24/ - Oiltanking...* During the cracking process of naphta, a gaseous mixture of various C4 hydrocarbons (mainly 1.3 butadiene, 2-methylpropene (isobutylene), butanes and butenes,

THE WORLD OF OILTANKING VOL. 27/2 AUGUST 2015

WORKING24/AT OILTANKING

Anytime, Anywhere?

Print compensatedId-No. 1548335

www.bvdm-online.de

E D I TO R I A L

CONNECTIONS2 CONNECTIONS 3

C O N T E N TS

IMPRINT connections Vol. 27/2/2015 Published by Oiltanking GmbH, Corporate Center, Admiralitaetstrasse 55, 20459 Hamburg, Germany, www.oiltanking.com, Telephone +49-40-37099-485, Fax +49-40-37099-499 E-Mail [email protected] Coordinator Gabi Wuestenberg, Manager Communications Editor Renate Eijkholt Design raz design, Hamburg Print BEISNER DRUCK GMBH & Co. KG, Hamburg Published Three times a year Copy Deadline vol 27/3 week 37, 2015

ASIA PACIFIC

INDIA

LATIN AMERICA

EUROPE

Contents

LEISURE &ENTERTAINMENT

MIDDLE EAST

NORTH AMERICA

04 Reasons to Celebrate

06 Small Terminal Growing up Fast

08 Zephir Project Up and Running

10 BOT – Basic Operator Training

11 Something to Declare

16 On the Right Track for Railroad Renewal

17 Solid Solution

18 A meeting full of insights

20 On the Information Superhighway

21 Setting a new Benchmark

27 Rewarding Safety Compliance

32 Generating Powerful New Business

36 Where losers became winners

37 A Celebrated Neighbor (and Colleague)

26 A Lifesaving Donation

28 Beach To Bay: A Cherished (Oiltanking Family) Tradition

12 We can, we care ... in Operations

30 Cultural Experiences | Time as a Cultural Factor

34 Day to Night

40 In a nutshell

15 Lexicon | Stop Gauge

22 Oiltanking: 24 Hours in Pictures

29 Sport | Team Spirit, Flying High

38 What’s the Time?

42 Number | 10,852,615 hours

43 Reader's Corner

44 Last but not least | Until the sun sets

PEOPLE & PLACES

Cover: The Oiltanking terminal in Tallinn, Estonia. More on page 25.

Each era has its own special characteristics and flavor shaped e. g., by the emergence of new words, tastes or fashionable trends. There was a time when walking around with big headphones was “uncool”, now it is “hip” to wear them. A restaurant which may have been “trendy” two months ago is no longer the hot spot and is replaced by a different “happening” place. Somehow over the years another trend has emerged: access to information, services and people anytime and anywhere. In other words: 24/7 worldwide.

The significance of permanent availability has its advocates as well as opponents. While some see customer satisfaction as being directly correlated with being able to get somebody’s ear anytime, other companies are taking action to “digitally detox” their businesses and colleagues. In the case of Oiltanking, 24/7 is nothing new. The nature of our business makes it essential that Oiltanking terminals be manned and monitored around the clock. But what about the colleagues in departments such as Human Resources, Administration etc.? In times of mobile phones and other ultra-modern gadgets, they can also be reached during off hours

and / or do their work at almost every possible location.

It’s good to know that Oiltanking realizes that the company’s success hinges on providing a good work environment that not only considers physical safety but also mental wellbeing and an appropriate work-life balance, allowing people to recharge their batteries with family and friends. Interestingly, this ties in with another burgeoning trend: mindfulness, i. e. approaching present experiences with a reflective awareness.

With this in mind, we wish you a pleasant experience with this latest issue which – as you probably have already guessed – revolves around “24/7”.

Carpe diem,

Koen VerniersManaging Director Oiltanking East

Daan VosManaging Director Oiltanking West

RAILROAD

DAY TO NIGHT

16

BENCHMARK

21

34

“The signing is especially auspicious and memorable for both companies as it was accomplished at a time when the Chinese community worldwide celebrates this special day with its unique symbolism of unity, togetherness, cohesiveness, common objectives and happiness,” said Stanley Teo, General Manager Oiltanking China, commenting on the auspicious starting date of the agreement on Yuan Xiao Jie.

