Maintaining NZ’s Largest Crude Storage Tank
Client - Refining NZ Date - 2016
Tank 13 at Refining NZ‘s Marsden Point site has a capacity of 91,479,000 litres of crude oil and is the largest crude storage tank in New Zealand. With a 15-year maintenance outage scheduled, the tank needed to be maintained and re-entered into service as quickly as possible, with minimum scope but with 100% confidence that the tank will be reliable in service for another 15 years.
Refining NZ needed a reasonable prediction of the scope of work required ahead of the outage, a detailed scope once the tank was cleaned, repair specifications and quality control for the project.
To achieve this, GRIT’s coatings experts carried out an external inspection of the tank. At the same time, it remained in service, reviewed historical records, and considered the coatings used and their condition at the last outage. With this information, a detailed external scope for repairs was developed, and the internal repair scope could also be predicted so that repairs could be planned. Once the tank was opened up and cleaned, it was internally inspected, and a detailed scope was developed.
GRIT’s coatings experts used experience and product knowledge to help accurately predict and plan coatings repair scopes before the scheduled outage. Our fit for purpose repair scopes helped minimise cost whilst also minimising the risk of failure during the tank’s next in-service cycle.
We assisted with contractor selection, calling on our network of trusted experts, and provided the superintendent to assist with project management for the part of the coating of the project. Quality control documentation was also created, reviewed and approved by GRIT to ensure successful outcomes for the project and minimal risk of failure during the next cycle.
GRIT’s independent Coating Inspectors carried out all coatings quality control on behalf of both the coatings contractors and the client to ensure a fit for purpose outcome was achieved, and confidence in the next 15-year cycle was given.