shipments that are merely transiting through Canada, nor to persons without a headquarters in Canda that are sending dangerous goods to an unaffiliated consignee in the country. There are other exceptions, specifically for activities related to the enforcement of federal, provincial or municipal law, and for the operation of oil wells and retail fuel outlets. Persons and companies that only act as consignees are not required to register. Part 17 requires that persons in scope must register themselves in CID, giving the

clear about the public safety risk posed by the lack of knowledge, CESD recommended that TC develop and implement a national risk-based system; while TC did so, CESD found in 2020 that the information included in the system was either outdated or incomplete. Since then, TC has been hard at work

publication but there is a 12-month transitional period. The amendment introduces a new Part 17 to TDGR, which begins by defining what TC means by ‘site’: “… a permanent location where dangerous goods are imported, offered for transport, handled or transported and are in the direct

business number assigned to them by the Canadian Revenue Agency (if any); their name and the address of their headquarters; the phone numbers and email addresses of a contact person and a replacement when absent; the addresses of all sites where dangerous goods are imported, offered for

REGISTRATION • TRANSPORT CANADA NEEDS TO KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU ARE OUT THERE. INDUSTRY WILL, NOT SURPRISINGLY, BE EXPECTED TO PAY FOR THE PLEASURE

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

REGULATIONS 17

transport, handled or transported; the mode of transport of dangerous goods at each site; the classes and divisions of dangerous goods at each site; and the activities that were undertaken at each site in the previous fiscal year, if any. There are further exemptions provided for the offering for transport, handling or transporting, in certain cases, of: dangerous goods in excepted quantities; samples; UN 2857 refrigerating machines or UN 2672 ammonia solution; Category B infectious substances; biological products; human or animal specimens; blood or blood components; medical or clinical waste; radioactive material of Class 7; and UN 1044 fire extinguishers. There is an annual renewal requirement and an instruction that any changes much be notified to CID within 60 days. WHAT’S IN SITE? During consultation on the new provisions, some doubts had been expressed about the definition of ‘site’ in different instances. This has now been clarified. For marine transport, for example, a ‘site’ would be a location where dangerous goods are loaded or unloaded but does not include a warehouse or a vessel, even if docked at the port. In the context of air transport, since dangerous goods are loaded onto and unloaded from aircraft at a company’s respective common-use cargo terminal, the location to be registered will be associated with the cargo terminal. For smaller airports with no distinct cargo terminal, the airport will be registered as a site. In these cases, any road vehicle (such as aircraft refuellers) or aircraft sitting at the airport are not considered sites. In addition, warehouses storing dangerous goods to be used by the airport presumably do not have to be registered as sites as they are likely to be considered as end users.

goods are stored (not in transport) and sidetracks do not fall under the scope of ‘site’. For the freight forwarding industry, if the person offering for transport is never in direct possession of the dangerous goods, this person will not be required to register. EXPECTED IMPACT Prior to the establishment of the new CID, TC had collected information on some 19,600 sites across Canada, although it acknowledged that this was clearly not the entire population of stakeholders as there has until now been no requirement for those involved in the dangerous goods chain to identify themselves. Indeed, TC estimates that there are at least 42,000 sites and possibly as many as 82,000 sites operating in the country – that spread indicating the lack of visibility of the industry to the regulators. Since it has had no regulated way to collect data on sites in a standardised manner, or to account for all sites in Canada, any information TC has gathered to date has been obtained through a patchwork of data sources, public complaints and inspection reports,

leaving room for inaccuracies, duplications and out-of-date information. This patchwork method for gathering information about sites is insufficient to provide inspectors with the information needed to determine whether a particular site should be prioritised for inspection. TC says that CID will assist in identifying previously unknown sites, as well as in collecting basic information on previously known and new sites so that TC can develop a risk score and appropriately prioritise sites for inspection. Site information collected through CID will better inform TC’s decision-making and help the agency see that transport of dangerous goods requirements are administered and enforced consistently and appropriately according to risk across the transport sector, which in turn may reduce the likelihood and severity of incidents and accidents involving the transport of dangerous goods. More information about CID and the registration process can be found on the Transport Canada website at https://tc.canada. ca/en/dangerous-goods/client-identificationdatabase-cid.

For rail transport, sites include any rail terminal that receives dangerous goods to be loaded on a train as well as any location where dangerous goods are offloaded and transferred to another means of transport. Sites also include rail yards where rail cars are coupled into a train. Warehouses where dangerous

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NEWS BULLETIN

REGULATION

CANADA UPDATES GAS STANDARDS

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has opened a 60-day public consultation on proposals to update four standards relating to gas cylinders, spheres, tubes and other containers used for the transport of dangerous goods. The standards in question are: • CSA B339 Cylinders, spheres, and tubes for the transportation of dangerous goods • CSA B340 Selection and use of cylinders, spheres, tubes, and other containers for the transportation of dangerous goods, Class 2 • CSA B341 UN pressure receptacles and multiple-element gas containers for the transport of dangerous goods CSA B342 Selection and use of UN pressure receptacles and multiple-element gas containers for the transport of dangerous goods, Class 2. The updates are quite extensive, reflecting the fact that they have become out of step with the requirements in the UN Model Regulations and related ISO standards. Stakeholders have the opportunity to participate in the development process via CSA’s website, www.csagroup.org. The cut-off date for comments is 20 January 2024. Full details of the process, along with a discussion of the most notable proposed changes, can be found on the Transport Canada website at https://tc.canada.ca/en/corporate-services/ consultations/public-notice-60-day-consultationnew-editions-csa-b339-csa-b340-csa-b341csa-b342. AUSTRALIA CONTINUES REVIEW

Australia’s National Transport Commission (NTC) has published a ninth working group paper in a series of topic-specific discussion documents as part of its major review of the Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code, the first since 2007. This latest paper covers the packing provisions in Part 4 of the draft code and compares them to the current code. NTC

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

is seeking stakeholder views on the 30 consultation questions in the Executive Summary and throughout the paper, as well as any other relevant information. The consultation period closes on 25 January 2024. The discussion paper, as well as the revised draft of Part 4 of the ADG Code and links to earlier discussion papers, can be found on the NTC website at https://www.ntc.gov.au/ transport-reform/ntc-projects/comprehensivereview-australian-dangerous-goods-code. COMPLIANCE FOR DISTRIBUTORS

The Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD, formerly NACD) has launched a new regulatory compliance resource, RegClear, in partnership with Environment & Safety Solutions. RegClear consists of a series of guided videos designed to help ACD members navigate the ever-changing regulatory compliance landscape. “Government agencies regularly review and update their rules and regulations. While these updates can be complex, ACD’s regulatory compliance resources help our members and affiliates determine how these changes may

impact their businesses,” says Jennifer Gibson, senior vice-president of regulatory affairs at ACD. “That’s why we are excited to launch RegClear, which will help clarify this constantly changing regulatory environment by providing accessible, concise, and easy-to-grasp videos on a range of regulatory topics.” The first videos in this series provide a foundation with the topics of ‘How to Read a Regulation’, ‘Inspection 101’ and ‘How to Create an Inventory of Chemicals’. Links to these videos are included in ACD’s redesigned and enhanced Regulatory Compliance Resource Guide, and the videos are available through ACD’s learning management system, ACD U at no additional cost to members and for a nominal fee for non-members. Further videos will be gradually released over the upcoming months and years, with the overarching goal of producing a video for every major rule in the compliance resource guide. www.acd-chem.com PHMSA ADVICE ON THERMITE

The US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a

REGULATIONS 19

notice explaining how it is classifying thermite mixtures while a research project is ongoing. PHMSA notes that, in 2016, it started receiving queries from approved explosives testing labs about the proper classification of thermite formulations, which generally include both a metal powder and a metal oxide, along with additional ingredients. PHMSA has temporarily allowed such formulations to be classified as Division 4.1 flammable solids rather than as explosives, but all thermite formulations must be examined and classified by a PHMSA-approved explosives test lab. PHMSA says that research so far indicates that many thermite formulations present risk profiles consistent with classification as Division 1.4 or 1.3 explosives. PHMSA has also found that the N.1 test method for readily combustible solids is not designed to account for mixtures, such as thermite, that contain their own oxygen balance to support a self-sustained exothermic reaction. Work is

continuing and PHMSA’s notice, available for download at https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/ regulatory-compliance/phmsa-guidance/ explanation-classification-thermite-mixtures, is designed merely to keep industry informed of that work programme. PHMSA has also issued the second tranche of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that it intends to publish, based on historical letters of interpretation (LOIs). PHMSA announced the initiative in March 2022 and issued the first set of FAQs this past December. The new list of FAQs deals with incident reporting and contains 15 questions and answers. PHMSA will add the agreed FAQs to the online version of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) through the Online Code of Federal Regulations (oCFR) tool. PHMSA says the move will free up resources to deal with other operations and requests. The second list of FAQs was published in the Federal Register on 18 August and can be

viewed at https://www.federalregister.gov/ documents/2023/08/18/2023-17752/hazardousmaterials-frequently-asked-questions-incidentreporting. GERMAN RULES FROM DGOFFICE

DGOffice.net has struck a partnership deal with ecomed-Storck, a German publisher that specialises in regulator information, including German-language versions of the IMDG Code, RID, ADR and ADN. These are now available via the DGOffice.net website. “Working together with ecomed-Storck brings DGOffice.net users more than access to the full online publications,” the company says. “You get access to the latest and second-last editions, as well as features like reference links, an interactive table of content and search options. Our partnership allows everyone working with dangerous goods access to the latest regulations.” www.dgm-sdg.com

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USE IT OR LOSE IT CTU CODE • DAMAGE TO DANGEROUS CARGO IN TRANSIT LEADS TO FINANCIAL LOSSES AND RISKS TO PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. A NEW STUDY FINDS THAT APPLYING THE CTU CODE CAN HELP

associations in the Cargo Integrity Group, which is focused on safety in the maritime cargo chain. “Notwithstanding the regional focus of this particular survey, we believe the results to be genuinely encouraging. They show that good operational management, efficiency and safety are partners, not opposites.”

THE CODE OF PRACTICE for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) was introduced in 2014 by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) to address what were widely seen as shortcomings in cargo securing practices in the containerised supply chain. While not a regulatory code as such, it is referenced in some transport regulations and it has been promoted by protection and indemnity (P&I) insurers and other marine

What has not hitherto been clear is how effective the CTU Code is in improving safety. To attempt to measure that, a research programme was initiated by the Politecnico di Torino at the start of 2022, based on an empirical survey of 26 Italian companies. The results of that study, published this year, showed that the use of the CTU Code provides an increase in safety with a drastic reduction of loading accidents and damage to goods, as well as important benefits in terms of costs, improved efficiency, corporate image and

GOOD FOR SOME The first part of the survey looked at the critical issues faced by respondents, which appear to be common to stakeholders across many supply chains. The main problems concerned damaged goods (34 per cent), delays (23 per cent), additional costs (23 per cent), loss of cargo (10 per cent) and penalty payments (10 per cent). The most problematic parts of the chain appeared to be during loading at the point of origin and damage during the maritime transport leg. Interestingly, there appeared to be two distinct classes of company: those that use the CTU Code as a regular part of their operations, and those that do not – either

safety bodies as the best source of information on how to ship containerised goods by sea safely. The Code’s applicability to the transport of dangerous goods by sea is underlined by its reference in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code and by other modal rulebooks.

reduced environmental impact. “As far as we are aware, this is the first example of publicly available empirical evidence about the use of the CTU Code made by forwarders, shippers and others responsible for safe packing,” says Richard Steele, CEO of ICHCA, one of the founding

because they are unaware of it, do not believe it would add any benefit or believe it would be burdensome and expensive to implement. On the other side of the fence, those that do use the CTU Code reported increased safety for goods and for people, a reduction in cargo damage, improved business reputation, and

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

SAFETY 21

better coordination between the various parties in the supply chain. Other benefits include a reduction in environmental impact, and time and cost savings. At the same time, the survey found that those using the CTU Code incurred no additional costs – in fact, there was a drastic reduction in penalties and other additional costs arising from incidents. WHERE TO NEXT? The study’s authors acknowledge that their survey is based on a small sample and that further work might be useful to give a broader view. However, this study is the first to address the application of the CTU Code and provides an important contribution to understanding in the field. Further research could analyse the degree to which the CTU Code is used in

different geographic areas. In addition, the impact of the application of the Code over time could be evaluated, to understand whether the benefits obtained were immediate and/or constant over time and whether there is some sort of learning curve. Moreover, research could be extended to other actors in the supply chain, such as insurers, investigating the topic from the perspective of cargo damage management and cargo incidents. The UN ECE has already suggested that further research could test the validity of the CTU Code in a real-world environment for a defined transport route, with different transport modes, involving all stakeholders in the supply chain. Meanwhile, the Cargo Integrity Group is continuing with its efforts to underline the

positive effects of the widespread use of guidance in the CTU Code and, to facilitate a greater degree of understanding and wider use of what is a lengthy and complex document, has published a ‘Quick Guide’ to the CTU Code, together with an editable and saveable Checklist of actions and responsibilities for the guidance of those undertaking the packing of cargoes in containers. These materials are now available in all six of the official languages of the UN, as well as Italian. They can be downloaded from the websites of the participants in the Group, including the World Shipping Council at https:// www.worldshipping.org/container-integrity. More detail of the survey methodology and results can be found at www.sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S2590198223000738

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KEEP WATCH

DESPITE INDUSTRY AND government efforts, dangerous cargo that has not been declared, or that has been incorrectly declared or labelled, continues to cause fires and explosions in the maritime transport chain, causing injuries and fatalities to vessel crew and transport workers. In response to this continued safety challenge the World Shipping Council (WSC), which represents the global liner shipping business, is taking additional action to strengthen cargo safety standards and protect the lives of the people working in the supply chain, the environment, and the integrity of the global supply network. Over the past decade, the number of containership fires has seen a disturbing rise, with a notable number resulting in casualties and total losses. According to the 2023 Allianz Safety and Shipping Review, there have been

Despite comprehensive and clear international and national regulations on the transport of dangerous goods, these goods continue to be mis-declared or not declared at all, which complicates detection, may result in ship fires and make firefighting much more challenging. In 2022, fire-related incidents at sea surged by over 17 per cent compared to the previous year. GET SOME HELP Recognising the urgent need for enhanced safety measures, WSC is now spearheading a comprehensive approach to safeguard lives, protect the marine environment, and secure cargoes and vessels. Building on screening processes and policies already in use by member carriers, WSC is developing a shared industry process for cargo screening and

make ocean transport more efficient and dependable, by stopping dangerous shipments that can disrupt the supply chain,” says John Butler, president/CEO of WSC. This voluntary initiative, the Cargo Safety Program, will rely on a digital solution made up of a Common Screening Tool, Verified Shipper Database, and a Database of Approved Container Inspection Companies, provided and operated by an independent third-party vendor. The core functionality of the system will be to screen booking information against a comprehensive keyword library and risk algorithm. High-risk bookings will be flagged for further investigation and/or inspection, and lessons learned through experience will be used to continuously improve the screening tool. The emphasis is on identifying and correcting dangerous conditions before containers with dangerous cargoes are introduced into the supply chain. WSC has begun the process of finding an independent third-party provider with high integrity to develop the digital tools and manage the Cargo Safety Program process for cargo screening and inspections and was aiming to have received proposals for the work by the end of November. This common safety approach will significantly mitigate the risks associated with

64 reported fires on containerships in the past five years. TT Club estimates that a serious ship fire occurs every sixty days. One of the key factors contributing to these fires is hazardous cargo that has not been declared, mis-declared or that has not been properly packed by shippers.

inspections. “A common industry approach to cargo safety will create a safer working environment not only for ship crews, but for everyone involved in inland transport or working in ports and terminals, as well as for the communities around us. For shippers, it will

non-declared or improperly declared, labelled or packed dangerous goods across the supply chain, WSC says. At the same time, the system will streamline the transport of compliant dangerous goods in line with national and international regulations. www.worldshipping.org

CONTAINERS • THE LINER SHIPPING INDUSTRY IS TAKING ITS OWN STEPS TO ADDRESS THE PLAGUE OF UNDECLARED AND MIS-DECLARED DANGEROUS GOODS AFTER A WORRYING RISE IN INCIDENTS

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SAFETY 23

NEWS BULLETIN

SAFETY

GAS TANKER GUIDE UPDATED

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published a fourth edition of the Tanker Safety Guide (Liquefied Gas), the definitive best practice guidance for gas carrier operators. Revisions to the Guide include an emphasis on simplifying the human element processes on board to reduce the chance of root cause accidents attributed to human element, and new elements on bunkering and simultaneous operations, all reflecting changes in the latest edition of the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT 6). It also includes an updated section on reliquification to incorporate new technologies. “Safety is critical to gas carrier operators, and it is hoped that this revised guide will become the standard guideline on the safe operation of gas carriers and the terminals they serve,” says Gregor Stevens, nautical manager of ICS. “We are confident that the updated guide will contribute to the further improvement of the industry’s excellent safety record and are confident it will be a staple for users to remain at the forefront of current guidance.” More information and ordering details can be found at www.ics-shipping.org/publication/ tanker-safety-guide-liquefied-gas-fourth-edition/. IATA’S HELP ON BATTERIES

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is continuing its mission to improve safety in the transport of lithium batteries by air. It is aware that the complex business of flying dangerous goods around the world involves a multitude of stakeholders, each of which must perform in a consistent and predictable manner to ensure risks are minimised and this special cargo reaches its destination. Among dangerous goods, lithium batteries are the most common, but they can easily be incorrectly packaged or labelled.

IATA has published a white paper, Make Lithium Batteries Safe to Ship, which gives the complete story on how to ensure that lithium batteries, whether shipped on their own or with equipment, get to their destination safely. To get a copy of the white paper, visit https:// services.iata.org/lithium-batteries-white-paperdownload. SHIPPING SOIL

Transport Canada has issued a bulletin outlining its expectations for those transporting soil contaminated with flammable liquids, as may well happen, for instance, in the cleanup after a major rail incident. Spills that can be pumped, i.e. are liquid, can be classified according to the spilt liquid (crude oil, gasoline, diesel, etc) whereas solid contaminated soil should be classified as UN 3175 Solids containing flammable liquid, nos, Division 4.1, PG II, with the name of the spilt liquid included in brackets at the end of the shipping name. Transport Canada also gives information on the necessary documentation (including a hazardous waste manifest), safety marks, means of containment, training and reporting requirements. The bulletin can be found on the Transport Canada website at https://tc.canada.ca/en/ dangerous-goods/publications/transportation-soilscontaminated-flammable-liquids. NON-FLAMMABLE GASKETS WOULD HELP

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) increase thermal performance standards for DOT-117 tank cars and, in particular, their gaskets. The recommendations stem from NTSB’s

investigation of the January 2022 derailment in Texas of a BNSF train of 96 tank cars loaded with ethanol, which resulted in a pool fire. No injuries or evacuations were reported but NTSB found that most of the 600,000-plus gallons of ethanol released during the incident leaked from tank car service equipment (such as manway covers and bottom outlet valves) that remained intact during the derailment but sustained damage from the pool fire. NTSB found that the gaskets used in the service equipment were made of materials that are vulnerable to damage when exposed to fire. Using gaskets made of more thermally resistant materials would likely increase the survival time of tank cars exposed to fire and reduce the severity of hazardous material releases. Full details of the NTSB investigation results can be found at www.ntsb.gov/investigations/ Pages/HMD22LR001.aspx. BOOK IT RIGHT UPDATE

TT Club and UK P&I Club have updated their joint publication Book it right and pack it tight, which provides guidance on compliance with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code for the carriage of packaged dangerous goods by sea. The revised edition reflects the changes that appear in Amendment 41-22 of the IMDG Code, which will become mandatory on 1 January 2024 and is already available for use. The guide provides key insights for all participants in the freight supply chain responsible for preparing unitised consignments for carriage by sea. The guide is intended to provide an overview of the key practical duties under the IMDG Code for each individual and entity, while not seeking to meet the mandatory training requirements. A downloadable version of the guide can be found at www.ukpandi.com/media/files/tt-club/ birpit/uk-birpit-aug-2023-web.pdf.

