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THE FUTURE IS NOW

LAST ISSUE, you met the new editorial team at Tank Storage Magazine. I’m happy to report that the new team of writers and I have got well and truly stuck in over the last month or so.

I met many of you at the TSA Conference in the UK, and Cyann met even more across the breakbulk event, AntwerpXL. And staff writer, Molly, experienced first-hand the many robotics innovations that the industry has been cooking up at Sprint Robotics’ conference in Amsterdam last month. You can read all about our experiences in the events section at the back of this issue.

The clear running theme at all the events was a focus on the health and safety of workers. Robotics are part of the equation – with innovative tank cleaners and painters removing humans from unsafe, hazardous environments. I had the opportunity to try out Re-Gen Robotics’ tank cleaner while at the TSA Conference and seeing how easy it was to handle made it clear why these sorts of products are a no-brainer. After all, why endanger people when there’s no need to?

There’s been a slew of incidents at terminals over the last few months, and so safety must be a top priority for the sector. Advances in technology – not just physical robots replacing humans – are going to be key to creating safer, more efficient workspaces.

Tank terminals are becoming more digital by the minute – automation is making processes more efficient and freeing up time for people to focus on their job roles, rather than getting bogged down in admin tasks. But with increased digitalisation comes a higher risk of cyberattacks. Luckily for you tank terminal operators, this issue is packed with ideas for terminal automation, digitalisation and cybersecurity measures to keep your terminal safe and operational.

Before you plough ahead to those articles, though, you’ll find an exclusive interview with Arabian Chemical Terminals (ACT) (page 22) discussing the company’s brand new terminal in Abu Dhabi – the first of its kind. Having secured such a key location, ACTAD is primed to benefit from increased growth in the region particularly in the Khalifa industrial zone.

On page 24, ACE Terminal tells us all about the new venture from the experts at Vopak, Gasunie and HES International. The plan is to bring ammonia to northwest Europe – with a time-to-market of 2026 (that’s just two years!).

We’ve also got exclusive analysis pieces looking at the growth of LNG imports into Asia (page 27) and how the need for energy security is impacting the EU’s strategy for stockpiles (page 26).

By the time this copy reaches you, I’ll be away in Rotterdam at the World Hydrogen Congress, so expect even more exclusive scoops coming up in the next issue of Tank Storage Magazine!

And as always, if you want to share your thoughts on where the tank terminal sector is headed, you can get in contact with me or one of the team.

Best wishes,

Anamika