While ammonia storage is a new addition to the wide-ranging product storage palette offered by Oiltanking’s terminal facilities in Asia Pacific, Yuan Xiao Jie is an ancient tradition for Chinese people. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, and marks the culmination of 15 days of Chinese New Year festivities, complete with colorful light decorations and spectacular fireworks. It is also known as the Lantern Festival because the Chinese people have traditionally celebrated this day with beautiful lantern displays, starting as far back as 2,000 years ago in ancient China.

The moon is full and bright on Yuan Xiao night, and on this happy day, many families gather for a festive dinner to celebrate the good year that has just passed and to wish each other well for the start of the New

Year. The food served always includes a special dessert known as “tangyuan” (汤圆): glutinous rice balls typically filled with sweet red bean paste, sesame paste, or peanut butter paste. The Chinese people believe that the round shape of the balls, which are served in dessert bowls, symbolizes family togetherness and that eating tangyuan will bring the family happiness and good luck in the New Year.

CelebrateReasons to

March 5, 2015, was a day of double happiness for the Oiltanking colleagues in Nanjing, China. The festive mood of “Yuan Xiao Jie” (Lantern Festival) was further heightened by the signing of the inaugural agreement between Trammo, Shanghai, and Oiltanking Nanjing to support Trammo’s growing ammonia trade in China with suitable storage facilities.

AS I A PA C I F I CAS I A PA C I F I C

ROUNDING UP HAPPINESS FOR THE NEW YEAR A popular Chinese Lantern Festival food

is “tangyuan” (汤圆), a kind of sweet dumpling made from

glutinous rice or wheat flour

LANTERNS EVERYWHERE Magnificent lanterns in all shapes and sizes provide a vivid visual demonstration of Chinese tradition and folklore

EVERYTHING FITS The content as well as the day of the signing

MAKE IT HAPPEN Lilian Zhang (left), Trammo, and Michael Li,

Oiltanking Nanjing, inking the deal


© CNTO

this market in Europe. Following its recent expansion, Oiltanking Bulgaria offers a total storage capacity of 24,000 cbm. It still remains one of the smallest terminals within the Oiltanking portfolio, but its powerful past performance proves a good case of “small but mighty.”

The future is also looking very bright for Oiltanking Bulgaria, with major projects

already under construction and others in the pipeline. In addition Oiltanking Bulgaria and Mabanaft are jointly building a business case to create a sales pool in Varna by the end of 2015. Finally, the terminal is poised, manpower-wise as well as area-wise, for further opportunities to build additional storage capacity if and when profitable opportunities arise.

At the end of January 2014, Oiltanking Bulgaria signed a 10-year storage contract with a local customer to meet the needs of its sulfuric acid production. This landmark agreement prompted the Oiltanking terminal to invest in additional infrastructure. The construction of the new cup tank with a capacity of 6,000 cbm, together with the necessary infrastructure, was scheduled for completion by the end of the first quarter – and indeed the new equipment was ready on time. A successful trial using a real product took place at the end of March 2015. Once the work permit was received from the authorities in May 2015, the new facility and equipment were ready to go into operation on June 8, 2015.

The initial expectation is to process 100,000 mt of extra throughput per year. This figure could easily hit the 200,000 mt mark in future, as sulfuric acid is widely produced in metal processing plants. Bulgaria plays an important role in

E U R O P EE U R O P E

A SOLID FOUNDATION Construction of the new tank started in September 2014

A PILE OF WORK The cup’s roof consists of 60 pieces of welded sheet metal to support the consoles

INAUGURATION OF 4TH TANK Alexander Alexandrov, Oiltanking Bulgaria, witnessed the preparations of the orthodox priest


Oiltanking Bulgaria has built a new 6,000 cbm storage tank for

sulfuric acid to accommodate future throughput. The recently obtained work permit means that the new facility and its equipment are ready to go on-stream.

SOUND RESULTS In May 2015, the tank with a

height of 10.5 m and a diameter of 28 m

was operational

DOMESTIC USE Sulfuric acid at high concentrations is often the major ingredient in acidic drain cleaners

Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp (OTSA) and Evonik Industries are not only neighbors but also business partners. Accordingly, Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp had to modify its existing infrastructure to accommodate Evonik's increasing need for crack C4*. The construction of five new bullet tanks, each with a nominal capacity of 3,500 cbm, and of a new finger pier with two berths, was begun back in 2014. Many hurdles had to be overcome and out-of-the-box thinking was repeatedly required to meet the scheduled start of operations by mid-May 2015.

