Alkion plans isotank storage

A PLACE IN THE SUN

STORAGE • THE SOUTH OF FRANCE IS SOON TO GET ITS FIRST DEDICATED TANK CONTAINER STORAGE PLATFORM, AS ALKION TERMINALS RESPONDS TO CHANGES IN CHEMICAL SUPPLY CHAINS

BULK LIQUID STORAGE capacity, especially for chemicals, is currently in very short supply in Europe. That tightness, along with the increasing use of tank containers (or ‘isotanks’) for temporary, ‘just-in-case’ storage – up to 30 per cent of the deepsea tank fleet is currently in demurrage, observers report - has prompted Alkion Terminals to look at providing space to store tank containers at its bulk liquids terminal in Marseille, France.

This is, Alkion says, the very first tank container storage platform to be provided in the south of France and is due to come into service in July 2023. Construction has started, following authorisation from the Direction régionale de l’environnement, de l’aménagement et du logement (DREAL) of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA). “Our Marseille terminal’s solid expertise in dangerous goods storage, including difficultto-handle chemicals, was a big advantage for the permit approval and is a significant added-value to the project execution,” the company states.

Aurélien Jakalski, sales engineer and project developer at Alkion Terminal Marseille, explains further: “Such a platform does not exist in the south of Europe and it’s a must have for all Isotank users. It will lead to more safety regarding the storage of dangerous goods, but also to several supply chain optimisations and decreased CO2 footprint due to multimodal solutions.”

GETTING ON WITH IT Approval was granted this past January and work began in May to demolish several old tanks and prepare the land for the construction of the tank container platform. This will offer 204 spaces for tank containers with flammable, toxic and corrosive products, each class of dangerous goods having its own space at the site. Alkion says the arrangement will allow it to handle tanks for those customers that want to store liquid bulks – both hazardous and non-hazardous – at a secure site that is equipped with the proper safety equipment and staffed by trained people with long experience in handling bulk liquids.

Alkion expects the facility to be used to optimise supply chains by holding buffer stocks or spot volumes in case of vessel cancellations or maintenance outages. “The solution can be fully integrated into the global supply chain of our customers, giving them valuable flexibility,” Alkion says. “Our current terminal customers will also be able take advantage of the flexibility that the new platform offers. And, by enabling the switch from trucks to trains, it will enable our customers to significantly reduce their CO2 emissions.”

The Marseille terminal is one of nine European sites operated by Alkion Terminals. Located in the Lavéra area of Marseille in the outer part of the port, adjacent to the Ineos complex, it has good rail links and is close to the A55 highway; goods can also be barged up the River Rhône to the industrial area around Lyon. Prior to the construction work, it offered 127,000 m3 of bulk storage capacity in 98 tanks; although some of that is being taken down to make way for the tank container platform, Alkion says there is still space for expansion. www.alkion.com

ALKION EXPECTS TANK CONTAINER STORAGE TO