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transparency and sustainable growth. Our ethos is to equip businesses with robust digital frameworks, enabling them to simplify their supply chains while promoting sustainable practices and reinforcing transparency. This partnership is a testament to our commitment and the transformative power of our mission.” LogChain says that, by incorporating blockchain technology with the highest international standards, it can deliver unprecedented transparency and security to supply chains, enabling its client businesses to serve their customers better, by streamlining their operations and improving their bottom line. With a shared vision of driving digital transformation in the supply chain industry, Suttons International and LogChain anticipate an impactful collaboration that delivers value for customers and stakeholders alike.

SUTTONS INTERNATIONAL HAS established a digitalisation partnership with LogChain, which describes itself as a “revolutionary digital platform” for supply chain management. This collaboration, coming on the heels of LogChain’s recent success in facilitating the world’s first fully digitalised cross-border shipment, symbolises a mutual commitment to bolstering digital transparency

to amplify its digital visibility to drive sustainability and efficiency. Andy Deighton, Business Unit Director UK & Ireland at Suttons International says: “The LogChain platform propels our digital transformation initiatives, seamlessly aligning with our clients’ evolving requirements. This partnership enables us to provide an enhanced level of service, marked by

INTO THE BLUE In other news, Suttons Tankers has won a five-year contract renewal with GreenChem to deliver its AdBlue to locations across the UK. The business is based at Suttons’ Hull depot and uses the company’s nationwide network as bases for drivers who are dedicated to the contract. Suttons has invested some £3m in new trailers and tractor units, which bear both companies’ liveries. “GreenChem has been a customer of ours for over a decade,” notes Michael Cundy, Suttons’ managing director. “I am pleased and grateful to continue the partnership between our two businesses, and I am very proud of the hard work we are doing to deliver this important product to across the nation.” Chris Haynes, managing director of GreenChem, adds: “I’m very happy with the continuous hard work Suttons put in on our AdBlue contract, renewing for a further five years was an easy decision to make. I look forward to seeing the new fleet

and scalability in the logistics sector. Suttons International is integrating LogChain’s platform as a pivotal component in its digital transformation journey, underscoring a significant step in Suttons’ commitment to spearheading digital innovation within the industry and helping

heightened digital transparency, scalability, and enhanced efficacy in managing our clients’ supply chain operations.” Andrew Baird, COO of LogChain, adds: “We stand at the threshold of an exciting collaboration with Suttons International, a partnership defined by innovation,

and dual liveried trucks on the road and delivering quality AdBlue to customers sites very soon. The new lightweight tanks afford us extra payload and further improve our logistics.” thelogchain.com www.suttonsgroup.com

AIM HIGHER DIGITALISATION • SUTTONS INTERNATIONAL HAS BEEN QUICK TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOGCHAIN’S NEW SERVICES TO DIGITALISE INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS OPERATIONS

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TANKS & LOGISTICS 25

GREEN SHOOTS SUSTAINABILITY • PEACOCK’S IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE IN ESG AND SUSTAINABILITY GOES HAND IN HAND WITH ITS GLOBAL GROWTH PLANS, PROVING THAT BEING GREEN IS NO BAR TO PROFIT

PEACOCK CONTAINER SCORED 91 out of 100 in this year’s Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark Infrastructure Assessment (GRESB), up from 70 last year and well ahead of the 81 score for its peer group. It also achieved a perfect score on ESG performance and secured a four-star rating. “We are extremely proud of our results in the GRESB assessment, particularly our significant year-on-year improvement,” says Jesse Vermeijden, Group CEO of Peacock. “We are always looking at how we operate and considering ways in which we can meaningfully contribute to a more sustainable future. These results demonstrate the progress we are making in achieving our goals. We also have supportive shareholders, who put ESG at the centre of everything we do, and constantly support our efforts to improve. “Earlier this year we achieved an EcoVadis gold rating for our progress in managing environmental, labour and human rights, and governance factors. We appreciate this recognition by independent agencies of our commitment to embed sustainability and ESG principles at Peacock. We are already looking at and working on areas for improvement in our ESG performance,” Vermeijden adds. Peacock strives to be a socially responsible company and integrate sustainability in its strategy and operations. That goes as far as

senior secured finance facility to a sustainability-linked loan, with the cost of finance reflecting its EcoVadis ESG scorecard. That move was recognised in June this year with the award of the ‘Transport Deal of the Year 2023’ title at The Asset Triple A Sustainable Infrastructure Awards 2023. EXPANDING THE NETWORK Aside from its efforts in sustainability, Peacock Container is also pursuing an international growth plan. At the beginning of November it opened an office in Houston and appointed Scott Gonzalez as commercial director, Americas. This strategic expansion underscores Peacock’s commitment to offering comprehensive support to its global clientele and enhancing its service to clients in the region. “With the appointment of Scott Gonzalez we add over two decades of invaluable experience

in ISO tank leasing, rendering him a valuable addition to the Peacock Container team,” says Vermeijden. “The decision to expand our presence in Houston was prompted by our ambition to expand coverage of clients in this key area, our commitment to existing customers in the region, and the opportunities in the greater Americas market. Houston’s strategic location and thriving business environment provide an ideal platform from which to connect with and support our current and prospective clients in both North and South Americas.” Gonzalez was previously with Hoyer Global, where he successfully developed its Americas lease portfolio, and prior to that was instrumental in establishing TML’s tank leasing business. “I am thrilled to be part of the Peacock Container team and to contribute my expertise to the company’s success, while supporting our valued customers,” he says. “I look forward to developing our service to clients in the Americas.” Since February 2021, Peacock Container has been owned by Arcus Infrastructure Partners, which continues to back its growth plans. At the time, Peacock had a fleet numbering some 7,500 tank containers but, in less than three years and following its acquisition of GEM Containers in April 2021, that fleet has grown to some 23,000 units. The new Houston operation joins its established offices in Singapore and Rotterdam and its sales operation in Shanghai. peacockcontainer.com

its financing: in March 2022 it converted its

 PEACOCK CONTAINER SHOWS IT IS POSSIBLE TO GROW AGGRESSIVELY WHILE BEING GREEN

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26 TANKS & LOGISTICS

tank operator on the African continent,” van de Vorle notes. Manuela Musoni has been appointed as general manager, after more than 30 years in intermodal logistics. “Personal contact is very important in this market; with the new location we are offering a direct point of contact,” Musoni says. “Being physically present in Italy brings us closer to our customers and partners and will enable us to intensify our cooperation. In doing so, we are taking our activities to the next level and contributing to Van den Bosch’s strategic ambition. I look forward to helping to realise this.”

VAN DEN BOSCH is continuing with its strategy of expanding its operations in bulk liquid and bulk solid intermodal transport into Africa, linking through southern Europe. Last month it opened a new office in Agrate Brianza, Milan, to further develop its activities in Italy. Paul van de Vorle, director of business development, explains more: “In recent years we have achieved considerable growth in the Italian market, partly due to the acquisition of

particular, in recent years it has seen rapid growth in demand for the transport of powders in silo pressure containers, where Van den Bosch is now the European market leader. “By opening a branch in Italy, we are providing local representation that brings us closer to our customers and enables us to respond better to market developments,” van de Vorle adds. Van den Bosch sees future opportunities in

CLEAN AND RETURN To help optimise container operations, Van den Bosch has also opened its second tank cleaning station in Africa. The facility in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire was built in full compliance with strict European quality standards and meets all the food, kosher and halal cleaning requirements. “With this new facility, we are meeting the high demand in Africa for transporting products in bulk,” says Bart van de Vorst, managing director of Van den Bosch DMCC. “Moreover, it reinforces our innovative character, as we are now able to clean locally and thus operate more sustainably. “The cleaning station quality standards enable us to focus on sustainability, bulk solutions, and the further development of import and export flows,” van de Vorst adds. “Until now, it wasn’t always possible to unload and then immediately reload, due to the lack of professional cleaning possibilities in West Africa. The new cleaning operation will help to balance incoming and outgoing transport flows, and will mean less empty running.” Van den Bosch is operating the new depot in collaboration with local partner Lynx Logistics, whose director Marc Moukarzel says: “The cooperation with Van den Bosch gives us the opportunity to increase our presence in the

fellow transporter, Gé Simons. Now we are taking the next step by realising our further growth ambition with local representation.” Van den Bosch has had a presence in Italy for many years, being involved in the international transport of dry and liquid bulk goods for the food and chemical sectors. In

intermodal transport, not only between northern Europe and Italy but also in connecting markets in southern and eastern European markets via rail and shortsea solutions. “Italy is also an important corridor to North Africa. This will strengthen our deepsea network and our leading position as a

container industry. We appreciate the keen commitment of Van den Bosch to this partnership, to which both parties are contributing experience and flexibility. I look forward to developing our cooperation further in the future.” www.vandenbosch.com

SOUTHBOUND TRAIN EXPANSION • VAN DEN BOSCH IS FINDING A WILLING MARKET FOR ITS BULK LOGISTICS SERVICES IN AFRICA AND IS PROGRESSING THE GROWTH OF ITS NETWORK WITH AN IMPORTANT LINK IN ITALY

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER FEBRUARY 2018 2023

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BUNDLE OF TANKS ACQUISITION • HGK SHIPPING IS EXPANDING ITS SERVICES FOR THE EUROPEAN CHEMICALS SECTOR BY ACQUIRING KÖPPEN’S TANK CONTAINER LOGISTICS ACTIVITIES IN NORTHERN GERMANY HGK SHIPPING HAS agreed to acquire the entire tank container logistics business of Köppen GmbH, which has around 1,000 tank containers in service. The move represents an expansion of HGK Shipping’s business into the pre-carriage and on-carriage of tank containers, creating important synergy effects for customers in the European chemical industry, particularly in Germany. By taking over Köppen’s three business sites in Duisburg, Hamburg and Ludwigshafen, HGK Shipping will now be in a position to efficiently connect the production sites of the most important centres of the chemical industry with container terminals, both within northern Germany and at ports in the Amsterdam-

Group as a whole. The Group’s objective is to provide an integrated supply chain using all the means of transport available,” says Steffen Bauer, CEO of HGK Shipping. “We can offer our existing customers and new clients attractive one-stop logistics services through our extended service portfolio and also increase the resilience of our customers’ supply chains, particularly during phases when water levels are low,” Bauer adds.

Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) range. “Intermodal services, which use inland waterway vessels, have proven their worth as a climate-friendly transport option for the chemical industry. This acquisition provides an

gases. As a result, customers get integrated logistics services that are geared towards their needs and make use of inland waterway shipping, rail and truck operations, all from one source. Road services to transport tank

ideal growth platform and extends the business portfolio of our company, but also of the HGK

containers will continue to be handled in close partnership with Köppen GmbH.

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MAINTAINING CONTINUITY The extended portfolio of services includes intermodal traffic for liquid and temperaturecontrolled chemicals as well as compressed

The tank container business is also being strategically developed to transport goods such as hydrogen, hydrogen derivatives or CO2 with tank containers and therefore make HGK Shipping fit for the future in this field too. The acquired business will fit within HGK Chemical Logistics, which Dirk Czerlinksi is moving from Köppen to run, having been instrumental in setting up the company’s freight forwarding centres that are an integral part of the deal. Czerlinksi was previously in charge of VTG’s tank container activities. “Continuing the freight forwarding activities with a strong partner is the logical consequence of the growth that we’ve achieved during the last two years,” says Jochen Köppen, managing partner of Köppen, who specifically thanked the employees working with Czerlinski for setting up the freight forwarding centres. Köppen adds: “The HGK Group not only offers our customers the guarantee that it will continue and expand our previous business by taking over all our personnel, but also complements this through its favourable portfolio of services.” Köppen GmbH will now focus on continuing to develop its core areas of expertise – storing, cleaning and repairing tank containers – at its business site in Duisburg and enhance its transport companies in Duisburg and Dessau in future. hgkshipping.de koeppen.eu

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HERE TO HELP DISTRIBUTION • NEXT YEAR THE HAZCHEM NETWORK CELEBRATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY. HCB LOOKS AT HOW THE NETWORK HAS DEVELOPED AND HOW IT CONTINUES TO SERVE UK INDUSTRY THE HAZCHEM NETWORK was formed in 2004 to help solve a problem in the transport industry. In the UK, there existed a number of national pallet networks, all offering a solution to the issue of being able to transport small consignments of palletised freight around the country in a reliable and economical way. However, these networks only dealt with non-hazardous freight - there was no equivalent option available for dangerous goods. This led to the creation of The Hazchem Network: the only pallet network in the UK that specialises in handling dangerous goods. The network is made up of more than 60 member depots, each responsible for delivering and collecting in their allocated area every day. Each member is a fully qualified ADR haulier and has all the requirements in place to comply with ADR. Some of the members are also the leading experts in the UK in chemical warehousing and are able to store large quantities of hazardous materials under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH). The network offers a next day delivery service as standard, with a choice of economy delivery if preferred. All the usual services are available, such as tail lifts, small vehicles, FORS, timed deliveries and pre-10 am. This gives customers the option of sending freight

By using the network, Hazchem members reduce the amount of empty space on vehicles - this is more economical, reduces wasted mileage and results in lower emissions to the environment – everyone wins. ON THE MOVE The central hub was originally located in Rugby, central England. In 2018, due to continued growth, the hub moved to a 10-acre site in Hinckley, Leicestershire, still in the heart of the country. The new site is owned by Hazchem and has future-proofed the network. Currently around 2,000 pallets and 500 parcels of goods are moved through the hub every day,

the large majority of which are chemicals. Paints, building materials, lithium batteries, gases – you name it, the network probably moves it daily. The network has two dangerous goods safety advisors (DGSAs) based in the central hub and they are on hand to help whenever needed. The managing director is a trained chemist and worked in the chemical industry. In addition, the network helped to create the Hazchem Emergency Response Service (HERS) – this provides help exclusively to the network members in the event of an incident. HERS support ranges from telephone advice from a trained chemical emergency responder, all the way up to an on-site cleanup crew taking full control of a chemical incident. This ensures that all the freight that is transported via the network is always in safe hands. Over the last 20 years, the Hazchem Network has become the most reliable way to move pallets of dangerous goods around the UK and Ireland. For help on how to make use of the network, email info@hazchemnetwork. co.uk or contact a local member directly. A full list of every member is available on the Hazchem Network website, https:// hazchemnetwork.co.uk/.

across the UK using only their local member.

 THE HAZCHEM NETWORK ENSURES THE EFFICIENT TRANSPORT OF PALLETISED DANGEROUS GOODS

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NEWS BULLETIN

TANKS & LOGISTICS

CONNECTING THE DEPOTS

Quala and Boasso Global have launched a corporate brand and website for their merged operation, which will be called Depot Connect International (DCI). All the group’s depots in North America, the UK and continental Europe will come under the new branding, which is due to be rolled out from the first quarter of next year. “DCI represents a new chapter, a fusion of Quala and Boasso Global’s strengths and expertise, bringing together years of experience from all of our locations to forge a unified leader in the industry. The new brand underscores our commitment to excellence and seamless industry operations, while driving innovation and delivering world-class services. Most importantly, it’s about maintaining your trust by providing top-notch solutions to you, all of our valued customers and partners,” says CEO Scott T Harrison. “This transformation is not just a change in name, it is a testament to our commitment to growth, excellence, and innovation, to meet the evolving needs of the industry that we serve. This is our promise to deliver and connect you to essential services on an international scale,” Harrison adds. DCI says it will be leveraging its expertise to create a unified industry leader, emphasising excellence, innovation and trust. Its broad network will provide a comprehensive range of services, with the aim of saving its customers time and effort. “One of the key advantages of our evolution is our expanding global footprint,” Harrison continues. “With DCI, you have access to a wider international network. This means more resources, greater reach, and enhanced support to meet your evolving business needs worldwide. “Moreover, we’re proud to be your one-stop shop for all your essential service requirements. Whether it’s ISO tank, tank trailer, intermediate

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

bulk container, railcar, or any other critical service, DCI is your comprehensive solution provider to all your essential service needs. Our goal is to simplify your operations by offering a diverse range of services under one roof, saving you time and effort. “Together, as Depot Connect International (DCI), we will forge new paths, strengthen our connections, and set new standards of excellence. Thank you for being an integral part of this incredible journey.” www.depotconnect.com LANCER INTO TANKS

Lancer Container Lines, an India-based shipping and logistics company, has established a tank container subsidiary, Lancer Tank Container Services Pte Ltd. The new unit will offer a comprehensive range of logistics solutions tailored to the safe and efficient transport of a diverse array of liquids. Lancer is focusing on non-hazardous products, including chemicals, edible oils, wine and other light

products. The move, Lancer says, reflects its commitment to versatility and precision in catering to its clients’ needs. lancerline.com ESSERS TO BUY ROMANO

H Essers has agreed to acquire Romano Trasporti, a family-owned business based near Naples that specialises in healthcare logistics in Italy. Romano operates a fleet of 95 trucks and 100 temperature-controlled trailers. “Italy has been one of our focus countries for years,” says Christopher van den Daele, COO of H Essers. “We have operated there since the 1980s. Our business is growing organically, but we are always looking for interesting expansion opportunities. With the acquisition of Romano Trasporti, with a presence in Naples, Rome and Milan, we are strengthening our logistics network in the country and further expanding our services for healthcare customers. The acquisition is also in line with our asset-based approach: we continue to invest in our own

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people and fleet to increase our capacity. In addition, our family businesses share the same values and culture. This was a major factor for both parties. We extend a warm welcome to the Romano family and all their employees in our H Essers family and look forward to working together.” “The logistics market is becoming increasingly complex and, as a company, we wanted to ensure continuity for our customers,” says Gennaro Romano, one of founder Antonio Romano’s sons, who now manage the company. “We are happy that we can now do that together with our team under the wings of the family-owned H Essers, which offers us a lot of perspectives. Our customers can also count on the additional experience and capacity of this leading international logistics player.” www.essers.com LCL FOR LI BATTERIES

Cargo-partner has expanded its range of freight consolidation services with a new less-thancontainerload (LCL) service for dangerous goods from China to Europe. cargo-partner says it has recognised a need to offer its customers more flexibility and to respond to special requirements, and it has introduced a weekly consolidated transport service for Class 8 and 9 goods from Shanghai to Koper

