How do I know what type of tank I need?

The product’s requirements will often dictate the type of tank you may need e.g. corrosive or food grade products will usually require stainless steel, most other products will be compatible with carbon steel tanks which are the most common material of construction at a terminal. Size will be dictated by your shipping parcel size and how much stock you will need to keep at any one time

My product needs to be free from oxygen whilst in storage, how do you do this?

We are able to apply a nitrogen blanket through a regulator on top of the tank, this ensures the oxygen level is kept to less than 1%.

I have another product which has a freezing point of +22C. How do you stop it from freezing solid ?

We have tanks which have a heating coil fitted, these coils are fed with steam which heats the coil and therefore heats the product. We are able to set and monitor temperatures for individual products.

What if you didn’t have the facilities I wanted?

In the unlikely event that we didn’t, we have a UK engineering department who are able to design and build tanks and systems to customer’s specifications. Providing this service in house means that we can work very closely with you to match your requirements.

When I hire a storage tank what do I get with it?

In general we would offer you a non-heated dedicated storage tank, with shared general purpose sea access and dedicated road import/export. This enables you very simply to import product by sea, store and export to road. We are however very flexible and can cater for any variety of movements in and out of the terminal including pipelines.

I’m importing product into your terminal by ship, how do you ensure it gets into my tank safely and efficiently?

We have very tight procedures allowing us to make connections from the ship to any particular tank, which means we can only put your product into your tank. In addition our quality procedures mean that all pipelines we use for this service are adequately prepared, double checking with an independent surveyor ensures your product is on specification.

I have a customer who can only take deliveries at 8.00am, how can I service this?

Our terminals are open 24 hours a day 365 days a year, for a minor additional charge it is possible to use our sites whenever you need to.

My company wants to reduce the risks of accidents to our road tanker drivers, how can you help with safety?

We will do everything in our power to keep operations safe. For road tankers we have pioneered bottom-loading facilities with load on weighbridges. This system minimises spillages and lowers the risk of a driver falling from height compared to old top fill facilities.

My product is bonded under HM Customs and Excise, how can you help with this?

All of our terminals are Customs & Excise Warehouses. We work directly with your appointed agent for your product to ensure that all relevant customs documents are produced for all products as required or instructed to do so by yourselves. We also have the facility to carry out warehouse scheduling and the production of some excise documents.
Our stock control systems allow us to determine and inform you in advance if any further customs clearance is required.

How do I know how much product is in my tank?

The majority of our tanks are now fitted with internal gauge systems which measure parameters such as stock level, temperature and pressure. This information is combined with tank movement data in our central control room and can be made available to customers in report format on a regular basis to aid in your information and planning.

Can I see my stock levels on the Internet?

Yes! You can view your tank stock information and product movements on our secure internet site ‘myspace@vopak.com’. This means you will have real time information available at the click of a button.