Petrochemical storage
Preparing for regulatory inspection with a practical recovery plan
A European petrochemical storage company needed to restore inspection evidence, repair ageing bulk storage tanks and increase available capacity without disrupting a live terminal.
Context
Inspection evidence was limiting operational confidence.
The recently acquired riverside terminal had strong distribution potential, but many bulk storage tanks were unavailable because inspection data was missing or incomplete.
The site needed to demonstrate mechanical integrity for regulatory approval and respond to Control of Major Accident Hazard requirements. RTL was asked to develop, manage and coordinate the assessment and remediation plan from concept through to completion.
Constraint
Incomplete records
Historical inspection reports had to be collected, reviewed and reconciled.
Operating environment
Live terminal
Loading and offloading needed to continue while inspections and repairs were delivered.
Business need
Available capacity
Returned tanks would support the site's expansion plan and future product opportunities.
Approach
Find the gaps, coordinate the work, restore the evidence.
RTL combined project management, inspection coordination and remediation planning with practical controls for safe work in a high-traffic operating environment.
Review historical inspection reports and perform an on-site gap assessment to identify missing data and existing defects.
Align stakeholders, operators, subcontractors and inspection partners around a constrained delivery schedule.
Design and implement repairs with trusted partners, including tank preparation, safety controls and non-destructive testing.
Review reports, recalculate findings where necessary, collect material certifications and issue service certificates.
Return assets to service with an evidence trail, updated remedial plans and a clear route for remaining work.
Delivery
Safe execution without interrupting daily operations.
More than 30 carbon-steel storage tanks were inspected and repaired within a 60-day period while the terminal continued to operate 24 hours a day.
Permit to Work, pre-work risk assessments and toolbox talks kept work at As Low As Reasonably Practicable. The team retained the authority to stop work if conditions changed. Pragmatic scheduling allowed routine loading and offloading to continue at a safe distance.
32 of 33 certified
Inspection and integrity partners issued fit-for-service certificates for 32 of the 33 bulk storage tanks.
One major exception
One tank could not return to service because of excessive material loss in the tank shell and floor.
CAPEX route defined
Designs and remedial plans were prepared for the lower tank-strake replacement required on the remaining asset.
Result
Capacity restored, risk reduced and the next investment made clearer.
The terminal exceeded its initial recovery expectations. The project returned 97% of the bulk storage tanks to service, supporting continuity and a stronger platform for expansion.
The source case study states that the project created capacity beyond the target, restored continuity and opened opportunity for additional products in the future.
Next step
Is incomplete evidence constraining your assets?
RTL can help identify the gaps, coordinate the intervention and establish a practical route back to safe, compliant operation.