EXPORT TO NORWAY - 17 Vessels

SILOTANK, designer, manufacturer and installer of custom built GRP and Thermoplastic tanks and process vessels have completed and delivered their largest export order to Norway for 17 No tanks. In the last 13 months the company has completed export orders in excess of £1.1 million to the German and Norwegian markets. As Silotank is located in Belfast, N.Ireland we have from the outset of the company been heavily export focused supplying tanks to Kazakhstan, Nigeria, South America (Atacama Desert), Korea, Finland, German and Norway.

The vessels where manufactured from high quality isopthalic NPG polyester resin reinforcing fabric backed polypropylene material. Careful selection of materials and thickness of liner material was considered with detailed consultation with the material manufacturers due to the erosion characteristics of the process liquid and the shape of the vessels. Eight of the vessels where manufactured with cone angles in excess of 70 degrees. Each of the process vessels was designed for earthquake loading and transportational loadings that would be imposed for winter sea conditions in the North Sea.

The process vessels varied in complexity with the largest vessel which was named the ‘Monster Tank’ by the customer measuring 10metres long, 6 metres wide and 7.5metres high on a steelwork structure. The design of this tank involved the use of finite element analysis to understand the stresses and strains during operation. Ten of the seventeen tanks where designed, manufactured and inspected to BS4994-1987 Category 1 with client specific documentation requirements that exceeded the requirements of Category 1.

The tanks where shipped in two consignments from Silotanks factory in West Belfast to Belfast docks where the company chartered two ships which sailed to Kristiansand, South Norway to the customers site where they where offloaded quay side. Silotank assisted the client by sending personnel to meet each charter ship arriving and assisted with the installation of the tanks.

Cylinderical Tanks ranged in diameter from 2.2m to 4.5m diameter so wide loads where considered when shipping to the docks. Special shipping cradles where manufactured in GRP and each tank was secured to these before shipping. Detailed lifting, handling and installation instructions where sent to the customer before each shipped and an installation engineer meet each shipment and provided assistance to the client to ensure that tanks where not damaged during the transport and installation process.