After an intensive 15-month construction phase, in March 2015 the project team was ready for the nine-day shutdown phase during which about 70 tie-ins needed to be achieved. The commissioning procedures and safety regulations were of course complied with at all times while part of the gas plant and the rest of the terminal remained operational. On the tenth day, OTSA was able to pump raffinate 1 and crack C4 to the modified production units of Evonik, exactly as planned. Later on, the new finger pier received its first barge with raffinate 2, which successfully unloaded into one of the new bullets. On April 28, the new product 1.3 butadiene was received from Evonik’s new production unit and stored under cooled conditions in the new bullets. Finally, on May 14, the first

barge was successfully loaded, completing the operational status of the total project.

Intensive preparation was needed for the commissioning of the newly installed barrel pumps as it required cooperation between a number of parties – and a real-time test since the pumps needed product to run. In total 26 new pumps were installed.

Also worth mentioning are the modifications done in 2012 at the insistence of the OTSA operational staff, who thought ahead and anticipated future expansions during the initial set-up. Thanks to their circumspection, time-consuming operational flushing and cleaning activities were reduced and the number of hot tie-ins was minimized, significantly reducing risk and saving time during the recent shutdown.


KEEP COOL Chiller units for keeping products within a specified temperature range

CREATIVE CONSTRUCTION Out-of-the-box thinking resulted in a modular construction of the

finger pier pipe racks


In June 2013, Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp signed a long-term logistics service contract with Evonik Industries concerning major construction to accommodate Evonik’s increasing need for crack C4. In mid-May 2015, the modifications were all operational as planned and on schedule.

Zephir Project Up and Running

* During the cracking process of naphta, a gaseous mixture of various C4 hydrocarbons (mainly 1.3 butadiene, 2-methylpropene (isobutylene), butanes and butenes, is produced

E U R O P E

introduced beforehand. All modules are mandatory for staff working in Operations and Maintenance, and are also recommended for all other employees.

Creating the program has been a long process. The main difficulty was preparing the content in a way that it fits to all of Oiltanking’s 72 terminals worldwide. Furthermore, the multitude of languages and technical differences made the project more complex than expected. The training program was first unveiled before the Marquard & Bahls Summer Party 2014, where several colleagues sweated to prove their knowledge in an interactive quiz. After this, the BOT was rolled out on the e-learning platform of the new Human Resource (HR) System peopleWeb, in close cooperation with the Marquard & Bahls HR Systems Department.

After a successful pilot run at the Singapore terminals, during which open organizational and technical issues were tackled, the training program has now been launched nearly worldwide. However, BOT is only the beginning –further global e-learning tutorials are planned.

For comments or questions regarding BOT or e-learning in general please contact: [email protected]

Early this year, seven unusual “colleagues” joined Oiltanking. In contrast to most of their colleagues they don’t just work at one location,

but are constantly present all around the world. How come? “Adam”, "Jens", “Khalil”, “Mike”,

“Rafael”, “Rajesh” and “Wei Long” are cartoon characters in the newly launched e-learning program known as “Basic Operator Training,” or BOT. The seven new colleagues each represent a region – Africa, Europa, Middle East, North America, Latin America , India and Asia Pacific, respectively – and accompany participants throughout the eight hours of training.

BOT is the first such program at Oiltanking. The project was initiated by the Operations Excellence Group and then developed by the Hamburg Assets and Operations Department with the help of international colleagues, the German training company IMC AG, and British translation and localization company The Big Word. The course is available in 13 languages and consists of five sections, each with a different number of modules.

The first section gives a general overview of Oiltanking and the industry on the one hand, and basic safety rules on the other hand. In the second section, the participant is introduced to the different areas at a terminal, followed by a description of the products handled by Oiltanking in part three. The terminal installations are presented in detail in the fourth section. Ultimately, there is a final exam in which the user is taken on a tour of the terminal and required to answer questions related to the content

On March 30, 2015, the very first Oiltanking excise & customs workshop was held in Hamburg, Germany. Colleagues from seven different European member states were invited by the Marquard & Bahls Excise and Customs Department to share their experiences with the current customs and excise legislation at EU and National levels.

At the beginning of 2015, Oiltanking launched its first worldwide in-house e-learning program, called “Basic Operator Training” or BOT for short. Seven new “colleagues” at various locations around the globe are charged with its implementation, and with providing advice and support to participants.