(Slovenia). An additional door-to-door service includes pickup and consolidation from anywhere in China, deconsolidation at cargo-partner’s logistics centres in Budapest and Ljubljana, and delivery to any destination in Europe. “Many of our customers are currently looking for a reliable solution for their import shipments from Asia – especially for industries that require specific battery components,” explains Felix Miletich, corporate director product management, Sea Cargo LCL at cargo-partner. “With our dedicated LCL services for dangerous goods that include a wide variety of batteries, accumulators and other rechargeable cells, we can provide a stable and reasonable alternative to other forms of transportation.” www.cargo-partner.com ODYSSEY BECOMES ONE

Odyssey Logistics is to unify all its operating divisions under the Odyssey name, a step that it says is central to its overarching strategy of further integrating its diverse offerings across its four core activities: intermodal transport, transport and warehousing, integrated marine logistics, and managed services. Odyssey says the move will enable its customers to access Odyssey’s complete

solutions portfolio more transparently, leveraging the company’s expertise in managing shipments across multiple transport modes and industries, including the transport of metals and chemicals, known for their complex supply chain requirements. “Many of our customers have yet to experience the full value of the solutions we offer. By uniting acquired brands and core offerings under the singular Odyssey brand, our aim is to simplify and enhance the customer experience, underscoring the strategic value we bring to supply chains,” says Hans Stig Moller, CEO of Odyssey. “This transformation enables seamless access to best-in-class capabilities and services, reinforcing resilience and greater transparency for our customers in today’s complex logistics landscape.” www.odysseylogistics.com NINGBO JOINS HAZCHEM

Ningbo London, part of Palletline Logistics, has joined the Hazchem Network, the only dedicated ADR pallet and parcel network in the UK. Ningbo, which is based in Purfleet, Essex, has put ten of its drivers through ADR training and accreditation and will train another four in January. Two office workers are also fully trained and more than half of the company’s vehicle fleet is ADR-ready. Ningbo has also created a dedicated space in its warehouse to handle dangerous goods. “Ningbo London has a good reputation and brings another high-quality member into London,” says Rob Symes, managing director of Hazchem. “We are delighted to welcome them into the network and this will strengthen further our service in the area.” “We are always looking at ways we can improve and extend the range of services we offer and joining the Hazchem Network was a natural next step,” adds Hen File, network director of Ningbo London. “Their knowledgeable and helpful experts ensured the onboarding process was smooth and hassle-free. We look forward to working together and further expanding the suite of services Ningbo London is able to offer customers.” hazchemnetwork.co.uk

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BRENNTAG HAS REPORTED “solid” financial results for the third quarter, though operating gross profit dropped by 4 per cent to €1.0bn and operating EBITDA fell 15 per cent to €303m. The company says these figures are “broadly in line” with its expectations of a gradual normalisation in what is says is a “continuously challenging market environment”. Revenues for the quarter were 15.4 per cent down on last year at €4.09bn. “The macroeconomic environment continued to be challenging in the third quarter with ongoing geopolitical uncertainties and inflationary trends that

modest volume recovery and our overall solid Q3 performance provides a rather stable basis for the remainder of the year despite slightly softening pricing levels.” Brenntag says that, in “adverse and uncertain” market conditions, both its operating divisions experienced a recovery in demand during the course of the quarter and, overall, performed in line with expectations – although below last year’s exceptional results. Operating EBITA at Brenntag Specialties fell by 20 per cent to €135m and Brenntag Essentials dropped 13 per cent to €199m.

explains: “Brenntag’s strong financial profile gives us ample room to grow organically and to successfully execute value accretive M&A along our ambitious growth strategy. We have signed or closed seven acquisitions so far this year, with a total enterprise value of more than €370m.” The majority of acquisitions in 2023 are associated to the company’s Specialties business, in particular focusing on attractive end markets such as Nutrition, Personal Care and Pharma, where Brenntag has expressed a strategic ambition to grow. This includes a recent acquisition agreement with Colony Gums, a US-based manufacturer of stabiliser blends and service provider that will expand Brenntag’s services and product portfolio in Nutrition and strengthen its Life Science portfolio in North America. In early November, Brenntag Essentials announced the acquisition of OWI Chlor Alkali in North America, one of the largest distributors of caustic soda. The acquisition significantly expands the division’s local and regional footprint. “OWI Chlor Alkali will boost our regional supply chain and sourcing capabilities in North America, in particular for caustic soda and potassium hydroxide,” says Ewout van Jarwaarde, CEO of Brenntag Essentials. “By joining forces we gain access to tollgates and infrastructure in the region, supporting growth in our last mile service operations in order to serve both Brenntag and OWI Chlor Alkali customers better and more efficiently.” Tom Armstrong, managing director of Old World Specialty Chemicals, comments: ”Joining the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution is an exciting opportunity for us, and a chance to leverage our setup and market position to reach additional customers with our products and service offering. Brenntag’s global sourcing and market intel capabilities will significantly enhance our market position, to which we can contribute as well.”

impacted our performance,” says CEO Christian Kohlpaintner (above). “We saw a mixed picture across divisions and regions but also observed market conditions continue to normalise with sequential volumes moderately increasing as it has been anticipated for the second half of 2023. This

BUYING GROWTH Brenntag has meanwhile continued to pursue its ‘Strategy to Win’ with a series of targeted acquisitions and says it is on course to reach its planned M&A spend of between €400m and €500m this year. Kristin Neumann, CFO,

OWI Chlor Alkali was established in 2016 as a distributor, with the logistics division being added in 2020. Its portfolio includes caustic soda, potassium hydroxide, methanol, sulfuric acid and glycols. In 2022, OWI Chlor Alkali reported annual sales of $279.7m. corporate.brenntag.com

HOW IT SHOULD BE FINANCIALS • BRENNTAG’S LATEST QUARTERLY FIGURES SHOW A FURTHER DECLINE COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, THOUGH 2022 WAS EXCEPTIONAL THE MARKET IS NOW NORMALISING

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION 33

EXPECT THE WORST SURVEY • CBA’S LATEST SUPPLY CHAIN SURVEY MAKES GRIM READING, THOUGH RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN WESTMINSTER HAVE AT LEAST OFFERED SOME RESPITE FROM THE GLOOM THE LATEST QUARTERLY survey of its members by the Chemical Business Association (CBA), the voice of the UK chemical supply chain, reveals a continued downturn in business confidence. The survey, based on responses from 52 CBA member companies, reports a decline in orderbooks, sales and margins compared to the previous three months. For instance, compared to the previous quarterly survey, the proportion of respondents reporting improved orderbooks has dropped from 14.9 per cent to 4.6 per cent, and the number reporting improved sales has almost halved from 17.4 per cent to 9.1 per cent.

Not only highlighting a consistent downturn, the survey also reports a lack of confidence in improvements for the near term. When asked about future sales, 54.5 per cent of responding members expected these to be worse, compared with 34.1 per cent three months earlier. Overall, sales margins have not weakened but there is concern for the future, with no respondents expecting an improvement in the final quarter of 2023. “The latest survey is concerning as it indicates a general downturn and cooling in the market,” says Tim Doggett, the Association’s CEO. “The survey cannot be overstated. It provides us with real-time evidence-based information which helps

shape our policy, allowing us to lobby and advocate on the issues that matter most to our members. It accentuates the areas in which our membership and indeed the wider supply chain that we represent can benefit from the numerous partnerships, initiatives and programmes we are leading and involved in. It also highlights the importance of the wider services we provide, such as our help desk and the one-to-one advice we give our members, not to mention the countless seminars, workshops and talks we regularly organise on industry issues, as well as our extensive UK and international outreach, including overseas trade missions.” TAKE NOTE One recent focus of that advocacy work has been the development of the UK REACH regulation, which threatened to impose massive costs on the chemical industry in the UK and its logistics partners. In November, the UK government announced it would adopt an alternative transitional registration model (ATRm), taking a “more targeted approach” and not intending to completely replicate all the registrations under EU REACH. “The latest announcement regarding UK REACH is what we have been campaigning for since December 2021,” Doggett says. “The uncertainty around UK REACH continues to stifle investment and have a negative impact not just on the chemical industry, but industry as a whole and its ability to trade, innovate and grow. “The chemical industry touches all facets of our everyday lives, so the implications of UK REACH are not just the implementation costs, which are estimated by DEFRA to be around £2bn and as much as £3.5bn, but also the impact on the ability of business as a whole to be competitive in a global market,” Doggett adds. “While the latest announcement is very encouraging and a step in the right direction, there does still remain significant work to be done, to make UK REACH proportionate, effective, and efficient, for industry and regulators alike. We look forward to hearing from Government about the fuller details of the policy in early 2024, as we continue to collaborate with our partners.” www.chemical.org.uk

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“As chemical distribution industry members have grown and diversified, this new brand and refreshed approach will allow ACD to better champion both its current and future members,” says Edward Boss, chairman of the ACD Board of Directors and president/CEO of Riteks. “The new brand opens the tent to more opportunities to grow the organisation and allows members of the chemical distribution industry to even further amplify their united voice before decision-makers in Washington, DC, and beyond.”

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of Chemical Distributors (NACD) has changed its name to the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD), and adopted a new logo and tagline: ‘Empowered Performance. Unrivalled Expertise’. The change was announced by president/CEO Eric R Byer at the organisation’s 2023 Annual Meeting in Amelia Island, Florida in the first week of November. The new name and image better reflects the diversification underway in the chemical distribution industry, the association says. “The new brand imperative more fully captures all the organisation is doing to back the chemical distribution experts who ensure the high-quality chemical products so

The rebrand is the first in NACD’s history. Since 1971, NACD has supported the majority of companies that consider themselves chemical distributors. The association has developed education and network opportunities that nurture thought leadership and peer-to-peer problem-solving in the industry. NACD built the industry’s most comprehensive environmental, health, safety, security and sustainability standards and has used those standards, along with robust advocacy outreach, to drive effective policy on the industry’s behalf. This rebrand harnesses that success and momentum and sets bold goals for the organization’s future. But today, very few companies in the

EVERY DAY PEOPLE “Most people don’t realise that our world relies on chemicals every day. They also don’t realise that safely moving the chemicals they rely on is very complex,” says Byer. “Our members are dedicated experts who ensure the raw materials, intermediates and finished products our world depends on reach their intended destinations safely and efficiently, but they have grown and diversified. With our rebranding to ACD, their industry organisation is growing and diversifying with them.” ACD’s Annual Meeting ended as ever with announcements and awards. Chris Ernst of Univar Solutions and Jessica Fegan of Connection Chemical have been elected as Directors-at-Large for 2024. “As we look to reflect the diversification underway in the chemical distribution industry through our new name and tagline, both Chris and Jessica have the experience and expertise to help usher in these exciting changes,” Byer says. The Distributor of the Year Award went to Terry Aubry, director of quality at EMCO Chemical Distributors, based in Wisconsin. Aubry has been very active with NACD in recent years and is currently vice-chair of the Membership Committee. ACD says of Aubry: “She has been instrumental in driving performance and in raising the perspective of many Responsible Distribution code coordinators in programmatic decisions at the

essential to our daily lives get where they need to be, when they need to be there,” says ACD

chemical distribution industry consider themselves solely chemical distributors. In fact, 82 per cent of companies engaging in chemical distribution also engage in other business functions and, on average, they choose more than three different roles to describe their businesses.

association. She has stepped up to deliver countless presentations for our members and consistently brings her knowledge and best practices from EMCO to the greater community by training our broader membership on a variety of issues.” www.acd-chem.com

ALWAYS ON TOP ASSOCIATION • NACD HAS BROUGHT ITSELF UP TO DATE, REFLECTING THE STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION SECTOR IN NORTH AMERICA AND THE CHALLENGES ITS MEMBERS FACE

 THESE DAYS, CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTORS DO MORE THAN JUST DISTRIBUTE CHEMICALS

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION 35

CHEMICAL CHAIRS STRATEGY • BIESTERFELD SPEZIALCHEMIE HAS INTRODUCED A NEW CORPORATE STRUCTURE AND PROMOTED ITS INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION BIESTERFELD SPEZIALCHEMIE RECENTLY implemented a new structure for its international business in the overarching ‘Industrial’, ‘Consumer’ and ‘Healthcare’ clusters and created a new management level consisting of three Global Business Directors. As Global Business Director for the Consumer cluster, Bettina Heick is assuming overall responsibility for the further worldwide business development of the Lifescience, Essentials and Nutrition departments. In the Industrial cluster, Dr Jacek Polewski is taking over responsibility for the Polymer Additives, CASE and Performance Products departments as Global Business Director. The Healthcare cluster is led by Dr Andreas

Lekebusch and Hartmut Zeller as Global Business Directors. Peter Wilkes (below), member of the Executive Board of the Biesterfeld Group and spokesperson for Biesterfeld Spezialchemie, explains: “Biesterfeld Spezialchemie has been growing continuously for 25 years. During this time, together with our partners, we have established new market segments and grown internationally. Biesterfeld stands for high-quality service and technical application advice for our customers. We aim to continue to strategically drive forward new markets and new services on a global scale. With our new structure and a great leadership team of Global Business Directors and Business

Managers, we are laying the foundations for this. I congratulate all of them on their new roles and look forward to continuing our trustful and successful collaboration.” TIME TO BE CIRCULAR To tie that new structure together, a new role has been created, with Dr Martin Liebenau being appointed as Global Business Director Technology & Innovation. Biesterfeld has been investing in technology and innovation for years now to further develop the services in technical application consulting and expand the innovative portfolio for customers and partners. It will be Dr Liebenau’s task to bundle these developments internationally across all departments and market segments and press ahead with systematic implementation. Dr Liebenau, who has been with Biesterfeld for 27 years, says about his new role: “The pressure to innovate is on the rise in the chemical industry, mostly due to the huge growth in sustainability and technology requirements we are seeing. As a distributor, we are already very close to our partners, giving them detailed advice on technical applications, evaluating new raw materials in our laboratories, working together to develop new formulations, and identifying new application areas. Now, we are going to expand on these activities even more strategically and with even more focus so we can provide our customers and suppliers all over the world and in all segments with innovative solutions, products and services – enabling them to seize new market opportunities faster and in a more targeted way.” Peter Wilkes says: “The chemical industry is facing some big challenges. All sectors will have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and for a long time now, it has been a matter of when to introduce a circular economy, not if. Today, the chemical industry is no longer about improving existing solutions– what we need is a real wave of innovation. With Dr Martin Liebenau, who is a true chemist at heart, at the helm, we have found exactly the right person to drive forward all our ‘Technology & Innovation’ activities globally and across all segments. I am looking forward to continuing to work with him.” www.biesterfeld.com

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NEWS BULLETIN

CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION

CALDIC WINS TWO

Connell Caldic has been appointed by Stratachem Specialties as official distributor of its specialty chemicals in India. Gujarat-based Stratachem specialises in the production of antifoams, defoamers, wetting, pigment dispersants and other related surfactant chemicals. Together with in-house R&D capabilities, which enable the development of formulations that meet global standards in performance and cost-effectiveness, Stratachem’s range of specialty additives and acetylenic diols based surfactants are in high demand from manufacturers in both the local and global paint, ink, adhesives, and construction chemicals sectors. Sandeep Vasa, director of Stratachem, says: “The partnership will allow us to leverage on Connell Caldic’s extensive global distribution solutions network and our deep expertise in specialty chemicals to expand our reach and bring our products and services to more customers both locally and across the globe.” Connell Caldic has also been appointed by Michelman as the official distribution solutions partner for its complete solutions range in Japan and its coatings and functional coatings business for the Indian sub-continent. Connell Caldic and Michelman have an existing partnership covering a number of markets across Asia, and this new milestone marks a strengthening of the relationship. “We are confident that this strategic move will not only strengthen our partnership but also enable us to work more closely with Connell Caldic to develop sustainable and thriving business opportunities,” says Shailesh Nema, vice-president, sales for Asia at Michelman. “With this new relationship, we aim to continue delivering high-quality products that meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.” www.caldic.com

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

MORE WATER FOR HAWKINS

Hawkins has completed the acquisition of Water Solutions Unlimited, which expands its water treatment portfolio with a list of municipal customers in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky. Hawkins has also entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of The Miami Products & Chemical Company, which manufactures bleach and serves the commercial pool business and the municipal sector in Ohio and the surrounding region. “These acquisitions continue to grow our Water Treatment footprint and provide an expanded product offering to our customers,” says president/CEO Patrick H Hawkins. “Hawkins’ annual proforma combined revenue is now expected be approximately $1bn and the number of our water treatment locations we operate out of has increased from 40 to 46. Water Solutions and Miami Products are considered premier providers in the states they serve and, a lot like Hawkins, create value for their customers through superb customer

service and support, quality products and customised applications.” www.hawkinsinc.com IMCD ACTIVITY

IMCD has reported EBITA of €400m for the first nine months of the year, down from €443m for the same period last year, with revenue down 1 per cent at €3.38bn. Net profit was 16 per cent lower at €214m. The Americas division suffered the largest falls in revenues and profits, despite a number of acquisitions over the past year. “Despite the prevailing difficult global economic conditions, and the lower demand in particular in the industrial market segment, IMCD delivered solid results,” says CEO Piet van der Slikke. “These results show, despite tough market circumstances, IMCD’s resistant business model and we are confident that we will resume our growth path under improving conditions.” Moving into the fourth quarter, IMCD has agreed to acquire two business lines from

CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION 37

India-based distributor CJ Shah & Co. The acquired businesses include cellulose acetate butyrate, polyolefin polymers and other chemicals, mainly for the paints, coatings, adhesives and life sciences sectors. They serve a large group of customers with an extensive portfolio of products alongside commercial, technical, and laboratory support. “India has experienced rapid growth in automobile, construction and infrastructure, driving increased demand for coatings and adhesives. Acquiring these businesses strategically enhances our capabilities and product lines, positioning us as the market leader in coatings and construction,” says Narendra Varde, managing director of IMCD India & Bangladesh. Subject to customary conditions, the transaction is expected to close before the end of this year. IMCD Group has also recently announced a number of managing director appointments around the world. Ryan Harrison is moving from South Africa to lead IMCD Australia & New Zealand; Johann Milchram is moving from Europe to take over as head of IMCD Canada from Michael Staley, who retires at the end of the year; Charles Page takes Milchram’s previous role as managing director for south-east Europe; and Michelle Ortega has taken the new post of managing director of IMCD Puerto Rico. In China, the company’s operations have been split into two, with Nicky Huang appointed to lead IMCD China, which includes the group’s legacy business in the country, and Will Wang will be managing director of IMCD Sanrise, which focuses on the beauty and personal care sectors. www.imcdgroup.com MORE GROWTH FOR AZELIS

Azelis has recorded revenues of €3.19bn for the first nine months of 2023, up 2.3 per cent on the same point last year, with gross profit up 3.3 per cent at €760.1m and adjusted EBITA ahead by 4.2 per cent at €375.2m. Adjusted EBITA margin, one of the company’s financial target figures, improved year-on-year by 22 bp to 11.8 per cent.

