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Summary
Odfjell Terminals Rotterdam (OTR) is a large tank terminal with a 1.6 million cubic meters of tank storage facility. Different modalities are handled at OTR. At the sea side these modalities are tank ships and tank barges. Many vessels visiting OTR are confronted with delays due to waiting for occupied berths.
To handle more ships in the same time and space as currently available this report focuses on optimising the T- jetty 6/7. Jetty 6/7 is an old T-jetty constructed in 1958 and is to be replaced. With an average apparent loading rate of 250 ton/h at the jetty 6/7 the jetty still operates above the 2002 average of the port of Rotterdam 244 ton/h. The outside berths have an utilisation rate between 82 and 85% and the inside berths have an utilisation rate between 58 and 64%. When having
utilisation rates above 50% large waiting times can be expected. As space for an extra berth is limited at OTR, other solutions must be explored. Increasing the apparent loading rate at jetty 6/7 by 30% will increase the loading capacity, like an extra berth would provide.
The main research question to be answered by this study is:
How can the vessel handling equipment, at the 6 and 7 berths T-jetty, mechanically be optimised to increase the apparent loading rate by 30% to increase the number of Tank ships and Tank barges handled by the T-jetty?
Sub questions:
What would a mechanical efficient vessel handling station physically look like, for tank barges and for tank ships?
What secondary logistic aspects (non-mechanical) play part in the apparent loading rate?
OTR customers and shipping companies have expectations of OTR. They expect low waiting times and fast quality service. The main trademark for OTR is flexibility. OTR can and will handle almost any petrochemical product.
Data analysis shows that berthing time can be split in three phases (Figure 0.1).
Figure 0.1: Three phases in ship handling
The data analysis shows a 17% /66% /17% time split during the time a tank ship is berthed. This means that during the period a tank ship is berthed 66% pumping took place and in the remaining time other activities or waiting took place.
For tank barges this split is 14% /63% /23%. For jetty pumping activities tank barges can be seen as small tank ships with smaller parties. The loading rates are the same as smaller parties to tank ships.
v A survey provided insights in the time spend on the jetty/ship activities during berth (Figure 0.2). Figure 0.2 shows the average time activities take during the time a tank ship is berthed.
Figure 0.2: Time split.
This report shows how the apparent loading rate cannot be increased by 30% by only mechanically optimising the vessel handling equipment at jetty 6/7. But the jetty can be prepared to enable fast loading (2 to 5 times faster) if the terminal optimises the terminal logistical layout and the terminal piping and pumping.
In the pumping phase loading and discharge rates are limited by product limits and equipment limits. Choosing the largest connection diameter sizes (requested by the vessels) ensures the highest loading and discharge rate can be achieved by the jetty equipment.
Other boundary conditions as regulatory requirements and cleaning of lines are also discussed in this report. Regulatory hot topics are volatile organic compounds and ADNR regulations on tank barge escape routes.
Outside the pumping phase handlings at the ship, barge and jetties are mostly delayed by secondary logistical aspects; product analysis and waiting for the needed personnel (Loading master, Pilot, Surveyor).
Loading master activities are mandatory by law and are therefore hard to improve. Surveyor activities are requested/ demanded by the customer and is unavoidable. Moving the surveyor activities to another place and time before berthing (at other terminals or at sea) can reduce the waiting time for analysis. This report shows how changes in these procedures when handling vessels at the jetties could reduce berthing time by an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes (a drop of 19,5% in utilisation rate).
vi This report shows a proposed concept for a mechanical efficient vessel handling station. The vessel handling station will have hose towers with guided hoses and connection sizes that targeted vessels request.
This report also shows how, theoretically, by using one single loading arm to be placed at jetty 6 for bulk loading heavy oil can decrease the total working hours by 15,3%.
For loading small parties and parcel loading 6” connections for barges as well as tank ships are needed. Multiple parcels are loaded with the same main line on the ships manifold therefore 8” connections should be available. The possibility for multi parcel/ product loading of chemicals should be open.
Figure 0.3 shows an impression of the proposed loading stations for the jetty 6/7.
Figure 0.3: Proposed manifold concepts berths 6 and 7
Figure 0.4 shows the fully occupied berths at the jetty 6/7 proposed concept.
Figure 0.4: Fully occupied proposed concept jetty 6/7.
Recommended is to evaluate terminal the piping and pumping layout by decreasing pressure drop and enabling higher pumping speeds up to 5 times faster.