Basic Operator Training

E U R O P E

The 20 participants who met in Hamburg at the end of March 2015 all work for Oiltanking terminals in Europe: in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Malta and The Netherlands. But the customs and excise legislation of each of these countries has its own particularities. Facts that ask for closer cooperation and sharing of information among countries where Oiltanking operates.

Therefore, the main topics of the workshop which was prepared and presented by the Marquard & Bahls Excise and Customs Department were the new Union Customs Code (UCC), the revision of the Electronic Movement and Control System directive (EMCS) and the Authorized Economic Operator Certification (AEO).

New challengesThe new UCC, which was adopted on October 9, 2013 by the European Parliament and the Council, will come into full force on May 1, 2016. One essential requirement will be a paperless and fully electronic environment between the customs and economic operators covering all customs procedures. The complete deployment of all electronic systems shall be carried out by no later than December 31, 2020. This will also entail new requirements and updates to Oiltanking’s current IT system. In this context, Lars Moehlmann, Marquard & Bahls IT Development, gave a presentation on NEWTON, Oiltanking’s new Terminal Management System. It includes the obligatory excise tax and customs-related processes and was launched at Oiltanking Malta in June 2015.

Another regulation, the EMCS Directive, will be reviewed by the European Commission to evaluate the current arrangements for the holding and movement of excise goods under duty suspension. The consultancy company Ramboll will carry out a study on behalf of the European Commission to identify the challenges and barriers that using the EMCS creates in the daily business. All workshop participants were encouraged to fill out Ramboll’s online questionnaire by April 26, 2015. This survey gives economic operators the opportunity to comment on the current legislation with reference to their daily business. The findings will have a significant impact on the evaluation of EMCS and the European Excise legislation.In general, economic operators can apply for an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status either to have easier access to customs simplifications or to be in a more favorable position to comply with the new security requirements. At the end of the two-day workshop, the participants were split into three groups, each of which gave a short presentation of AEO-related issues taking into consideration the benefits, efforts and risks. They agreed that AEO certification can be necessary and that AEO-C status for customs purposes will be adequate for Oiltanking’s business.

The recent workshop was a welcome opportunity to get to know the colleagues’ daily basis for working with excise and customs, and a successful platform for better understanding actual developments and future requirements.

Something to Declare

AFTER A DAY OF DISCUSSIONS The participants of the workshop enjoyed a dinner on board the historical museum

ship MS Cap San DiegoBOT

CLEVER AND WITTY Cartoon characters guide participants

through Oiltanking’s new e-learning program

CONNECTIONS 11CONNECTIONS10

Take a brisk walk as you get some fresh air? What may sound like a leisure activity is no walk in the park for operators, but just one of their many responsibilities, rain or shine. Daily surveillance and safety checks of the premises and the terminal’s operating installations is important to ensure the operability and integrity of the equipment under their care. A constant monitoring of the line-ups before and during product transfer is essential to prevent contaminations and spills. Another routine task is bringing each

other up-to-date when operators change shifts. Apart from this, no day is like the other and quite often things turn out differently than expected. This is something you learn very quickly, as Ibrahim Al Ajmai emphasizes. He started out as a trainee in 2010 before becoming promoted to operator at Oiltanking Odfjell Oman in 2013. It is a fact that will never change affirms Danny Davalos of Oiltanking Texas City who has 40 years of experience as an operator.

Constant change

Change is a constant on the job: the requirements of clients and the products to be loaded / unloaded change, as do

environmental and safety regulations and, of course, the weather and work conditions. “Honestly, getting used to working night shifts is a challenge. Sometimes I make real good use of the free time during the day, sometimes not,” remarks Mirko Vincovic, Oiltanking Hamm, pointing out the challenges of adapting one’s biological clock to shiftwork. Hugo Cortea, Oiltanking Brandsen, explains that family support plays an important role in coping with the alternating work hours. In the case of Ravinder Verma, IOT Palanpur, changes to his eating and sleeping habits were useful

in adapting to the changing shifts.

Besides the ability to adapt to constantly changing conditions an operator should be able to manage stress situations and keep calm no matter what. Mirko remembers vividly when a

P E O P L E & P L A C E S


P E O P L E & P L A C E S

We can, we care ...