“Our results for the first nine months of 2023 reflect the resilience of our business model, as well as the dedication of our colleagues to continue delivering for our stakeholders,” says Group CEO Dr Hans Joachim Müller. “Based on our performance year to date, I remain confident that we will achieve at least 10-15 bp of adjusted EBITA margin expansion for the full year 2023. Revenue growth for the full year is expected to come in below the average annual growth guidance of 8-10 per cent due to the impact from the challenging macroeconomic conditions, significant F/X headwinds, and our portfolio optimisation program. “We remain focused on executing on our growth plans, and we continue to see exciting opportunities - organic and inorganic - to deploy capital and generate value, and we remain committed to the company’s long-term strategy of becoming the reference innovation solutions provider in specialty chemicals and food ingredients distribution,” Dr Müller adds. www.azelis.com EV BUYS B&C

Eigenmann & Veronelli (EV) has acquired B&C SpA, a distributor of specialty ingredients focused on the food sector, based in Gorla Minori, just north of Milan, Italy. The acquisition represents a strategy expansion into the food industry for EV, helping it to achieve its growth strategy both in its home market and abroad.

“This acquisition places our Group on the front foot for further growth in the food market across Italy and in the foreign markets,” explains Gabriele Bonomi, Group CEO of EV. “B&C offers innovative solutions and advanced technology that perfectly complements our existing product portfolio. Our suppliers and customers will benefit from access to the enhanced capabilities, broadened portfolio and expanded commercial network of the combined organisation.” www.eigver.it BRENNTAG OPENS IN THE GULF

Brenntag Essentials has opened a new facility in Maurice, Louisiana, the better to serve the local energy sector in the US Gulf region. The site, located south of Lafayette, will be the primary operations hub for Brenntag Group company Coastal Chemical. The new site is equipped with warehousing and storage space, automated production lines and an Innovation & Application Centre designed to meet the needs of the deepwater energy production sector. Scott Leibowitz, president of Brenntag Essentials North America, says: “It is important for Brenntag to provide our customers with local services and last mile distribution excellence. Investing in this new facility enables us to foster Brenntag’s resilience in this market against the background of shifts on the global energy sector and supports the Brenntag energy service platform in North America.” corporate.brenntag.com

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LEADING LIGHT SUSTAINABILITY • LBC IS SHOWING THE WAY FORWARD FOR THE EUROPEAN BULK LIQUIDS STORAGE FRATERNITY, TAKING PART IN CIRCULAR PROJECTS AND USING ITS ASSETS TO FACILITATE A TRANSITION LBC TANK TERMINALS has become an associate member of Chemical Recycling Europe (CRE), an industry association supporting and advocating for chemical recycling in Europe, dedicated to closing the loop for plastics through collaboration on circular and sustainable technologies. “As the first terminal operator joining CRE, LBC’s participation reflects the growing interest of the industry in advancing our mission towards a more sustainable and circular economy in Europe, and we are pleased to welcome them as partners in this journey,” says John Sewell, secretary general of CRE. LBC assumes a significant role in supporting these objectives through its long expertise in the safe storage and handling of

promoting resource efficiency. René Loozen, LBC’s business and market intelligence manager, highlights LBC’s enthusiasm regarding its involvement in CRE: “We are confident that our membership will provide us with invaluable insights and will facilitate the development of a robust network within this emerging value chain. We are eager to contribute to the ongoing progress by sharing our expertise in safe and sustainable storage solutions.” Significant steps are being taken towards a future where waste is repurposed, contributing to both environmental and economic sustainability. This transition is a collective effort, and through connection and collaboration with other members in CRE, LBC is committed to making a meaningful

various chemicals, including those integral to the circular chemical value chain, while also offering sustainable storage solutions tailored to the evolving needs of the emerging chemical recycling sector. These efforts are carried out while adhering to stringent environmental and safety standards and

and relevant impact.

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

HAND IN HAND That is not LBC’s only activity in the search for greater sustainability. In recent months, the company has struck new arrangements with both Vitol and Shell relating to the storage and

handling of pyrolysis oil in Rotterdam. Vitol is planning to use recycled plastics material to generate new plastics products or to be used in recycled carbon fuels, with a supply chain based at LBC’s Rotterdam terminal. “As the petrochemical industry pursues more sustainable solutions, we are pleased to work together with LBC to generate a more integrated pyrolysis supply chain, and provide circular feedstocks to our petrochemical customers,” said Tom Baker, Vitol’s global head of naphtha trading, when the deal was announced in the second quarter. More recently, Shell Chemicals announced a similar arrangement with LBC, again using waste plastics to produce pyrolysis oil to be used as an alternative chemical feedstock in its production process. “The five-year agreement supports our strategy to supply our customers with more circular chemicals and to help the development of a viable plastic circular economy in Europe”, said Liz Allen, general manager of Shell Chemicals Business Management Northwest Europe, announcing the deal in September. “This dedicated storage will help grow the market for pyrolysis oil by delivering much needed capacity which will enable Shell to aggregate and process pyrolysis oil from multiple suppliers and improve value chain flexibility.” Frank Erkelens, CEO of LBC Tank Terminals, added: “This collaboration reiterates LBC’s dedication to driving positive change within the industry. Storage solutions play a crucial role in advancing and supporting long-term growth in the circular chemicals value chain, and we look forward to combining forces with Shell in making significant progress towards achieving a carbon-neutral future.” LBC’s efforts in sustainable projects have been recognised. In September LBC was awarded the Platinum medal by EcoVadis, the industry’s sustainability ratings agency of choice. This rating places LBC Tank Terminals in the top 1 per cent of enterprises in terms of best practices in corporate social responsibility. LBC has also achieved a five-star rating in the 2023 GRESB benchmark, a widely respected assessment of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in real estate and infrastructure assets. www.lbctt.com

STORAGE TERMINALS 39

KEEP IT IN THE GROUND CARBON CAPTURE • IF THE ENERGY TRANSITION IS TO WORK, A NEW LOGISTICS CHAIN FOR CAPTURED CARBON DIOXIDE WILL BE NEEDED. KOOLE TERMINALS AND HORISONT ENERGI ARE ON THE CASE KOOLE TERMINALS AND Horisont Energi have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will underpin continued collaboration in exploring the potential development of a European carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain. The parties intend to develop a CO2 import terminal at Gismarvik, which will be the largest in Norway, to accept shipments from a new export terminal that Koole is exploring in Rotterdam, as well as other possible sources. Koole’s potential CO2 terminal in Rotterdam would be connected to the planned Delta Rhine Corridor CO2 pipeline, allowing volumes to be gathered from a range of generators in Europe and bulked for shipment to carbon storage terminal. The intention is that Gismarvik will become an injection hub for CO2 before permanent

storage at Horisont’s own locations or others on the Norwegian continental shelf. With an anticipated annual capacity of 20 to 24m tonnes, following design maturation and development, the Gismarvik CO2 terminal has the potential to function as intermedia storage for several CO2 storage projects. A fit-forpurpose CO2 injection solution and system design has already been developed for the offshore part. Horisont Energi has developed plans and started permitting for such a terminal covering offloading from ships, temporary storage, process, and compression prior to pipeline transport to subsea reservoirs for sequestration. STEPS IN THE STREAM “Our ambition is to build a carbon capture and storage value chain in Europe together with

our partners. A proposed CO2 terminal in Rotterdam is intended to play a central role in this context as the gateway from Europe to Norway’s CCS market, both in terms of existing and our planned new carbon storage licences,” says Bjørgulf Haukelidsæter Eidesen, CEO of Horisont Energi. “Koole Terminals’ strong customer base and experience in operating major liquid bulk terminals in central ports of Europe is anticipated to aid in contributing to acceleration of the establishment of the CCS value chain. We look forward to continuing our close collaboration.” John Kraakman, CEO of Koole Terminals, adds: “Material progress has been made in enhancing our potential CO2 intermediate storage capabilities at Rotterdam since our collaboration commenced. We recognise the synergies in engaging in the potential joint development of the Gismarvik CO2 terminal in Norway, drawing upon our extensive expertise in managing terminals and logistics.” Koole’s proposed CO2 terminal in Rotterdam could have an intermediate storage capacity of as much as 200,000 tonnes of CO2, opening up the potential for the transport of millions of tonnes of CO2 to carbon storage every year. “The next years will require rapid infrastructure development and investment decisions from all players in the value chain. We stand together with Horisont Energi in driving the energy transition forward,” says Tamme Mekkes, business development director of Koole Terminals. Horisont Energi and Koole Terminals also expect to explore certification solutions to develop fully auditable comingled inventory control, emission certification, traceability management, and trading solutions for CO2. Clean energy company Horisont Energi was founded in 2019 and is based in Sandnes, Norway. It provides clean energy and carbon transport and storage services, and is working on solutions to transform gas, water and renewable energy into cost-leading clean ammonia and hydrogen. Horisont and Koole extended an earlier MoU to cover clean ammonia transport and storage a year ago. koole.com www.horisontenergi.no

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40 STORAGE TERMINALS

Singapore, Malaysia and in the US. Most recently, Vopak and its global partners are collaborating on the pre-FEED for the development of a large-scale, low-carbon ammonia production and export project on the Houston Ship Channel. “We are excited to work with IHI and look forward to collaborating together as we advance the commitment of both companies towards a low-carbon future,” says Chris Robblee, president of Asia & Middle East at Vopak. “As we embark on this journey, we envision synergies between both companies that will create innovative solutions to accelerate the development of new supply chains for the energy and feedstocks of the future.”

VOPAK AND IHI Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the development and operation of efficient, high value-added ammonia terminals in Japan and, potentially, elsewhere. The collaboration focuses on large-scale, strategically positioned terminals for the economical distribution of ammonia and, in addition, will examine the possibility of streamlining the operation of ammonia terminals to enhance price competitiveness, as well as the conversion and supply of various hydrogen derivatives. IHI is Japan’s leading manufacturer of ammonia storage tanks, having designed and

ammonia storage tanks in Japan. Currently, IHI is developing comprehensive technology for large-scale ammonia receiving terminals based on the large storage tank technology that IHI has cultivated in the field of LNG storage tanks. “We are pleased to begin joint discussions with Vopak on the development and operation of ammonia terminals,” says Jun Kobayashi, managing executive officer of IHI Corporation. “As demand for ammonia continues to grow, we recognise the need to rationalise terminal operations and strengthen price competitiveness in order to meet this demand. We will leverage the strengths of both

WEST COAST COOL Vopak also reports that it is progressing on schedule with the development of the Ridley Island Energy Export Facility (REEF) in British Columbia, Canada. Site clearing work, including logging, clearing, and drainage activities, has started, with a final investment decision (FID) by Vopak and its project partner AltaGas now expected in the first half of next year. In October, AltaGas secured a five-year transport agreement with Canadian National Railway Company, which provides the joint venture and its customers with cost and service predictability for Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal and the REEF expansion project. This was a critical milestone for REEF to deliver its customers the lowest costs possible for moving propane and butane to the west coast. REEF will be a large-scale coastal terminal that will have the capability to export LPGs, methanol and other bulk liquids. Vopak and AltaGas have so far been working on the project for around five years; since that process began the bulk liquids supply chain picture has become clouded by problems at the Panama Canal, which makes the idea of exporting to Asia directly from the west coast

constructed approximately 70 per cent of all

companies to form a terminal that can be utilised in the future and to build a robust supply chain.” From Vopak’s side, it can contribute more than 20 years of experience in operating ammonia storage; it currently has ammonia storage operations in China, Saudi Arabia,

of North America more attractive. Once the FID is made, Vopak and AltaGas may expand the scope of the project to incorporate future fuels, including hydrogen, which is gaining growing consumer interest in Japan and South Korea. www.vopak.com

NEW AND INTERESTING AMMONIA • VOPAK IS WORKING WITH PARTNERS IN JAPAN AND CANADA TO EXPAND ITS NETWORK OF TERMINALS FOR NEW FUELS AND OPENING UP POTENTIAL NEW SUPPLY CHAINS

 THE VOPAK/ALTAGAS PROJECT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA HAS BECOME MORE ATTRACTIVE AS A WAY OF AVOIDING THE PANAMA CANAL

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

Issue 16

Winter 2023

TSA

Tank Storage Associa on

Tank storage provides an essential interface between sea, road, rail and pipeline logistics.

Page 04

PROCESS SAFETY LEADERSHIP – W H AT H AV E W E LEARNT?

The quarterly magazine from the Tank Storage Association

Also in this issue, we explore the value of apprenticeships and the many innovations and initiatives that are taking place in the bulk storage and energy infrastructure sector.

TSA

Tank Storage Associa on

Insight is published by the Tank Storage Association, the voice of the UK’s bulk storage and energy infrastructure sector. To contact the editorial team, please email info@ tankstorage.org.uk TSA Insight Team Peter Davidson, Jamie Walker, Nunzia Florio CONNECT WITH US @UK_TSA

Tank Storage Association

TSA @uk_tsa

CONTACT Tank Storage Association Devonshire Business Centre Works Road Letchworth Garden City Herts. SG6 1GJ United Kingdom Telephone: 01462 488232 www.tankstorage.org.uk

Peter Davidson Executive Director, TSA Welcome to the winter issue of Insight. The Government has recently announced a plan for all new cars and vans to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035 and the percentage of new zero emission cars manufacturers will be required to produce each year up to 2030. The ZEV mandate requires 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035. In October, the National Infrastructure Commission published its second National Infrastructure Assessment setting out recommendations for transport, energy, water and wastewater, flood resilience, digital connectivity, and solid waste. The inventories of TSA member companies will grow and adapt to meet the Government’s ambitions for Net Zero. In this issue of Insight, we continue to shine a light on our vitally important sector and the proactive steps it is taking to open up new possibilities.

TSA has used reasonable endevours to ensure that the information provided in this magazine is accurate and up to date. TSA disclaims all liability to the maximum extent permitted by law in relation to the magazine and does not give any warranties (including any statutory ones) in relation to its content. Any copying, redistribution or republication of the TSA magazine(s), or the content thereof, for commercial gain is strictly prohibited unless permission is sought in writing from TSA. Claims by advertisers within this magazine are not necessarily those endorsed by TSA. TSA acknowledges all trademarks and licensees.

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Process safety leadership – what have we learnt? Safety leadership is at the core of managing a major hazard business. Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and new funding to encourage zero emission trucks The UK Government has announced a plan for all new cars and vans to be zeroemission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035 as well as new funding to encourage zero emission trucks.

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Promoting high levels of safety and competency across the fuel distribution industry The Downstream Fuel Distribution Forum has changed its name with a rebrand designed to reflect the evolution of the downstream fuel sector in the UK.

Team effort drives year of growth for UM Terminals UM Terminals has achieved several notable successes during the last twelve months, including the expansion of its operations in the biofuels sector.

The flight to net zero: decarbonising the aviation industry With the global net zero transition for aviation well underway, delivering at scale and speed is the biggest challenge collectively amongst industry and government alike. New staff members for Teamwork Security and Training Services Teamwork Security offers the full range of ISPS training packages specifically designed to ensure port facilities can fulfil their statutory obligations. It has now announced the appointment of a number of new staff members. Integrating sustainability into hazard studies: making projects safe, smart and sustainable Introducing sustainability into the process safety management processes could have farreaching benefits.

Enabling customers to make their operations more sustainable The newly formed ETS Group contributes to environmental protection with innovative green tech solutions.

Second National Infrastructure Assessment The second National Infrastructure Assessment takes a 30-year view of the infrastructure needs within UK Government competence and identifies the policies and funding to meet them.

Hiring an apprentice can you afford not to? As the world makes advances through the energy transition, we will need young, imaginative, ambitious and well-trained operators who are able to adapt to an ever-changing future of fuel.

PROCESS SAFETY L E A D E R S H I P – W H AT H AV E W E L E A R N T ?

When considering process safety incidents, including many of the most high-profile safety occurrences, it is clear that leadership failures are a significant causal factor irrespective of industry or sector.

Peter Davidson, Excutive Director, Tank Storage Association

hen considering process safety incidents, including many of the most highprofile safety occurrences, it is clear that leadership failures are a significant causal factor irrespective of industry or sector. Therefore, an active and continuous focus on leadership is essential to ensure that risks are not only properly managed but also understood.

Following the Buncefield explosions and fires of 2005, industry, trade unions and the COMAH Competent Authority (CA) established the Process Safety Leadership Group (PSLG) to carry out a dialogue to jointly develop, progress and implement meaningful, effective recommendations and practices that improve safety. In 2009, the PSLG published its Principles of Process Safety Leadership, which are aimed at providing the foundation to ensure high reliability organisations. These are eight principles for senior industry leaders to follow, and include board level active engagement and competence in safety management, engagement and involvement of the workforce in managing safety, as well as sharing best practice across industry sectors, and learning and implementing

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lessons from relevant incidents in other organisations in order to maintain the currency of corporate knowledge and competence. These principles have now been widely adopted across the chemical and downstream oil industries. Furthermore, the COMAH Competent Authority in the UK has developed an operational delivery guide based on the principles, which is used to carry out site based interventions. What is Major Hazard Leadership and why is it so important? High standards of leadership are essential to ensure effective control of major hazard risks. And it is essential to understand the implications of business decisions on major hazard management, both in the short term and in the long term, with this last point also representing one of the principles developed by the PSLG. Good Major Hazard Leadership helps organisations to ensure that risks are given the resource, priority and attention required to reduce the likelihood of a major accident. It is also critical to the sustained management of risks. In this context, senior leaders need to not only understand what can go wrong that could cause a major accident, but also what systems are in place to stop this from happening and have access to the right information to provide assurance that those systems are working effectively. Leadership intervention The Tank Storage Association is a founding member of the UK COMAH Strategic Forum, a high-level joint industry and regulator forum established in 2013 to improve major accident hazard

leadership, management, and standards across the industry.

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In 2019, the COMAH Strategic Forum launched the ‘Year of Major Hazard Leadership’. To coincide with this important initiative, the COMAH Competent Authority (CA) published its Operational Delivery Guide ‘Inspecting Major Hazard Leadership and Investigating Leadership Failures in Major Accidents and the supporting Major Hazard Leadership Intervention Tool’. The Operational Delivery Guide is part of the COMAH CA strategy aimed at encouraging strong leadership and preventing major accidents. It underpins the CA’s programme for ensuring effective leadership in preventing, controlling and mitigating major accidents and covers the background and arrangements for inspection and investigation of leadership. The separate Major Hazard Leadership Intervention Tool provides the principles to use when engaging with senior leaders. Inspections by CA partners began in 2021. The expectation of the COMAH CA when carrying out a Major Hazard Leadership intervention is to seek to ensure that leadership and process safety competency are demonstrated at all levels within the business, that the risk profile of the site is understood, and sound risk assessment has been carried out. In addition, Major Hazard Leadership intervention is aimed at ensuring that there is effective communications, a robust management of change procedure in place and that the integrity of operations is maintained and not compromised for short term gain.