Oiltanking has various departments of which each and every one is crucial for a smooth, well-functioning work process. Operations, where Oiltanking colleagues work in shifts to ensure 24/7 service and security at the terminal, is one of them. On behalf of all their counterparts who work at Oiltanking’s 72 terminals around the world, six operators give some insight about their daily work. They represent Oiltanking’s six administrative regions: Asia Pacific, Europe, India, Middle East / Africa, North America and Latin America. Meet Jason Liu, Mirko Vincovic, Ravinder Verma, Ibrahim Al Ajmi, Danny Davalos and Hugo Cortea.

“Every day I try my very best – as someone once advised me ‘If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!’” Mirko Vincovic, Oiltanking Hamm, Germany

“I think my daily routine is just like taking care of a baby, you have to keep your eye on everything all the time.” Jason Liu, Oiltanking Daya Bay, China

“Working as an operator spurs me to enhance my interpersonal skills and stimulates my ability to work effectively within a team.”Ibrahim Al Ajmi, Oiltanking Odfjell Sohar, Oman

in Operations

“I try to connect with other colleagues overseas in order to share knowledge.” Ravinder Verma, IOT Palanpur, India

Moving liquids is Oiltanking’s core business. Proper control of the handled and operated products is ensured by various measures which are implemented within the tank operation, from the simple storage of liquids to more complex processes such as blending.One important way to guarantee control is that all storage tanks are calibrated. Meaning that for every product level, the quantity of product is known. This is not only important for the operator but also for custody transfer and the customs and excise authorities. A quantity is always linked to a level, usually in millimeters.

In addition, operators have to know at all times what kind of product is stored or discharged from where, at what time, and in what quantities. For instance, when the customer asks the terminal to load a certain quantity (nominated quantity) of product into a vessel (or transfer it to another tank), the operator will calculate the quantity left in the tank when the operation is complete by subtracting the nominated quantity from the quantity present in the tank before the operation. The quantity left in the tank obviously comes with a level and so the operator will know at what level to stop the pump (stop gauge). Waiting for the ship’s captain to tell the operator that his ship is full (or empty) is not an option, as this would mean the operator is not in control. All Oiltanking tanks are equipped with automatic tank gauging systems that display the levels (and quantities) of product in all the tanks in the control

room. These gauging systems come with programmable alarm features that enable the operator to set an alarm for when the stop gauge is reached. Usually the operator in the control room will program several alarms for each operation to alert him when the loading / transfer is almost completed, so he can notify the ship’s captain and the loading master to stand by to stop the pump and close the valves.

To avoid an overfill of tanks, which can cause huge environmental damage, an independent, hardwired high high level alarm is installed on each product tank triggering an acoustical and visual alarm in the control room. This

is to safeguard against human error. High high level alarms cannot be changed by the control room operator as a dedicated password is provided to authorized persons only.When a tank is filled from a vessel (or another tank), this works in a similar fashion. First a stop gauge is made and once the operation has started, the countdown to the stop gauge begins. Usually multiple operations are being carried out at a terminal, around the clock, and the control room operators are programming and monitoring stop gauges in multiple tanks simultaneously 24/7, in addition to their other control room tasks. All the above measures will allow Oiltanking to act on behalf of the customer and to ensure safe transactions of the products at all times.

P E O P L E & P L A C E S L E X I C O N

GaugeStop


teenager had a swimming accident in the canal. A ship was in the middle of the unloading process at Oiltanking’s berth while paramedics were trying to find the boy. Ensuring safety and holding back curious onlookers entering the terminal for a better view was a tough task. Hugo also knows what it means to deal with challenges. One only has to call to mind that Oiltanking Brandsen operates not only the terminal but also a 170-km pipeline. Or the demanding upgrading process of dock 65 and 66 at Oiltanking Texas City in which Danny was involved, or the w a t e r - l o g g i n g Ravinder had to cope with in India.

Hands-on training is best

While one definitely grows with one’s tasks, a good technical education is essential, and product knowledge like how to identify chemicals is definitely beneficial. That aside, all six operators emphasize that nothing is better than field training to complete the work profile. Dealing with so many different people – colleagues in logistics, engineering and maintenance, as well as external contacts including clients, contractors, ship agents etc. – calls for people who can manage different personalities and cultures. And while it is not a hiring criterion as such, interestingly all six of the operators we interviewed describe themselves as detail-oriented and proactive. So evidently these traits are also a plus on the job!