Intervention further seeks to ensure that the business is a learning organisation – in that there are effective arrangements in place to share and learn from best practice and knowledge both internally and externally from the business – and process safety performance is reported to, and understood by, senior leaders. Each COMAH operator visited as part of the Major Hazard Leadership interventions is scored using the performance rating table contained in the Operational Delivery Guide. This rates the operator between 10 (strong assurance that the site meets the requirements of the process safety leadership principles) and 60 (there is no assurance that the site meets the requirements of the process safety leadership principles). The majority of sites inspected scored a rating of either some assurance or good assurance Lessons learnt from interventions To encourage best practice, it is important to understand and share common themes and recommendations arising from these leadership interventions. This gives operators the opportunity to learn from common mistakes and strengthen their own processes. Common themes and trends emerging from the Major Hazard Leadership inspections carried out to date include the following: Safety leadership is at the core of managing a major hazard business. • Major Hazard Leadership should

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be clearly defined and written into every senior leader’s job description Change management is critically important and there should be a robust system in place

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The environment is also part of COMAH compliance and must be considered when effectively managing the business

Major hazard leadership requires board level involvement and competence. • Competence on Major Hazard Leadership is required at Board level – it should not be left to one individual • Read and understand the key elements of the Safety Report • Senior leaders headquartered outside of the UK may not have a clear understanding of the UK COMAH regulations and the riskbased approach to safety Good major hazard management does not happen by chance and requires constant active engagement. • There is no one-size-fits all solution to Major Hazard Leadership, each business and each site is unique and has unique challenges • Plan changes appropriately and with plenty of time. If there are known delays (for example in updating Safety Report) advise the COMAH CA as required Board-level visibility and promotion of major hazard leadership is essential to set a positive safety culture throughout the organisation. Engagement of the workforce is needed in the promotion and achievement of good major hazard control leadership. • Communication within the business is key, both upwards and downwards

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Monitoring major hazard performance is central to ensuring business risks are being effectively managed. • Be aware of your Safety Management System and monitor how effective and efficient it is Publication of major hazard performance information provides important assurance about the management of risks by an organisation. • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for process safety should be understood, reviewed and refreshed to avoid complacency Sharing best practice across industry sectors, and learning and implementing lessons from relevant incidents in other organisations, are important to maintain the currency of corporate knowledge and competence. • The COMAH CA is open to working together with COMAH Operators to improve Major Hazard Leadership. If there are concerns or queries, these should be discussed in the first instance with the COMAH Intervention Manager. Relevant Trade Associations may also be able to assist, sharing best practice and lessons. What more can be done? It is important that operators do not focus solely on the lessons from interventions already carried out, but also consider what more can be done.

They should also ensure that they are exposed to all relevant information that demonstrates to them how well their systems and processes are working. Competency One emerging trend from the leadership interventions is that those senior leaders who were exposed to and are aware of the Process Safety Leadership Group’s Principles of Process Safety Leadership, and who had attended relevant Safety Leadership training, were able to better understand the challenges to their business and respond more effectively to the questions raised as part of the Major Hazard Leadership inspection. Businesses should seek to ensure that all senior leaders have the appropriate training to give them a clear insight into how to embed process safety management and promote a positive safety culture throughout their organisation, as well as ensure that suitable and sufficient resources are in place to continually develop staff competency. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) KPIs for process safety, sometimes referred to as Process Safety Performance Indicators (PSPIs), are an essential tool to understand the safety performance of a business.

Communication Communication is key, and senior leaders should strive to ensure staff at

Senior leaders should work with their teams to ensure that KPIs are meaningful, useful and give the correct information. They should understand and be prepared to challenge the information that they are given and, most importantly, they must be prepared to act on any warning signs that those indicators present.

all levels within the business, including operators, supervisors, health and safety professionals and managers, are actively engaged in order to determine if there are any issues that are concerning them.

Conclusions The themes and learnings from recent Process Safety Leadership interventions can be summarised into three areas.

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Firstly, the essential need for leaders to ensure effective communication to improve process safety across the entire organisation. Secondly, leaders, regardless of their role or responsibilities, should be able to demonstrate an appropriate level of process safety competency. Finally, leaders should understand the importance of having an effective set of process safety performance indicators and be prepared to challenge what those indicators report to seek to continuously improve process safety performance. All senior leaders in major accident hazard businesses, including those regulated by COMAH and those who manage major hazards that come under different regulatory regimes, should consider how effective process safety leadership really is across their organisation, and use the resources available to them (including information published by the UK’s COMAH Strategic Forum) to develop an informed and achievable improvement plan. Author Peter Davidson is TSA’s Executive Director and is responsible for all aspects of advocacy and lobbying on behalf of the sector, and for promoting process safety leadership, helping members achieve excellence in this area and work toward becoming high reliability organisations. Peter works in close collaboration with the UK Government and Regulators and is a leading member of a number of cross-industry committees, Process Safety groups and the Federation of European Tank Storage Associations.

News

Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and new funding to encourage zero emission trucks The UK Government has announced a plan for all new cars and vans to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035, following its consultation on a zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate and CO2 emissions regulation for new cars and vans in the UK. The ZEV mandate will apply to England, Wales and Scotland from January 2024. The intention is that Northern Ireland will join the mandate once the Assembly is able to pass the required legislation. The plan includes a transition starting with 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be ZEVs by 2030, reaching the 100% goal by 2035. The plan also allows for manufacturer flexibility with minimum annual targets, starting at 22% of new cars sold in 2024 being ZEVs, as originally proposed, rising each year up to 100% in 2035, although some manufacturers plan to reach 100% sooner.

publishing a mid-point review in early 2027 and a post-implementation review in 2029. There are also derogations for small volume manufacturers (SVMs), namely those registering less than 2,500 nonZEV vehicles but more than 999 cars or vans per year. These manufacturers are able to apply for a derogation until – and including - 2029, with a “transitional year” in 2030. Micro volume manufacturers (MVMs), namely those registering fewer than 1,000 cars or vans per year, will automatically derogate from the ZEV mandate up to and including 2030. Special purpose vehicles (SPVs) will be exempt from the ZEV mandate. There are also additional credits for ZEVs used in car clubs. Furthermore, the ZEV mandate provides for a number of options as regards manufacturers’ over-compliance or in instances where manufacturers may not reach the applicable target.

For vans, the Government has amended the early targets slightly. The previous target would have seen a rise from 10% of new vans sold being ZEVs in 2024 to 19% in 2025. The target will now rise from 10% in 2024 to 16% in 2025. It will then rise each year to 70% in 2030 and finally 100% in 2035. For both cars and vans, while the targets up to 2030 will enter into force from January 2024, the Government notes that targets from 2031 onwards “will be set out in future legislation later

In October, the Department for Transport (DfT) has also announced the investment of £200m to create new jobs and decarbonise the haulage sector. With the new investment the DfT hopes to create up to 370 new zero emission trucks with the creation of new jobs to help grow the economy. £2m will also be budgeted for small and medium sized businesses to help boost innovation and green tech in freight.

in the decade”. The Government has also pledged to keep the mandate under continuous review. It has committed to

More information can be found on the UK Government’s website.

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PROMOTING HIGH LEVELS OF SAFETY AND COMPETENCY ACROSS THE FUEL DISTRIBUTION INDUSTRY

The Downstream Fuel Distribution Forum (DFDF) has changed its name with a rebrand designed to reflect the evolution of the downstream fuel sector in the UK.

ver the summer, the Downstream Fuel Distribution Forum (DFDF), formerly known as the Downstream Oil Distribution Forum, changed its name with a rebrand designed to reflect the evolution of the downstream fuel sector in the UK.

The rebrand comes at a transformational time for the downstream fuel industry and reflects its role in the energy transition. At the heart of this change is the recognition of the evolution of the wider energy mix in light of an increased penetration of alternative fuels and a trend towards a broader range of technologies in support of the UK’s net zero target by 2050. While recognising the evolution of the sector more widely as it plays its part in the energy transition, the DFDF is clear that its core focus will continue to be centred around the promotion of high levels of safety and competency across the fuel distribution industry by working in close partnership with all members to address current and future training needs. The forum was established in 2012 to provide an on-going platform for the discussion and resolution of issues relating to health and safety as well as

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training in the downstream oil industry. Its membership ranges from hauliers, to trade associations, government departments - namely the Department for Transport and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero - and trade unions. As part of its early collaborative work, in 2014, the DFDF launched the Petroleum Driver Passport (PDP) Scheme, a voluntary industry scheme, supported by government, designed to ensure that all tanker drivers in the UK are trained and assessed to a consistent standard in loading, transporting and offloading petroleum fuel products from road tankers. The PDP Scheme is managed by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) in conjunction with the PDP Management Group. Currently, over 11,000 tanker drivers in the UK hold a PDP card demonstrating to terminal operators, hauliers, customers and the wider public that they have been trained to the same consistently high and externally verified standard in all aspects of tanker driving from pre-vehicle checks to loading, driving and discharging. The PD Passport is held by the individual driver to allow freedom of movement between employers. The PD Passport is additional to ADR training and requires the completion of a practical assessment as well as classroom training with a multiple-choice exam. As with an ADR licence, all drivers need to undertake refresher training and pass an examination every five years to stay qualified. In addition, to maintain the validity of their passport drivers must undertake further classroom training

and pass a practical assessment annually. UK terminals are the primary point of enforcement for the PDP Scheme. Therefore, terminals require drivers to have their PDP card to load and carry out spot checks on annual validity. With the PDP Scheme going from strength to strength, and almost ten years on from its introduction, the importance of the DFDF in continuing to provide an important space for multi-stakeholder dialogue and cooperation cannot be overestimated. The forum also covers other key topics relating to the downstream fuel industry and is engaged in a number of important initiatives aimed at promoting high levels of safety and competency across the sector. Most recently, it has supported the development of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for the transportation of hydrogen which set out the standards of performance that must be achieved, together with the knowledge and skills required to work safely and effectively in the hydrogen transportation industry. It has also produced a guidance on lone working for tanker drivers, outlining the importance of assessing risk and ensuring that appropriate controls are implemented, understood and continuously reviewed, and it has developed a petroleum addendum ‘block’ to the Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) Apprenticeship Standard

bodies in relation to the implementation of the recommendations from the Health and Safety Executive’s report on the review of the Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 and will continue to engage in important discussions in relation to future training, safety and competency needs for net zero. In order to connect more widely with all stakeholders and share information, latest news and developments, the Downstream Fuel Distribution Forum has also launched a brand-new LinkedIn page. This further step highlights the forum’s continued commitment to promote learning and improve safety across the downstream fuel sector. With many opportunities, innovations and initiatives ahead, the DFDF stands ready to continue providing a collaborative platform for its members well into the future. For more information about the Downstream Fuel Distribution Forum and the Petroluem Driver Passport Scheme, please visit www.pdpassport.com

to allow for the training of petroleum product drivers under this standard. Looking ahead, the DFDF is gearing up to work in partnership with all relevant

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TEAM EFFORT DRIVES YEAR OF G R OW T H F O R U M TERMINALS

UM Terminals has achieved several notable successes during the last twelve months, including the expansion of its operations in the biofuels sector.

Phil McEvoy, Managing Director, UM Terminals

ne of the UK’s leading bulk liquid storage specialists says a “team effort” is behind a year of sustained growth. UM Terminals has achieved several notable successes during the last 12 months, among the more important being the expansion of its operations in the biofuels sector.

Phil McEvoy, UM Terminals’ Managing Director, who has just marked his first anniversary in the role, said: “We have had customers come to us with specific logistical challenges and we have been able to provide them with tangible solutions in enabling them to meet their tank storage requirements in a very fast and efficient way. We set ourselves the goal of building our capability in the biofuels sector during 2023 and thanks to a huge team effort we have been able to achieve this. This has been possible thanks to a commitment to continual investment in our assets, the recruitment of talented people, including in engineering and project management, and rigorous processes around regulatory compliance.The additional competency within the business means that we can now manage over 80 per cent of our asset integrity inspections and assessments

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in-house, ensuring our asset base is fit for purpose and can provide a reliable ongoing service for all of our valuable customers. Much of our activity has been focussed on three of our main centres in Liverpool, Portbury and Hull. In total, we have created around 20 new jobs, strengthening our own in-house teams and giving a boost to the local economies of each of these areas. All of this has been achieved against the continuing tough macroeconomic environment which has been another reason for the focus on scaling our capability and commercial activity in the biofuels industry.” Further organic growth and expansion is planned for 2024 with a focus on the East coast and South of England, while also increasing the business’s third-party tank storage capability in Ireland. UM Terminals, part of the United Molasses Group, will also be rolling out various initiatives as part of its sustainability strategy. Phil said: “We have already begun reviewing new low carbon technologies to heat and power our sites. As the biggest user of direct energy in the UM Group, we are committed to pursuing best practice in this highly important area.” Another area of focus will be the further digitalisation of UM Terminals’ Client Central Services, enhancing the existing customer portal to make the experience as fast, automated and seamless as possible. UM Terminals maintains a broad portfolio of around 40 products that it stores including vegetable oils, industrial,

UM Terminals maintains a broad portfolio of around 40 products that it stores including vegetable oils, industrial, food and feed, chemical, fertiliser, fuels, biofuels and base oils.

food and feed, chemical, fertiliser, fuels, biofuels and base oils. It achieves this operating out of seven terminals, strategically located across the UK, with a current capacity of over 300,000 cubic metres of bulk liquid storage, but with an ambition to increase this to around 400,000 cubic metres. During 2023, the business divested itself of a non-strategic asset in Birkenhead to focus on core activities at its other sites. Value-added services include biofuel feedstock pre-treatment, blending, water dilution, product packing, HMRC bonded warehouse and COMAH compliance. Phil McEvoy said: “One of the main reasons for the success we have had in the last 12 months has been our willingness to respond quickly to various customer requests, many of them technically challenging. We provide our customers with robust and sustainable solutions that meet their logistical challenges as quickly and effectively as possible. We have continued to invest in building a highly skilled in-house team across engineering, project management, customer service and integrity management. We have a portfolio of blue-chip customers who have been with UM Terminals over a long period of time. We pride ourselves on being easy to do business with and are all about building long-term relationships.”

Value-added services include biofuel feedstock pre-treatment, blending, water dilution, product packing, HMRC bonded warehouse and COMAH compliance.

For more information, please visit www. umterminals.co.uk

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THE FLIGHT TO NET ZERO: DECARBONISING THE AV I AT I O N I N D U S T R Y

With the global net zero transition for aviation well underway, delivering at scale and speed is the biggest challenge collectively amongst industry and government alike.

n 2020, the UK aviation industry was the first anywhere in the world to commit to net zero by 2050.1 Global airlines and governments through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) have since followed suit. With the global net zero transition for aviation well underway, delivering at scale and speed is the biggest challenge collectively amongst industry and government alike. Airports can also increase their wider sustainability by considering avenues like noise pollution, responsible use of resources, waste disposal, and local air quality. All these items may not have a direct impact on carbon emissions but will help airports with their sustainability agendas.

and limited opportunities for emissions reduction. Nevertheless, there is plenty of room for optimism. From 2005 onward, the overall aviation emissions in the UK have managed to plateau, showing a mere 1% increase, in spite of a substantial 30% rise in carried passengers.3 Direct flightgenerated emissions have played the largest part in this reduction through advancements in engine technology, fuel efficiency, and operational improvements. Manufacturers and airlines alike are continuing to ramp up investment into these technologies. Fuelefficiency of aircraft has been consistently improving since the introduction of the first passenger jets in the 1950s, with each new generation of plane reducing emissions by around 15-20%.4

Accounting for roughly 2% of global energy related carbon dioxide emissions, aviation emissions reached close to 800 Mt of carbon dioxide in 20222 – owing to a rapid growth in the aviation industry over the past few decades, one that surpasses that of rail, road, and shipping.

Recent breakthroughs have seen the emergence of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as a direct substitute to conventional jet fuel. SAF tackle some of the aforementioned issues with decarbonising aviation as they use the same supply infrastructure and do not require adaptation of aircraft or engines. As a result of these properties, they are termed “drop-in fuels” and can currently be mixed with conventional jet fuel to varying degrees of up to 50%5 under ‘ASTM D7566’, which is the standard which sets out the international minimum composition and performance guidelines

Additionally, the aviation industry has been identified as one of the most challenging industries to transition into a low-carbon state due to substantial infrastructure costs, long fleet lifespans,

for commercial aviation. SAF flights have been rolled out across the globe as governments and airlines confirm SAF targets, creating a demand for the low carbon fuel. In particular, the UK is

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finalising a mandate on conventional jet fuel supply to be 75% SAF by 2050, which would achieve 39% of the total CO2 mitigation.6 Nonetheless, currently the SAF market in the UK is in its infancy and requires substantial growth to reach a mandate of 10% consumption by 2030 from the UK government. Meanwhile, manufacturers like Rolls Royce and Boeing are also trialling new engines capable of running on 100% SAF, thereby removing the requirement for conventional jet fuel on the runway. However as much as SAF serve as an important interim stop-gap solution by offering a potential 80% reduction7 in emissions, they are not completely carbon neutral due to emissions from the production of crops, fuel refining etc. Looking further ahead, long-term investments have also been made into the development of battery and hydrogenpowered aircraft, to aid in attaining a “true” net zero. Whilst direct-flight emissions will play a pivotal role in the decarbonisation of the aviation industry, there are other avenues in which aviation can reduce its carbon emissions. Airports play a substantial role in contributing towards emissions, with sources suggesting airport emissions could account for anywhere in the region of 5-10% of total aviation emissions.8 Airport emissions are not limited to aircraft ground operations and airspace

processes, airports can realise large energy savings; examples of energysaving measures include: • Increasing the energy efficiency of terminal buildings - London City Airport has installed energyreflecting windows to reduce heat gain; • Upgrading heating and cooling systems - London Luton Airport replaced its old boilers with newer, more efficient units; • Decarbonising ground power units – airports are now investigating the utilisation of biofuels in generators, substituting generators with options that have zero emissions, or adopting battery-based solutions. SLR has supported several crossdisciplinary projects working to decarbonise the aviation industry. Working with a sustainable energy solutions company, SLR was commissioned to provide an assessment of the emerging UK sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market, identifying the most suitable product and route to market for advanced aviation fuels. The work encompassed: • An overview of the sales route for SAF and synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) throughout the supply chain; • Estimates of the requirements of scale for sale of SAF and SPK with reference to the UK market; • Description of the physical

modernisation but spread wider into areas like electricity usage and surface access.

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By amending the most energy-intensive

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requirements for product delivery; Review of policy, regulatory requirements and incentives for the sector; Provision of a list of stakeholders in

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the UK SAF industry to encourage engagement and explore any opportunities for SAF production and sale; Conclusion on scale of SAF needs and entry routes to this market.