“The final result we want to achieve with all our efforts is customer satisfaction.”Danny Davalos, Oiltanking Texas City, USA

“I enjoy everythingrelated to the fieldas well as newchallenges, since itgives me theopportunity to learnsomething new.”Hugo Cortea, Oiltanking Brandsen, Argentina

When Oiltanking Bremerhaven built a treatment plant for oil-water mixtures in 2009, the idea was not only to serve maritime shipping as a supplier of fuels, but also to be a reliable partner in the area of waste management for liquid, oily waste. And so, as part of the MARPOL Convention* the tank terminal offers to accept, collect and treat waste – slops and bilge oils. Around 3,000 cbm of tank volume is available for this purpose. It also has its own waste disposal barge (capacity 180 cbm) and a suction / pressure vehicle with a loading capacity of 12 cbm. The area in which Oiltanking accepts waste covers the entire Lower Weser area from Bremerhaven to Bremen, and the company also services ports in Lower Saxony such as Nordenham and Brake.

The actual treatment facility (ultrafiltration) is housed in two containers placed on top of one another. The bottom container holds a working tank, an oil separator, a permeate tank / container and cleaning station, while the upper container houses the filtration (membranes) and control electronics. The facility has a diagnostic interface, so that error messages are forwarded via SMS to a company mobile phone. This ensures that any deviation from or disturbance of normal operation is identified without delay, and that any necessary actions can be taken.

How does the treatment work?After sampling, the collected material is pumped into the Oiltanking receiving tank, where the product is heated to a temperature of about 70° C. Hereby the oleaginous constituents separate from the aqueous phase while it is in the tank (oil collects in the upper part, water at the bottom due to its higher density). The oil phase can be sucked up by a skimmer device and stored separately. The aqueous phase is pumped into a mixing and equalizing tank, where it is pretreated before

being pumped into the ultrafiltration system for final treatment.

The ultrafiltration system consists of several components (working tank, oil separator and ultrafiltration modules). Each module has two ceramic tubular membranes. When the dirty water is pumped through the membranes, these ultimately ensure that after filtration the water is clean enough to be pumped into the public sewers. Strict limits must be observed for the introduction of the permeate, as the treated water is called. The recovered oil phase is made commercially available again as a secondary fuel to customers including steelworks, the cement industry and large combustion plants. So the investment in the water-oil mixture plant has paid off for Oiltanking, given that it is a win-win situation for everyone involved: the environment, industry and Oiltanking.


To be able to load/unload railcars economically and efficiently at the Waltershof (Hamburg) and Kiel sites, the Oiltanking colleagues have had to shunt them on public tracks, too (i.e. outside the tank terminal). However, companies that operate passenger and / or freight transport on third party infrastructure require a special permit and must submit an application to establish a railroad undertaking (RU). Various criteria must be met and it can take a while until the final approval is received – two and a half years in the case of the Kiel tank terminal. However, the fact that Oiltanking Kiel now has an overall RU approval (not restricted to a particular site) makes it possible to operate at various sites, so that Kiel can handle shunting operations in Waltershof (Hamburg) as well.

“Railroad Managers” are responsible for the safe running of railway operations at the sites. “It goes without saying that

the operations staff at these tank terminals – like the locomotive operators and shunting staff – are appropriately educated and trained,” explains Detlef Cramer, Railroad Manager for Oiltanking Kiel. “At least once a year, they undergo continuing training, and are subjected to strict suitability monitoring by doctors and psychologists accredited by the railroad supervisory authorities.”

The third Bomin tank terminal in Bremerhaven is still coordinating with the relevant authorities to start carrying out marshaling services. Plans for training and qualifying colleagues who will work there in future are already in full swing. So the stage is set and one can only hope that the authorities give the green light for this tank terminal soon.

Thanks to the “private railroad undertaking approval” received for the Oiltanking tank terminal in Kiel in 2010, the colleagues in Kiel and Waltershof (Hamburg) have been able to shunt railcars on official tracks since the beginning of the year.

In the spirit of the MARPOL Convention* Oiltanking Bremerhaven makes a significant contribution to improving the environment by offering to accept and treat waste (slops and bilge oils) at the tank terminal,

and then supply it to industry as a secondary fuel.


“BOM 1” Oiltanking's own shunting locomotive in Waltershof (Hamburg)

WHAT A DIFFERENCE The input material before (left) and after filtration at Oiltanking Bremerhaven

On the Right Track for Railroad Renewal

* MARPOL Convention, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships from 1973 (and adapted over the years)

SolidSolution


Over 100 colleagues from around the globe attended the Spring Meeting in Llucmajor, on the Spanish island of Mallorca, on April 21, 2015, continuing the annual tradition of a springtime get-together somewhere in Europe. It’s difficult to say which event during the three-day meeting was the most fruitful as they all played their part in an interesting agenda brimming with useful information and activities: was it the update giving the latest facts & figures, the HSSE presentation and awards ceremony, the workshops where colleagues had to work in teams, the exploration of the city as part of a scavenger hunt, or perhaps the presentation by the guest speaker, Claudio Fernández-Aráoz?

A senior advisor at Egon Zehnder and top global expert on talent and leadership, Fernández-Aráoz has been ranked by BusinessWeek as one of the most influential executive search consultants in the world. He made a lasting impression on the participants of the Spring Meeting with his remarks about recruiting the right people and making sure to place them in the right positions. He also underlined his belief that

human resource decisions determine an organization’s success or failure more than anything else. The audience appreciated his engaging, edifying presentation – and also very much valued the opportunities for small talk and exchanging ideas during the breaks and spare time between official events.


HAVING A BREAK Time to relax and also to exchange ideas

NICE ATMOSPHERE The weather was as pleasant as the talks

A meeting full of insights

CELEBRATED CONSULTANT Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, author of “It’s Not the

How or the What but the Who” was the guest speaker at the Spring Meeting

INTERESTING TOPICS Colleagues were all ears


Getting and staying connected is becoming increasingly important in an information society with a competitive economic environment. Therefore one of IOT’s resolutions when it began the New Year was to harness the potential of digitization to streamline its internal and external processes, enhance customer experience and provide easy access to policies and internal processes to its employees. Some initiatives have been already successfully implemented while others are underway.

In early 2015, IOT began the task of transforming the website to reflect the changing digital needs and business environment. The new, improved website, which was launched in April 2015, has many added features and new sections making it a go-to tool for existing and prospective customers and employees. The new responsive design ensures that it can be viewed on iPads, Smart Phones Laptops and PCs. Social Media such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus are the latest platforms to give visibility to businesses. The IOT Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) App is an internal app that was recently launched for Android and iPhone users. The app gives employees access to key HSSE documents, and various formats as well as guidelines that are mandatory for all IOT colleagues at sites, terminals and in the Corporate Office. The App is aimed at reducing HSSE training time and cost, as employees needn't depend on documents or hard copies for accessing mandatory HSSE files. This app can only be accessed through a unique username and password that is generated for the employees once they download it on their phone.The IOT Intranet, launched in July 2015, is a portal for employees to connect with their peers, share opinions and knowledge, make travel arrangements and ensure timely adherence to Human Resources policies and processes which are readily available for reference. It also acts as the central repository for all IOT policies and Standard

Operating Procedures (SOPs). Apart from features such as attendance regularization and Holiday Calendar, the Intranet includes Company News, Announcements, Opinion Polls and Surveys, Leave Management, Travel Management and Attendance Management systems. It is accessible to all IOT employees and can be accessed through smartphones, laptops and iPads.

IOT has also implemented state-of-the-art software and technology processes that are currently trending in the oil & gas industry to enhance the operations at various IOT terminals. These include an Online Work Permit System for dynamic real time monitoring and status of all active permits, iResponse for emergency pre-planning, training and response, and Management of Change (MoC) which is a systematic approach for dealing with change from the perspective of the organization.The EPC division at IOT has initiated a plan to digitize its information-gathering procedures through the Project Monitoring tool. This tool is a web-based real-time project monitoring system, which will ensure data logging from the bidding stage through the execution of the project. It makes real-time data available at all times for quick management and decision-making, enabling the EPC business to have their finger on the pulse of a project at all times.

The Indian Oil & Gas industry has close to 300 terminals / depots supplying petroleum products to every nook and corner of the country. One of the major issues faced by the oil and gas companies in India in the last few years has been the need to resite various inland terminals due to non-compliance with new safety standards, rapid growth of population in cities / towns engulfing terminals, and lack of space for expansion. The oil industry is also faced with the challenge of trimming its costs to maintain profitability in a deregulated market.