SLR have also provided technical expertise in the transport elements surrounding the airport’s function, this is a critical pathway to decarbonisation of the aviation industry, as typically half of an airport’s emissions arise from the surface journeys made by passengers and staff. SLR has helped airports across the UK develop surface access strategies and introduce new ground transport technologies for the sustainable development of airports and millions of UK air passengers annually. One such example of SLR’s work in surface access matters is the City Airport Development Programme (CADP), London. The CADP is a £344 million privately funded investment to enable London City Airport to respond to forecast growth in passenger numbers and accommodate the next generation of aircraft. Plans included seven new aircraft stands, a parallel taxiway and a passenger terminal extension. The development will transform the airport, one of East London’s largest employers in London’s Royal Docks, enabling the airport to welcome the new and quieter aircraft whilst adding additional capacity. Planning permission was granted in 2015, but our work continued through implementation. The permission granted by the UK Government will enable the airport to

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process 6.5 million passengers by 2025 and inject £1.5 billion each year into the economy. We have a detailed understanding of the airport’s transport characteristics and surface access arrangements, having provided strategic transport advice for several years. Our role has included: • Engagement with key transport stakeholders, including the highway authority, TfL and DLR. • An assessment of the capacity of the DLR and highway network. • Provision of a transport charter for the environmental statements, assessing the effects of CADP during the construction and operational phases. • Negotiation of planning conditions/ obligations, including DLR. • Upgrade contribution, a detailed Travel Plan and Delivery and Service Plan. To learn more or to discuss your own decarbonisation project with the SLR team, please visit: www.slrconsulting.com References 1. Sustainable Aviation (2023), “Net Zero Carbon Road-Map”, available: https://www.sustainableaviation. co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ SA9572_2023CO2RoadMap_ Brochure_v4.pdf 2. International Energy Agency, “Aviation”, available: https://www. iea.org/energy-system/transport/ aviation 3. Sustainable Aviation (2023), “Net Zero Carbon Road-Map”, available: https://www.sustainableaviation.

co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ SA9572_2023CO2RoadMap_ Brochure_v4.pdf International Air Transport

Association (2023), “Net zero 2050: new aircraft technology”, available: h t t p s : / / w w w. i a t a . o r g / e n / i a t a repository/pressroom/fact-sheets/ fact-sheet-new-aircraft-technology/ U.S. Department of Energy, “Sustainable Aviation Fuel”, available: ht t p s : / / a fd c. e n e rg y. g ov / f u e l s / sustainable_aviation_fuel.html Sustainable Aviation (2023), “Net Zero Carbon Road-Map”, available: https://www.sustainableaviation. co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ SA9572_2023CO2RoadMap_Brochure_ v4.pdf Charlotte Elton, “Sustainable Aviation Fuels supposedly cut a plane’s carbon emissions by around 80 per cent. But they’re no ‘silver bullet,’ a climate tech expert warns”, euronews (4 May 2022), available: https://www. euronews.com/travel/2022/05/04/howdo-sustainable-aviation-fuels-work-andare-they-a-viable-alternative Airport Operators Association (2021), “Decarbonisation Report”, available: https://www.aoa.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2021/10/AOA-DecarbonisationReport.pdf

Authors Becca Shaikh, Process Enigineer, and Jack Arnold, Process Engineer, SLR Consulting. About SLR Consulting SLR is a global leader in environmental and advisory solutions: helping clients achieve their sustainability goals. SLR’s Process Engineering team helps businesses to ensure the best chance of success for their projects by taking a systematic approach to every task and integrating seamlessly into our clients’ project teams. Whether you’re looking for technical due diligence and market research, the delivery of complex development works

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for a brand-new facility, or to develop internal infrastructure for reporting against government compliance targets, SLR pays real attention to detail, building data and information into knowledge and understanding, using decades of collective experience. Talk to us about your project at www. slrconsulting.com/contact

News

New staff members for Teamwork Security and Training Services Teamwork Security and Training Services was formed in 2004 in response to the demand for Port Facility Security Officer training following the introduction of the ISPS (International Ship and Port Facility Security) Code under amendments to the 1974 SOLAS Convention. Since its inception, Teamwork Security has expanded its security offering to cover the full range of ISPS and security consultancy services to the shore based maritime community, thereby enabling them to keep abreast of security risks and to implement measures to counteract the ever-increasing threat. In 2017 following demand from existing clients and their need for a “one stop shop”, Teamwork Security, together with trusted Associates, moved into general consulting offering SMEs and existing ISPS clients a broad spectrum of ISPS support services. Teamwork Security delivers complete ISPS support, audits, ISPS compliance, security exercises, as well as Wharf Approval and ADR support packages.

Teamwork Security is delighted to have appointed a number of new staff members in the last six months. Wendy Weeks joins as ISPS Support Manager. Wendy brings a wealth of experience from the DfT and from a successful career in the Police. Rebecca Chatfield, Marketing Manager, joined in September and will be supporting the team with both marketing and business development. Chloe Sword joins this month as Business Support Assistant, coming from a career in the Ambulance Service, and Paul Bassham also joins this month as ISPS Support Officer after a successful career also in the Police. Tony Birr is also joining the team, bringing a wealth of maritime industry experience from a career in the Police, Military and Maritime industry, ensuring Teamwork Security and Training Services Ltd. continue to provide a first-class service to their customers. For more information or ISPS support, visit: teamwork-security.co.uk or email: enqs@teamwork-security.co.uk

Teamwork Security is approved by the Department for Transport to deliver Port Facility Security Officer and refresher courses. It also delivers Harbour Master’s investigators courses, staff Security Awareness and Search Training courses, consistent with the latest Port Facility Security Instructions as issued by the DfT.

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I N T E G R AT I N G S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y INTO HAZARD STUDIES: MAKING PROJECTS SAFE, SMART AND S U S TA I N A B L E Sustainability must be embedded as a company goal to have the greatest impact. Integration into existing hazard study processes is a realistically achievable approach.

ith the uncertainty we are experiencing in relation to climate change and rising costs, professionals involved in process safety are confronted by a decision keep project costs down or think about the bigger picture and try and to make a project as sustainable as possible over its entire life. We believe that adopting sustainable practices is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. Integrating sustainability into projects is essential for businesses that want to achieve the following goals: • Reducing your ecological footprint • Making a more marketable product • Minimising waste • Reducing operating costs

as just Operational Expenditure (OpEx). By considering both the initial purchase and installation costs (CapEx) plus the operating costs (energy and maintenance costs) for the life of the equipment (OpEx), initial purchase price differences can be quickly overridden by operating cost savings. Applying this same logic to other areas of your project (utilities, emissions, location, raw materials, sustainability of manufacturer etc.) can mean that sustainable practices can actually be financially beneficial to your business down the line, not to mention the inevitable positive impact on a company’s reputation and brand image. For projects, it is particularly important to think about sustainability early in the design as it is more cost effective to make changes on paper and invest earlier on than it is to make changes to an already established and operating plant. Generally, the later in the project life cycle that changes are integrated, the greater the costs, and on the contrary the earlier any changes are introduced, the greater the potential savings in the long run. This got us thinking about the parallels with process safety. We promote Inherent Safety, so why not Inherent Sustainability?

Short term vs Long Term Costs Naturally, financial costs are one of the most influential factors when making business related decisions, so reluctancy to spend big sums on making changes to your plant in order to make it more sustainable is understandable. However,

Sustainability in relation to Hazard Studies We believe that with relatively small changes to established and embedded hazard study processes, sustainability can be thought about at the right time

this is not to say that avoiding doing so is the most cost-effective option in the long term. The initial costs can be offset in several ways, and this requires a focus on capital expenditure (CapEx), as well

to maximise the potential benefits. For example, Hazard Study 2 (HAZID) provides a perfect opportunity to consider more sustainable options, at this point the overall aim of the project is understood

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For projects, it is particularly important to think about sustainability early in the design as it is more cost effective to make changes on paper and invest earlier on than it is to make changes to an already established and operating plant.

but the project has not yet reached a stage where changes are extremely costly, both in time and money (e.g. detailed P&IDs have not yet been drawn). Hazard studies provide a natural forum to consider factors such as alternative technology that uses less energy, less raw materials, recovers more product, requires less maintenance, uses fewer consumable parts, or reduces the requirements for subsequent processing. Hazard studies can also be used to identify opportunities to reduce emissions and waste. Integrate for Effective and Positive Change Sustainability must be embedded as a company goal to have the greatest impact. Integration into existing hazard study processes is a realistically achievable approach. Introducing sustainability into the process safety management processes could have far-reaching benefits.

Introducing sustainability into the process safety management processes could have far-reaching benefits.

About RAS Safety Consultants RAS Ltd is an independent firm of risk specialists established in 1993. RAS are founded on a set of simple principles: recruit the best people in the industry, only work in our areas of expertise, and work with our clients, not for them. It’s an approach that has seen them grow from being a handful of specialists in the North West to a rapidly developing company working with the leading companies in the oil & gas, pharmaceuticals and specialist chemical sectors across the world. The RAS team has worked on some of the biggest and most influential projects in the industry, and continues to expand their specialist knowledge. For more information, visit www.ras.ltd.uk

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ENABLING CUSTOMERS TO MAKE THEIR O P E R AT I O N S M O R E S U S TA I N A B L E

After the merger of ENDEGS and SIS, the newly formed ETS Group contributes to environmental protection with innovative green tech solutions.

David Wendel, Managing Director ENDEGS GmbH, Managing Director & CCO ETS Group GmbH

y 2050, Europe is to become climateneutral – no greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are to be emitted that are not otherwise compensated. To reach this ambitious but highly necessary goal, all parts of society need to contribute; politics and economy on a higher level as well as individuals on a smaller scale need to reduce their GHG footprint.

In the last years, many actions have already been taken to protect the environment. With the Paris Agreement made in 2015 or the European Green Deal made in 2019, goals have been set and commitments have been made to reduce emissions as much as possible and to compensate any remaining emissions. Measures to reduce the global GHG emissions can be summarised as decarbonisation – a field that covers many different measures such as renewable energies, electromobility and many more. However,

especially

economy

and

industry are still responsible for a high amount of greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane (CH4). Although many good measures have been implemented, more still needs to be done.

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Therefore, new technologies, fuels and energy sources will be introduced in the coming years that are more sustainable. This notable shift towards alternative “green” fuels and energy sources includes for example LNG, hydrogen, ammonia, bio ethanol/methanol, e-naphtha or e-dimethyl ether. As all of these will require the implementation of new facilities, processes and supply chains, it is important to build the necessary infrastructure as well as the new energy sources will still be requiring storage terminals, tanks and much more. Green tech solutions for a cleaner tomorrow Developing innovative green tech solutions that help clients in different industries to make their operations more sustainable and to fulfil ESG criteria is an important task. Therefore, in August, we have formed the ETS Group – Environmental Technology Services. With our high-standard technology services, we help our customers to contribute to environmental protection by improving their carbon footprint and by reducing waste. As a world-wide organisation offering environmental services, we listen closely to our customers and develop our technologies so that they completely fulfil their individual requirements. Our innovative services fulfil the highest quality standards and are in line with all regulatory standards. Our mission is clear: we want to see to it that there are lower emissions world-wide. Therefore, ENDEGS and SIS have merged under the umbrella of the ETS Group. Both German companies are experts

With a fleet of more than 50 mobile vapor combustion units, mobile nitrogen vaporizers, ATEX Zone 0 blowers and ATEX Zone 0 robots, the ETS Group is now the leading European expert for emissions control, treatment and reduction.

for the reduction of harmful industrial emissions and support facilities from different industries in reducing their carbon footprint. With a fleet of more than 50 mobile vapor combustion units, mobile nitrogen vaporizers, ATEX Zone 0 blowers and ATEX Zone 0 robots, the ETS Group is now the leading European expert for emissions control, treatment and reduction – an important factor for industrial decarbonisation and environmental protection. Our mission: lower emissions in the industry Reducing industrial emissions is an important part of environmental protection and can contribute significantly to reaching the aim of reducing the global carbon footprint. Hazardous emissions develop in many industrial processes such as loading and unloading procedures, tank cleaning, turnarounds and shutdowns, commissioning and decommissioning and in emergency situations. When they get into the air untreated, these hazardous emissions have an enormous impact on human health as well as the environment. Foremost of these are hydrocarbons, VOC (volatile organic compounds) and HAP (hazardous air pollutants). Thus, dangerous industrial emissions should be immediately treated so they are not just vented into the atmosphere. We offer various technologies for the treatment of emissions that help industrial facilities to significantly lower their carbon footprint

The ETS Group’s portfolio also includes the rental of the ATEX Zone 0 robot. It is remote-controlled and can be operated via two joysticks and a monitor showing every movement in real-time from a safe distance.

and thus make their operations more sustainable. ETS Group emissions reduction services focus on the effective elimination of VOC

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and HAP emissions from venting and flaring within the oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical, marine and shipping and food and fertilizer industries. Our services are environmentally friendly and sustainable as well as innovative and highly effective. Innovative solutions for a reliable emissions reduction As the only company operating in Europe, our units are capable of destroying all kinds of gases, gas mixtures and vapors from the explosion groups IIA, IIB and IIC with an efficiency of more than 99.99% and without any open flame. ETS Group mobile vapor combustion units are ideally suited for the degassing of all types of tanks, containers, pipelines, vessels, vacuum trucks and other components that are applied in industrial processes. Furthermore, our mobile incinerators are capable of temporarily replacing stationary emissions reduction systems during downtimes due to maintenance or malfunction. As a facility without an emissions treatment system is not allowed to operate, applying ETS Group mobile incinerator units as VRU back-up ensures that the daily operations can keep going without any interference. In 2008, ENDEGS has developed its first mobile vapor combustion unit – in fact, enabling mobile degassing for the very first time world-wide by inventing the first ever portable and autonomously operated mobile incinerator. Nowadays, industrial degassing has become a standard. The challenge now is to adapt existing technologies so they can be applied to wider applications. The range of products and substances our customers in different industries work with is forever changing – especially now due to the necessity of alternative fuels and energy sources. Products like LNG, hydrogen

or green ammonia are more complex than conventional products as they are liquefied gases under pressure and therefore are highly flammable and have a high risk of explosion. With our fleet of mobile nitrogen vaporizers, the ETS Group can work with systems and system components containing flammable liquids as they now can easily be purged and rendered inert. Combining mobile combustion units and the nitrogen vaporizer makes the degassing of more complex products possible too. As the ETS Group, we always aim to further optimise our technologies and to extend their field of application. Therefore, we have made innovative processes a priority and listen closely to our customers and their specific needs so that we can improve our portfolio to fit every application they need. Security in the dangerous ATEX Zone 0 As enhancing occupational health and security is another important topic for us, we also offer services for the highly dangerous ATEX Zone 0. Carrying out manual tank cleaning, workers are exposed to a high health risk even despite wearing extensive safety gear. The ETS Group portfolio also includes the rental of the ATEX Zone 0 robot. It is remote-controlled and can be operated via two joysticks and a monitor showing every movement in real-time from a safe distance. Due to its small size and mobility, the robot can be used in many industries and for a wide range of materials. Our mobile ATEX Zone 0 blowers enable the safe extraction of vapors from components such as plants, tanks and vessels. The blowers are available in different capacities – depending on the customer’s requirements – and are easy to

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use due to their small and compact size. We also supply piping networks, valves, detonation tube fuse, liquid separators and more to connect the ATEX Zone 0 blowers. For more information, please contact: David Wendel, Managing Director ENDEGS GmbH, Managing Director & CCO ETS Group GmbH, at d.wendel@e-ts-group.com About the ETS Group SIS GmbH (“SIS”) and ENDEGS GmbH (“ENDEGS”) have merged under the umbrella of ETS Group GmbH (“ETS Group”) – Environmental Technology Services – in order to combine their strengths and to jointly drive the internationalization of the group even more intensively. Both companies specialize in thermal exhaust gas purification and degassing and are international leaders in the reduction of emissions of volatile hydrocarbons in the petrochemical and other sectors of the chemical and related industries. By using mobile combustion technologies, both companies make a significant contribution to occupational safety and environmental sustainability. Together, the two companies intend to invest in further development and the targeted expansion of management and sales structures in order to realize the full potential of the solutions offered in existing core markets and, in addition, to open up new opportunities in international markets of the chemical and other industries with a need for sustainable exhaust gas cleaning.

News

Second National Infrastructure Assessment The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) was set up on an interim basis on 5 October 2015 to ‘look at the UK’s future needs for nationally significant infrastructure, help to maintain UK’s competitiveness amongst the G20 nations and provide greater certainty for investors by taking a long-term approach to the major investment decisions facing the country’. The NIC is now a permanent body which provides the government with impartial and expert advice on major long-term infrastructure challenges. In its Charter, the National Infrastructure Commission commits to delivering a National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA) once every five years, setting out the NIC’s assessment of long-term infrastructure needs with recommendations to the government. The first NIA was published on 10 July 2018 and analysed the UK’s longterm infrastructure needs up to 2050 whilst making recommendations for meeting them. On 18 October 2023, it published its second NIA, setting out recommendations for transport, energy, water and wastewater, flood resilience, digital connectivity, and solid waste. The NIA takes a 30-year view of the infrastructure needs within UK government competence and identifies the policies and funding to meet them. Among a range of recommendations, the second NIA makes the case for heat pumps and heat networks as the solution

England will need to make this transition by 2035 to meet the UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget, covering 2033 to 2037. It further calls on the government to rule out the use of hydrogen for heating and focus hydrogen on power generation and industrial decarbonisation. It states that new networks will need to be up and running by 2035 for the storage and transmission of hydrogen and carbon, to serve these needs and ensure heavy industry has the means to decarbonise and remain competitive in global markets. The second NIA also sets out proposals for encouraging the private sector to build these networks, and an indicative map of core initial pipelines connecting key industrial hubs across Britain. The NIC further recommends that public spending frameworks for infrastructure are reformed to encourage more effective project management. It also calls for policy stability with clear, long-term goals and as well as visible and long-term pipelines of investment opportunities for the market to invest in the skills and supply chains essential to deliver the required infrastructure on time and to budget. You can find the Second National Infrastructure Assessment by visiting: https://nic.org.uk/studies-repor ts/ national-infrastructure-assessment/ second-nia/

for switching buildings from gas for heating noting that 7 million buildings in

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HIRING AN APPRENTICE C A N YO U A F F O R D N O T T O?

As the world makes advances through the energy transition, we will need young, imaginative, ambitious and well-trained operators who are able to adapt to an everchanging future of fuel.

John Reynolds, Managing Director, Reynolds Training Services

iring an Apprentice is the way to a safe, effective and lucrative future! But, as the leading training provider for Bulk Liquid Storage Apprentices, the question we get asked more than any other is: “How much does it cost?”. Spoilers: we think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised! But, before we tell you, let’s make the case for why an Apprenticeship would be a great proposition at any price!

The value of apprenticeships This is a great business sector to work in – and right now is the most exciting time to join. As the world makes advances through energy transition, we will need young, imaginative, ambitious and welltrained Operators who are able to adapt to an ever-changing future of fuel. Our Apprenticeship programme is uniquely suited to helping you build a strong, sustainable workforce for the future by giving your new employees the knowledge, skills and behaviour they need to ensure a safe, sustainable and profitable future for themselves and for the entire industry. At Reynolds Training, we’ve pioneered the use of Apprenticeships as a way of ensuring

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our sector has a pipeline of qualified and experienced new Operators to keep the fuel flowing and wheels turning. We know that the TSA is committed to promoting Apprenticeships to the bulk storage sector. They’ve even published their own Apprenticeships Guide, which you can find on their website and which includes fantastic testimonials from successful Apprentices. Our Science and Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship with Bulk Liquid Storage Level 3 Technical Specialism is the ONLY Apprenticeship that is specialist to our sector – and, here at Reynolds, we were part of the team that developed it. We have pioneered delivering it for many years now. Apprenticeships produce workers equipped with the following crucially important attributes: 1. KNOWLEDGE: Foundational & classroom study gives learners the theoretical and technical knowledge they need 2. SKILLS: Our NCPM facility provides learners the chance to apply their knowledge, then further develop those skills at their terminal 3. BEHAVIOUR: Through practical experience supported by technical skills - personal & professional behaviours are learned & embedded So, how much does an apprenticeship cost? We’re glad you asked, because here’s the good news: taking on an Apprentice may be the most cost-effective way of getting

good Operators entering your business. Ever. Why? Because it’s possible you’ve already paid for your new Apprentice! As a UK employer, if you have an annual pay bill of more than £3 million, you have to pay 0.5% of that pay bill into the Apprenticeship Levy. If you take on an Apprentice, you can claim that money back. So, training an Apprentice can be virtually FREE. If you pay into the Apprenticeship Levy? If you do pay the Apprenticeship Levy, you have effectively already paid for your Apprentice, so you can draw down the entire training fee from the central government.

You can learn all about this at Gov.UK’s Apprenticeship Levy pages, and we at Reynolds Training are more than happy to talk you through it, if you have speciﬁc questions and would like to talk about your bespoke requirements. Apprentice costs in detail While the Levy will help to cover your Apprentice training costs – it’s worth bearing in mind that you, as the employer, will have to provide the employee-related costs. These will vary depending on the learner, on the costs of accommodating them off site, on the costs of acquiring appropriate PPE. Obviously there will be variables, but below is a reasonable approximation of how much a typical Apprentice will cost to fully train…

The lion’s share of that additional cost will be the wage bill for the 30 months of the Apprenticeship, which you’d be paying anyway, whether you were training your staff or not. The difference is, at the end of the Apprenticeship process, you have an employee who is time-served, with the right knowledge, skills and behaviour, with a plethora of hands-on experience and the right attitude to be a productive, efficient and safe member of your team. Apprenticeships aren’t just producing the Operators of today, they’re producing the Supervisors, Team Leaders and Managers of tomorrow! For more information, please visit www. reynoldstraining.com

Importantly: Your money is only available to you for 24 months. If you don’t claim your money back in two years, it goes to pay for someone else’s Apprentice! If you DON’T pay into the Apprenticeship Levy? If your business is not eligible to contribute to the Levy, you can still get 95% funding! So, your business can beneﬁt from a new cohort of trained, time-served and qualiﬁed staff, who have cost you very little VALUE ADDED

What if you’ve already reclaimed your Apprenticeship Levy? No problem. If you want to hire more Apprentices than your Levy contributions will pay for, you can still claim 95% funding for the additional Apprentices.

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TSA

Tank Storage Associa on

The voice of the bulk storage and energy infrastructure sector

Tank Storage Association Devonshire Business Centre Works Road Letchworth Garden City Herts. SG6 1GJ United Kingdom www.tankstorage.org.uk

T. +44 (0)1462 488232

TSA Insight Magazine - Issue 16

info@tankstorage.org.uk

SECTION SLUG 41

The world looks to you to keep workplaces healthy and safe. Look to us to make sure you’re compliant across the globe.

Stay ahead of the curve and the competition on: • Changing global EHS&S regulations • Best practices in EHS compliance management • Tips & techniques for multi-national compliance programs

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NEWS BULLETIN

STORAGE TERMINALS

VOPAK STAYS STEADY

Vopak has reported third quarter revenues of €352.0m, virtually flat against last year’s €349.6m, though EBITDA (excluding exceptional items) rose 6 per cent year-on-year to €240.5m. Net profit was up 25 per cent at €97.3m. “The demand for our services remained strong, reflected by an improved proportional occupancy of 92 per cent,” reports CEO Dick Richelle. “We continued to make good progress on our strategy to improve our financial and sustainability performance, to grow our base in industrial and gas terminals, and to accelerate towards new energies and sustainable feedstocks. Our well diversified portfolio combined with our new streamlined organisational structure positions us well to continue executing this strategy.” Meanwhile, in Singapore Vopak and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have signed an MoU covering research opportunities in low-carbon energy solutions, including addressing current challenges associated with hydrogen and ammonia, such as scalability, safety, storage and transport. The partnership will focus combining Vopak’s expertise and assets in importing, storing and handling ammonia on large scales with A*STAR’s research capabilities in energy transition and low carbon energy. The partnership will also enable researchers to access Singapore’s only ammonia import, storage and handling infrastructure to accelerate R&D and conduct technology pilots. “Hydrogen and ammonia can play an important role in Singapore’s transition to a low-carbon economy,” says Rob Boudestijn, president of Vopak Terminals Singapore. “As Singapore’s leading independent terminal infrastructure provider, we have extensive knowledge and experience in the safe handling of ammonia. We recognise the unique role that

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

Vopak can play to support Singapore’s net zero ambitions. We look forward to collaborate with A*STAR to accelerate the safe scale up and commercialisation of these low-carbon energy solutions.” www.vopak.com MIXED RESULTS IN ANTWERP

Port of Antwerp-Bruges has reported total throughput of 204.4m tonnes for the first nine months of the year, down 6 per cent on the same period last year. “The still unstable geopolitical and economic conditions are negatively impacting demand for container traffic around the world, while the picture is still mixed for other cargo flows,” the port authority says, though it also notes that it has garnered a growing share of container traffic in the Hamburg-Le Havre range. “The continued economic and geopolitical concerns have been visible in the figures for several quarters now,” says Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO. “The competitiveness of

European industry is under pressure due to high energy, raw materials and labour costs combined with low global demand. The indicators do not yet show any improvement for the near future, and container throughput will still be impacted in the fourth quarter by cancelled voyages from the Far East. Despite the fact that our throughput is falling less than the average in the Hamburg-Le Havre range and we are gaining market share, we will have to face the fact that 2023 will not be a top year.” Liquid bulk throughput is so far 2.9 per cent lower than in 2022, though liquid fuels have grown by 8.7 per cent on a jump in diesel imports. Chemical exports increased by 5.4 per cent but imports fell by 18.3 per cent, resulting in an overall fall in chemical throughput of 11.5 per cent. The port notes that the competitiveness of the chemical sector in Europe is under pressure due to high energy, raw materials and labour costs combined with low global demand. www.portofantwerpbruges.com

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IMPALA GETS INTO ROTTERDAM

Impala Terminals has emerged as the winner of the auction of the partly built HES Hartel Tank Terminal in Rotterdam, which was declared insolvent this past January. Impala now intends to invest up to €100m to complete the facility, to be known as Impala Energy Infrastructure Netherlands, to offer some 1.3m m3 of storage capacity in more than 50 tanks, with berths for seagoing vessels up to VLCC size and nine barge jetties. “I am pleased to announce that the sale process for the terminal asset will conclude next week and that Impala Energy Infrastructure Netherlands is the purchaser of the asset. This is a good outcome for all parties involved and, most importantly, Impala will make the necessary investment to complete and commission this important asset in the Port of Rotterdam,” said Carl Hamm, curator for the auction process, last month. Sjoerd Bazen, CEO of Impala Energy Infrastructure, comments: “This is an excellent development for Impala, particularly as it will provide our strategic customers with a strong and sustainable asset located within the Port of Rotterdam in the major trading hub of ARA. We look forward to developing our business in the region in collaboration with different stakeholders and specifically the Port of Rotterdam Authority.” www.impalaterminals.com ADPO STARTS WORK

Antwerp-based ADPO has begun steel works at its latest expansion project, tank pit 26. Sited next to the recently built tank pit 25 on land cleared by the demolition of an old warehouse, the new tank pit will offer 8,100 m3 of storage capacity for fine chemicals in 23 tanks of 300 m3 and 600 m3 capacity. Speaking at the time the project was announced earlier this year, ADPO’s managing director Filip de Dycker said: “The demand for additional storage is high due to the increased import traffic. High energy prices and labour costs in Europe have put the European process industry at a competitive disadvantage. Production cost is currently cheaper in America,

Asia and the Middle East. Because the raw materials – which are normally transported directly between the factory and the downstream user in Europe – are now mainly imported, additional tank storage is required.” www.adpo.com IMTT SELLS INLAND SITES

IMTT has closed the sale of its bulk liquids storage terminals in Alamogordo, NM; Bremen, GA; Macon, GA; Montgomery, AL; and Moundville, AL to JET Infrastructure. These terminals collectively represent approximately one million barrels of storage capacity, leaving IMTT with 41m bbl of storage capacity at its terminals on the East, West, and Gulf Coasts and in the Great Lakes and Canada. “The proceeds from this sale will be reinvested into current and future growth projects, allowing us to continue executing our Greener and Cleaner strategy,” says IMTT chairman/CEO Carlin Conner. “As of today, over half of IMTT’s revenue in 2023 is expected to be generated from the storage and handling of non-petroleum products, such as renewable diesel feedstocks, renewable diesel, vegetable and tropical oils, and chemicals. At the same time, we remain committed to supporting our legacy petroleum positions in advantaged markets across the US and Canada.” imtt.com

MOTIVA SELLS TERMINALS

Global Partners LP has agreed to acquire 25 liquid energy terminals from Motiva Enterprises for $305.8m in cash. The sites, which have a combined shell capacity of 8.4m bbl (1.3m m3), are mainly sited along the pipelines connecting the US eastern seaboard with Texas, although there are some in Florida. Global currently owns or leases 24 liquids terminal, mostly in the north-eastern US, so the deal will considerably expand its terminal network. “This acquisition is an exceptional opportunity to deliver on our strategy and create value by expanding our footprint into areas with increasing population centres,” says Eric Slifka, Global’s president/CEO. “As a premier operator of terminals, wholesale distribution and retail marketing, we believe these terminals allow us to leverage our expertise in supply and give us a platform for growth in all aspects of our business.” Motiva has entered into a 25-year take-orpay throughput agreement with Global covering the terminals. Meanwhile, it will focus on its core manufacturing and logistics operations, which are centred around its Port Arthur manufacturing complex in Texas. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions but is expected to close by the end of this year. www.globalp.com

WWW.HCBLIVE.COM

THROUGH THE MAZE CONFERENCE REPORT • INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING MARKETS HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE TRENDS DURING THE COVID YEARS, AS THIS YEAR’S ICCR CONFERENCE HEARD

THE TRIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL Industrial Packaging Conference (IIPC) follows the packaging industry around the world and provides a very useful meeting point for reconditioners and manufacturers from Europe, North America and Japan. Each iteration of the event begins with a round-up of business performance over the past three years though at this year’s event, which took place in Ghent, Belgium at the end of September, speakers had to look back five years, since the Covid pandemic had made it impossible to hold the 2021 IIPC and industry had not managed to get together since the

the Marriott Hotel, eager to hear from speakers representing the various trade associations. Following welcome remarks from conference chairman Philippe Verstraete, Paul Rankin (chairman of the International Confederation of Container Reconditioners, ICCR) and Domenico Rinaldini (chairman of the International Confederation of Drum Manufacturers, ICDM), moderator Jörg Höppner of the European Association of Steel Drum Manufacturers (SEFA) first introduced Mathias de Clerq, the Mayor of Ghent, who invited the audience to make the most of their

meeting in Tokyo in 2018. Partly as a result of that lengthy hiatus but also, as reflected in the first part of this report (HCB November 2023, page 52), because of the existential threats to the reconditioning business coming from regulators in Brussels and Washington, there was a healthy crowd in

stay and enjoy the wonderful and hardworking city.

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

RECONDITIONING ACTIVITY First up to report on reconditioning activities was Pim Janus, chairman of the European Association of Container and Drum

Reconditioners (SERRED), which has 22 full member companies across 14 European countries. The Covid period was, he said, a good business time for industrial packaging in Europe but, more recently, inflation, weak demand, the Ukraine war and labour issues have conspired to dampen business activity. Sales of reconditioned steel drums (openand tight-head, 200 to 220 litres) in the EU peaked in 2020 and 2021 at around 6m units, compared to just over 4m in 2018 and 4.75m in 2022. The smaller market for reconditioned plastics drums has also come off a peak of 570,000 to 600,000 units per year in the period 2016 to 2019, falling to under 520,000 units in 2022. EU sales of reconditioned 1,000-litre rigid and composite intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), both cleaned and rebottled, were on a strong upward trend from 2.24m in 2015 to 4.32m in 2019 and have since stabilised around that level, with a slight drop last year to 4.18m. Looking ahead, Janus said, reconditioners are seeing increasing demand for improved environmental care and energy efficiency. The proposed EU Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPW) Regulation should increase efforts to re-use packagings, which could be good for the sector, though SERRED will have to continue its lobbying work in Brussels to try to ensure a workable solution. He also noted that there is an increasing integration between the manufacturing and reconditioning sectors, with some of the major drum and IBC producers investing in expanding their reconditioning services, while users are demanding higher safety and performance from reconditioned packagings. Things are rather different in Japan, as Noriyuki Yokoyama of the Japan Drum Reconditioners’ Association (JDRA) reported. The long-term trend is seeing sales of new steel drums rising compared to reconditioned units. Up until 2001, sales of reconditioned drums outstripped new units but, Yokoyama explained, increasing automation by manufacturers led to increased output of new drums, while also allowing the use of thinner gauge steel, which cannot be reused as many times. Overall, just under 25m steel drums are produced each year, both new and

INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING 45

reconditioned; of these, some 45 per cent are new drums used for chemicals. Reconditioned drums tend to be used in the petroleum and paint sectors. To help support the sector, drum reconditioners have been extending their used drum collection and transport systems; they also act as dealers for new drums. Yokoyama looked in more detail at the Covid years, which featured a sharp drop in Japanese economic activity at the beginning of the pandemic, despite there being very few cases of the virus in the country at the time. That led to a sudden 10.8 per cent drop in output of reconditioned drums and, over the four years since the 2019 sales peak, a 21 per cent decline in business. Sales are also being impacted by rising prices, especially since 2022. NORTH AND SOUTH Tim O’Bryan, chair of the Reusable Industrial Packaging Association (RIPA), spoke about the reconditioning industry in North America, which he said is healthy but threatened by potential regulatory changes on the part of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Having said that, 2021 was a very poor year for business, especially for steel drums. A fall in steel production in the US during the Covid period meant that there were fewer used drums coming to reconditioners, so output of reconditioned 55-gallon steel drums dropped from an average of just under 25m per year in the period from 2013 to 2019 to just 17.4m. Figures for plastics drums were little better; 2.6m units were reconditioned in 2021, with 1.8m being scrapped. This compares to closer to 5m in 2019. O’Bryan had happier news from the IBC sector, where output of reconditioned composite IBCs continues to grow. In 2021, 1.16m IBCs were washed and 2.4m re-bottled or cross-bottled, giving a total of almost 3.6m. Just under 2m were scrapped. There has been a long-term trend towards consolidation among the major players in North America, though this process slowed

 DELEGATES ARRIVED IN GHENT FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD TO HEAR THE LATEST ON INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING MARKETS

during the Covid period. Nevertheless, there is an appetite for more acquisitions among the major players. Aside from the threat from EPA, US economic activity is not helping reconditioners. Inflation has remained stubbornly high and, along with a tight labour market, this has resulted in significant rises in wage costs – a problem that is affecting all manufacturing companies. Wages for employees at reconditioning plants have increased by at least 30 per cent over the past 18 months, O’Bryan said, and most reconditioners are finding it very difficult to hire enough workers to maintain production at the desired levels. A welcome addition to the line-up of speakers was Raj Lochan, CEO of the South African Industrial Container Reconditioners Association (SAICRA), which was formed in 2012 (with help from SERRED and ICCR) to promote the role of the sector and to help it

for many industrial sectors, including paper and packaging, lubricants, pesticides and portable batteries. SAICRA now acts as the producer responsibility organisation (PRO) for the drum reconditioning sector, which now numbers between 35 and 40 companies across the country.

deal with the new wave of extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation and the National Waste Management Strategy in South Africa. The EPR Regulations themselves were published in November 2020 and amended in May 2021 for implementation; since then there have been new requirements coming into effect

last year, as a result of technical improvements that have allowed tighter tolerances. European drums are also very much lighter than those produced in Japan, Rinaldini noted, which are mostly around 23 kg. European drum manufacturers are now facing several issues, Rinaldini added, handing

EMISSIONS IMPOSSIBLE After a quick break for coffee it was the turn of producers to take the stage, with SERRED’s Michael Eigner acting as moderator. First up was SEFA’s Domenico Rinaldini, who said that output of new steel drums (185 to 250 litres) has fallen sharply since the Covid emergency began, from 31.2m in 2019 to 26.8m in 2022. At the same time, turnover has shot up as a result of input costs (both for raw materials and energy) that have been passed on down the chain. The average weight of a new steel drum continues to fall, from 17.6 kg in 2000 to 16.4 kg

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over to his colleague Niko Tessin to take the audience through the EU’s draft PPW Regulation. There are some good things on offer, not least that, by replacing the current Directive with a Regulation, there will be a harmonised approach across the EU. In addition, recycling will be promoted. But, for SEFA, the main problem is that drums (as well as pails, IBCs and other primary packagings) are listed as ‘transport packaging’ in Article 26, which will set re-use targets that will likely be unrealistic for European-gauge steel drums. Paul Rankin enquired why the term ‘industrial packaging’ was not used; this would give an opportunity for the EU to establish a difference between ‘industrial’ and ‘consumer’ packaging that could be helpful to industries in other parts of the world. This is not a problem facing the Industrial Steel Drum Institute (ISDI) in the US, though chairman Kyle Stavig, CEO of the Stavig Group, did remark that the discussion about the EU’s PPW Regulation was one of the reasons that industry had made the trip to Ghent. He also had to reveal that he was

unable to bring updated production survey data to present to the audience, since the Industrial Packaging Alliance of North America (IPANA), of which ISDI is a member, has not been able to meet the Federal Trade Commission’s anti-trust requirements for information exchange. Ongoing consolidation has made it impossible to comply. However, it is clear that more industrial packaging is being used in North America as a result of comparatively low energy costs that have encouraged some relocation of manufacturing activity to the US. One major problem area for ISDI is the calculation of Scope 3 emissions, where significant differences remain across rating agencies. ISDI is working with other associations and has also opened a dialogue with its own manufacturer members to establish how each calculates the greenhouse gas emissions involved in the production of a new steel drum. ISDI believes it would be beneficial to all if there is a consistent methodology, particularly as customers and regulators are pushing for the information.

PLASTICS AND FIBRES Torben Knoess, general secretary of the International Confederation of Plastics Packaging Manufacturers (ICPP) spoke about how, along with ICCR, it had worked to get a change adopted into the UN Model Regulations on the use of recycled plastics in IBCs. A lot of ICPP members have shown that high-quality dangerous goods packaging can be produced from recycled material, he said, and, as the regulators have become more comfortable with the idea, industry has managed to get a reduction in the batch testing requirements accepted. The aim is to maintain batch tests for recyclate in order to ensure consistent quality but to require only an initial type test for finished packaging, as for new material. There were also presentations on fibre drums. Rob Lee, president of the European Association of Fibre Drum Manufacturers (SEFFI) said that the European market for fibre drums is steady at around 5m units per year, though this is much lower than the levels seen prior to 2008, when production by SEFFI members exceeded 12m drums per year. Still, SEFFI is optimistic that environmental regulation will support growth in demand. Greif’s Lacy Winchell gave the audience an introduction to the International Fibre Drum Institute (IFDI), which is one of the four members of IPANA. Winchell, vice-chair of IFDI, highlighted the fact that it has only two members: Greif and Mauser. Together, they were responsible for selling some 16m fibre drums in North America in 2022. The market remains strong but it is getting easier to recondition or recycle other packagings, which makes fibre drums less attractive from the standpoint of sustainability. Fibre drum producers are also using more liners and other non-renewable items in fibre drums that means they cannot be recycled through older paper mills in the US. Still, fibre drums have advantages in terms of cost, ease of handling, customisation and the range of products they can handle. Next month’s HCB will report on other presentations from IIPC 2023.

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING 47

NEWS BULLETIN

INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING

GREIF PLANS FRENCH BUY

Greif has entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire iPackchem Group SAS, a France-based manufacturer of high-performance plastics packaging, from SK Capital. The acquisition, if it goes ahead, would add a global leader in premium barrier and non-barrier jerrycans and small plastic containers to the Greif portfolio. “The iPackchem portfolio is in perfect alignment with Greif ’s strategic growth aspirations in jerrycans and other small plastics,” says Greif ’s president/CEO Ole Rosgaard. “Its state-of-the-art facilities are located in many of the regions we already serve, leading to significant value creation opportunities. Further, iPackchem allows us to enter into new and attractive geographies and end markets with a scaled position upon which we can further grow through organic investment. Greif is excited and will be eager to welcome the iPackchem colleagues to our family and create lasting value together when the planned transaction is completed.” “Over the last three decades iPackchem built a global platform delivering safe, sustainable and secure packaging solutions and we are excited for our next chapter with Greif,” says Jean-Philippe Morvan, CEO of iPackchem. “Greif ’s industry expertise and customer service

orientation will enhance our value proposition to our global customer base. I would like to thank SK Capital for their strong partnership through our most recent phase of transformational growth.” iPackchem employs more than 1,400 people at 13 operating facilities in eight countries. In the 12 months to end September it generated sales of some $235m and adjusted EBITDA of $57m. Greif is proposing a cash transaction of $538m. www.greif.com SCHÜTZ BUYS IN BENELUX

Schütz has acquired Jager Group and its operating companies Jager & Zn BV and Jager Cleaning. Jager has two locations in the north of the Netherlands specialising in reconditioning, recycling and selling industrial packaging. The group’s portfolio includes services and products ranging from IBCs to PE and steel drums, jerrycans and wooden pallets. It also has its own fleet of trucks and trailers. The acquisition is part of the Schütz strategy of optimising transport routes to customers and providing resource-saving reconditioning of industrial packaging in compliance with the highest level of environmental care, safety and quality. “The Jager group is an ideal addition to

Schütz Benelux’s collection and reconditioning network, allowing customers to benefit from a comprehensive choice of industrial packaging with a closed-loop recycling system,” says Schütz. www.schuetz.net STAVIG CONSOLIDATES AS NCC

The Stavig Group is bringing its four steel drum manufacturing operations under a single brand, North Coast Container (NCC). The group also includes Myers Container, General Steel Drum and Chicago Steel Container, all owned by Kyle Stavig and his brothers, and is the leading independent steel drum manufacturer and reconditioner in the US. By consolidating under a single name, North Coast Container plans to expand its national reach, helping more customers resolve supply chain issues with sustainable steel drums that help the planet and their business. “We are proud to continue the family tradition of making the highest quality industrial steel drums,” says Kyle Stavig, CEO of North Coast Container. “Our new name will make it easier for customers to understand we provide a nationwide, redundant footprint, we are entrepreneurial, and easy to deal with by providing the best service in the industry.” Kyle Stavig’s great-grandfather founded the company in 1917 as Myers Drum (later Myers Container) in Richmond, California. Since 2007, the Stavig Group, which includes Kyle and his brothers, has acquired three more companies across the country, growing into the nation’s leading independent steel drum maker, seller, and reconditioner. “We are a forwardthinking company with a lifecycle approach to industrial packaging solutions. By putting our customers and team members first, NCC fosters a continuous improvement philosophy in our community and the industries we serve,” the company states. www.northcoastcontainer.com

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Regulatory Database

COURSES & CONFERENCES 48

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CONFERENCES

CONFERENCE DIARY JANUARY

MARCH

BADGP

COHMED

PPC Spring Meeting

Annual AGM and seminar of the British Association of Dangerous Goods Professionals

MARCH 21, COVENTRY JANUARY 22-26, SAVANNAH

MARCH 3-5, TAMPA

Annual conference of the Cooperative Hazardous Materials Enforcement Development (COHMED) programme

Bi-annual meeting and tradeshow of the Petroleum Packaging Council

https://cvsa.org/eventpage/events/cohmedconference/ Argus Clean Ammonia Middle East JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 1, RIYADH

Three-day event to discuss clean fuel supply chains

www.badgp.org/badgp-news-blog/13192200

www.ppcouncil.org/upcoming-meetings.php AFPM IPC Intermodal South America

MARCH 24-26, SAN ANTONIO

MARCH 5-7, SÃO PAULO

AFPM’s annual International Petrochemical Conference

28th annual international exhibition on intermodal logistics, cargo transport and international trade

www.afpm.org/events/IPC24

www.intermodal.com.br/en

APRIL

AFPM Annual Meeting

Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Energy Summit

www.argusmedia.com/en/conferences-eventslisting/clean-ammonia-middle-east

FEBRUARY

MARCH 10-12, GRAPEVINE, TX

APRIL 3-4, VALENCIA

AFPM’s annual meeting for refiners and marketers

Internationale Gefahrgut-Tage Hamburg 2024

www.afpm.org/events/AnnualMeeting2024

7th annual conference to discuss innovations in hydrogen and fuel cell technology, production and transport

FEBRUARY 26-27, HAMBURG

www.wplgroup.com/aci/event/hydrogen-fuel-cells-

39th annual conference on dangerous goods transport (German language)

IATA World Cargo Symposium

www.ecomed-storck.de/Veranstaltungen/

Annual global conference on air cargo

Internationale-Gefahrgut-Tage-Hamburg-2024-

www.iata.org/en/events/wcs/

Veranstaltung-Hamburg-26-27-02-2024.html StocExpo 2024 International Energy Week

MARCH 12-13, ROTTERDAM

FEBRUARY 27-29, LONDON

The main annual exhibition and conference for the European tank terminal industry

Annual week of meetings, conferences and seminars (formerly ‘IP Week’)

energy-summit/

MARCH 12-14, HONG KONG NISTM APRIL 3-5, ORLANDO

National Institute for Storage Tank Management’s 26th annual international aboveground storage tank conference and trade show www.nistm.org

www.stocexpo.com/en/

www.ieweek.co.uk

UKIFDA Expo 2024 LogiChem

APRIL 10-11, LIVERPOOL

Battery Recycling Europe

MARCH 12-14, ROTTERDAM

FEBRUARY 28-29, LONDON

Chemical supply chain and logistics conference

Annual exhibition and conference for the fuel distribution sector in the UK and Ireland

Fourth annual conference for the battery recycling and manufacturing sectors www.wplgroup.com/aci/event/battery-recyclingeurope/

CVSA Workshop WPC 2024

APRIL 14-18, LOUISVILLE

MARCH 18-22, HOUSTON

Meeting for industry, regulators and enforcers to improve commercial vehicle safety

Hazardex 2024

39th World Petrochemical Conference

FEBRUARY 28-29, HARROGATE

https://wpc.ihsmarkit.com/index.html?/summary

Conference and exhibition on hazardous area operations and personal protective technology www.hazardex-event.co.uk/Hazardex-live.aspx

https://ukifda.org/ukifda-events/

http://logichem.wbresearch.com/

www.cvsa.org/events/cvsa-workshop/ International Transport & Logistics Week (SITL) MARCH 19-21, PARIS

Annual transport event, including hybrid and in-person conferences and workshops www.sitl.eu/en-gb.html

LogiPharma APRIL 16-18, LYON

Conference on the end-to-end pharmaceutical supply chain logipharmaeu.wbresearch.com

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INCIDENT LOG ROAD/RAIL/AIR INCIDENTS Date

Location

Vehicle Type

Substance

Details

Source

6/10/23 Isheri, road tanker fuel Ogun, Nigeria

Road tanker caught fire on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, cause unknown; identity of vehicle, destination not known, suggesting it might be a smuggling operation; other motorists stranded while highway was blocked

Business Day

6/10/23 Ayensukrom No 2, road tanker diesel Western, Ghana

Road tanker with 54,000 litres diesel from Tema Express Oil Marketing Co caught fire along Tarkwa-Bogoso Highway; driver, mate escaped unhurt; fire appeared to start under cab, affecting brakes; small leak

Ghana Bus News

9/10/23 Tathawade, road tanker propylene Maharashtra, India

Road tanker parked on open land caught fire, exploded; nearby vehicles gutted by blaze; three people arrested after trying to decant propylene (propane?) gas from tanker into cylinders, which led to fire

Hindustan Times

9/10/23 Lafia, road tanker gasoline Nasarawa, Nigeria

Road tanker exploded during delivery of gasoline to Sandaji filling station, injuring six people; building was badly damaged; cause of blast unknown

Business Day

10/10/23 nr Karijini, truck WA, Australia

Truck with two trailers carrying 25 tonnes ammonium nitrate for use in mining explosives collided with car on Gt Northern Highway in Pilbara area; both vehicles destroyed in explosion, fire; all occupants killed

The West Australian

12/10/23 Berger, road tanker diesel Lagos, Nigeria

Road tanker lost control, overturned at Otedola Bridge on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; 33,000-litre cargo began leaking, attracting locals to scoop up spilled fuel; bus was trapped by wreck but no injuries reported

Business Day

12/10/23 New Taipei City, road tanker Taiwan

Road tanker crashed, overturned on Provincial Highway 2 in Gongliao district, spilling large amount of bleach to road; driver was killed in crash; driver said to have lost control after overtaking another vehicle

Taiwan English

17/10/23 Madrid, e-scooter battery Spain

Explosion on underground rail carriage at La Elipa station found to have been caused by battery of e-scooter; blast blew out windows of carriage but caused no injuries; city council considering ban on e-scooters

Olive Express

18/10/23 Abeokuta, road tanker diesel Ogun, Nigeria

Fire broke out during transfer of diesel between two tankers at Nine Energies filling station in Asero district; two people on receiving tanker were injured; other tanker left to prevent further fire

The Eagle

19/10/23 Langkho, motorcycle fireworks Shan, Myanmar

Two people were killed by explosion of fireworks in sidecar of motorcycle; engine was leaking oil as it was started, which led to fire that ignited the fireworks

Xinhua

21/10/23 Worcester township, road tanker jet fuel Pennsylvania, US

Tank truck with jet fuel crashed into stationary vehicle on I-476; other car had stopped to help another with a flat tyre and had its warning lights on; tanker was unable to stop; fire broke out, killing two people

26/10/23 Wichita, road tanker gasoline Kansas, US

Tank truck making turn to get onto I-235 overturned, spilling gasoline towards residential area; driver hurt; fire crews applied foam to reduce risk of ignition; shelter-in-place ordered

KAKE

28/10/23 Houston, truck Texas, US

Exit ramp from I-610 East Loop to Manchester was closed after truck was found to be leaking sulfuric acid; reports fail to indicate why there was a leak; truck was unloaded and taken away; no injuries reported

Fox 26

2/11/23 Ontario, road tanker LNG (?) Oregon, US

Man was seen on fire at Love’s Travel Center; police and fire crews attended, took injured man to Boise; fire was reportedly in vehicle in vacant lot adjacent to Love’s used as a mobile station for LNG transfer (?!)

Idaho 6 News

7/11/23 Ya’an, road tanker oil Sichuan, China

Road tanker carrying unspecified oil cargo exploded, possibly due to leak of product; two other trucks also caught fire; two people killed, both tanker drivers, others injured; cause of explosion under investigation

GFS News

15/11/23 Billerica, road tanker gasoline Massachusetts, US

Tank truck carrying unspecified fuel was involved in multi-vehicle crash on Route 3, overturned; most of its cargo leaked from manlids; road closed for extended period; two people suffered minor injuries

ammonium nitrate

sodium hypochlorite

sulfuric acid

MARINE/INLAND WATERWAY INCIDENTS Date

Location

Vessel

Details

Source

13/10/23 Copenhagen, Ann Rousing scrap Denmark

Violent fire broke out in cargo hold of general cargo ship during loading of scrap at Amager; responders wary of applying too much water in case of destabilising ship; fire burned for 30 hours

FleetMon

14/10/23 Cape Town, South Africa

paper bales

Fire broke out in cargo of eucalyptus paper bales in forward hold of woodchip carrier; shoreside fire crews helped salvors extinguish blaze, remove cargo; ship had had another cargo fire only weeks before

Maritime Executive

20/10/23 Bakauheni, Tranship 1 truck Sumatra, Indonesia

Fire broke out on truck aboard ferry just prior to docking; all 200 passengers got off without injury; fire was extinguished by crew and shore teams; truck was carrying e-bikes, foam mattresses, other goods

FleetMon

22/10/23 Batangas, Sea Horse fuel Philippines

Fire broke out in small tanker at anchorage off Batangas; two crew killed; three tugs extinguished blaze; booms deployed to prevent spread of spilt fuel; cause of explosion under investigation

Manila Standard

10/11/23 off Sakhalin Island, Victoria diesel Russia

Small tanker (2,800 dwt) from Vladivostock with 700 tonnes diesel lost power in Tatar Strait, was blown aground in heavy seas; salvors attempted to transfer cargo to prevent major environmental damage

Maritime Executive

Batavia Express

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

Substance

INCIDENT LOG 51

MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS Date

Location

Plant type

Substance

Details

Source

12/10/23 Middleton, pipeline natural gas Ohio, US

Worker ruptured 22-inch gas line with excavator, was injured in subsequent ‘explosion’; most of town was briefly evacuated before operator Williams Companies could turn off supply

13/10/23 Wood River, Nebraska, US

ammunition chemicals factory

One killed, two injured by explosion in chemical compound building at Hornady Manufacturing plant; county sheriff’s office, state fire marshal investigating cause

Western Journal

17/10/23 nr Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, India

fireworks fireworks factories

14 workers were killed in explosions at two separate fireworks units on same day; 13 died during packing of firecrackers when spark ignited boxes; other fatality was at a fireworks unit that suffered unexplained explosion

Times of India

25/10/23 Sopot, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

weapons explosives plant

One worker was killed in explosion at VMZ-Sopot weapons factory during work with explosives; two others injured in blast; initial investigation indicated no safety failures; full investigation underway

Novinite

28/10/23 Midland, Michigan, US

chemical chemical plant

Release of unspecified chemical from Dow I-Park plant was rated “extreme” by county officials, with plume possibly extending outside the facility; nearby roads closed as a precaution; release contained quickly

Detroit News

29/10/23 nr Novorossiysk, oil refinery oil Krasnodar, Russia

Fire broke out at Afipsky oil refinery, possibly as a result of drone attack; fire was extinguished quickly with no casualties or major damage reported; same refinery had been attacked in May

Reuters

31/10/23 Damoh, MP, India

fireworks fireworks factory

Three people were killed, 10 injured by explosion at illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in residential area; roof of building collapsed in blast, trapping people in its debris; police to hold inquiry

NDTV

8/11/23 Shepherd, Texas, US

chemical solvents plant

One worker was injured when large fire broke out after chemicals leaked from a container; injured man was operating forklift at Sound Resource Solutions glue and solvent plant; fire proved difficult to put out

ABC 13

14/11/23 Pinjarra, WA, Australia

alumina corrosive refinery

Five people were injured after being exposed to caustic solution during planned maintenance at Alcoa plant; substance is used to separate alumina from bauxite ore; WorkSafe inspectors on site

WA Today

14/11/23 Xiutetelco, Puebla, Mexico

fireworks fireworks factory

Four people killed, others injured by major explosion at licensed fireworks workshop; authorities confirmed that site had been inspected by the Defence Department; cause of blast not known

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52 BACK PAGE

NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED NATURE STRIKES BACK Chassez le naturel and all that – this page has reported several times before on how humans’ desire for a bug-free life has led to disaster but we believe this is a new one: a man and his son died in Darbhanga in India’s Bihar state last month after their house burned down. The man’s widow said they had been sleeping but had left a mosquito coil – which gives off a smell to deter the insects – burning in the room. Somehow it must have set fire to the bedroom. Despite raising the alarm and neighbours rushing to help try to douse the flames, the fire intensified and engulfed the entire house, local reports said.

good for business nor for consumers. Indeed, one major player in the business, ‘spud king’ Tony Galati, had been taken to court twice for growing too many potatoes and had said he was willing to go to jail for his rights. Still, there does seem to be a glut. Coming soon: vodka from Western Australia?

AUSTRALIA IS DIFFERENT Here at HCB we are used to writing about the transport of all sorts of materials that are, one way or another, restricted. But we have not come across potatoes before. Evidently, Australia’s Marketing of Potatoes Act of 1946 made it illegal for anyone to sell, purchase, take delivery of or deliver more than 50 kg of potatoes at a time, unless they were a member of the Potato Marketing Corporation or an agent thereof. The Act made provision for fines and penalties equivalent to twice the value of the potatoes carried. The Potato Marketing Corporation was wound up in 2016 and the attendant legislation was abolished – but not in Western Australia, which held onto its ‘stop and search’ powers for those reprobates who

AMBULANCE CHASER Speaking of vodka, we all know how the prospect of free booze can make humans turn feral and this was amply illustrated in October in Bloemfontein, South Africa. It happened when an ambulance was ferrying patients from hospital to a specialist care facility. The driver found his route blocked by a truck carrying booze that had jack-knifed on the N8 highway and had to come to a halt while trying to figure out how to get around the defile. His passengers, the aforementioned patients, took that opportunity to open the door, clamber out and collect bottles of alcoholic beverages, bringing them back onto the ambulance. A health department spokesman was almost speechless, being quoted as saying: “It is unimaginable that a person who is supposedly sick should suddenly be fit enough to pick up alcoholic beverages strewn on the road and – worst of all – would have the audacity to load them into a state vehicle that is supposed to ferry the sick. This was unacceptable conduct that made a mockery of the department’s efforts to provide quality services to the people of the province.”

wanted to take 51 kg of potatoes home with them. It was only in May 2021 that the potato industry in WA managed to persuade the state government that over-regulation was not

In fact, the health department felt it necessary to insist that the collection of the free booze was not carried out by its own personnel. Which kinda makes you wonder…

HCB MONTHLY | DECEMBER 2023

ADVERTISERS INDEX Chemical Watch

CS Intermodal

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02, 07, 41, 48, IBC

Fort Vale

OBC

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IFC

Labeline

09, 11, 13

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