With these issues in mind, IOT has been a front-runner in encouraging the independent terminals model since it began operations in 1996. Today, the oil industry too has woken up to the fact that terminals on common user basis would be the right solution to the constraints faced by the industry.

In January 2014, two oil companies Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPC) signed a Long Term Services Agreement with IOT for the CUT being set up in Raipur, Chhatisgarh India. This terminal, apart from aiding in the re-siting of certain terminals for IOC and BPC, brings the following key advantages to the industry:

• optimization of storage and distribution costs due to economies of scale

• quicker implementation due to integrated EPC competencies of IOT• single point responsibility (Build Own Operate) with IOT ensured efficient project management and smooth transition to Operations• promise of high operating standards and strict compliance with statutory norms by IOT• long-term contract provides stability and sustainability in services, enabling oil companies to focus on marketing and distribution.

While the groundwork on this terminal began long ago, the construction of the terminal itself began in late 2013, with IOT Anwesha, IOT’s subsidiary, managing the entire engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for this project. The Terminal, with a capacity of 190,000 cbm will use road, rail and pipeline as a means of despatch and receipt. 19 overhead tanks can store petrol (MS), super kerosene oil (SKO), diesel (HSD) and fuel oil, in addition to two underground tanks meant for ethanol storage.

This is just the beginning and while this terminal is expected to begin operations in July 2015 (as of printing date), IOT has already trained its sights on repeating the Raipur success story with the establishment of another terminal. But that’s a story for another day …

India’s first Common User Terminal (CUT), built and operated by IOT, is expected to begin operations in July 2015 (as of printing date).

In 2015, IOT introduced a number of digital initiatives aimed at improving processes and business development efforts.

I N D I AI N D I A

INFORMATION IMPETUS The steps taken have put IOT in the fast lane of the information superhighway

Setting a new BenchmarkOn the Information

Superhighway

CUTTING EDGE The first Common User Terminal (CUT) in India is built and operated by IOT

Guillermo Izquierdo busy in the laboratory

Security personnel guide colleagues to the designated evacuation zone during an HSSE exercise at the marine berth

Instant drinking machines were installed on each floor to replace the old ones, thus improving the water quality and decreasing costs

Koen Verniers, Chattoo Chatterjee, Douglas van der Wiel, and Uwe Luitjens (from left) taking their positions for discussing the project in Karimun (and the camera of course!)

Koen Verniers (left) and Uwe Luitjens on the ferry from Singapore to attend a meeting at Oiltanking Karimun

Miguel Battagliotto in the control room

Part of the exercise: Oiltanking colleagues immobilizing another colleague with a “broken ankle”

Just another day at work! Everybody is busy doing her/his job!

Miguel Battagliotto (left) and Guillermo Izquierdo taking a (mate) tea break

L E I S U R E & E N T E RTA I N M E N TL E I S U R E & E N T E RTA I N M E N T

While Oiltanking colleagues in the western hemisphere are experiencing a starry night, their colleagues in Europe might be watching the sunrise, and for others in the eastern hemisphere sunset may not be far off. But no matter where we live, some of us are always busy. See what they were doing during 24 hours on April 14, 2015 and May 18, 2015 (dates randomly chosen for this article).

Oiltanking terminal in Brandson, Argentina

Oiltanking terminal in Pisco, Peru

Oiltanking terminal in Daya Bay, China

Oiltanking terminal in Nanjing, China

Oiltanking terminal in Karimun, Indonesia

24 Oiltanking:

in PicturesHOURS

1.30 AM

4.00 AM

10.00 AM 10.15 AM 11.30 AM

8.30 AM

2.00 AM

4.14 AM

3.00 AM


A courier delivers a box of brand-new employee manuals, which will be used during an information session the following day

Because of the strong wind and for security reasons, an external company has to stop its repair works on tank 2450-2

Due to strong winds, the security officer double-checks the terminal gates


Oiltanking Stolthaven terminal in Antwerp, Belgium

Johnny Danielsen is opening a valve at the main manifold

Morten Olsen making the usual checks while “Genmar Argus,” one of the biggest vessels ever to call on Oiltanking Copenhagen so far, is loaded with 54,147 MT high sulfur fuel oil

Oiltanking terminal in Copenhagen, Denmark

7.00 PM 7.40 PM

Dinnertime for most colleagues – many of them meet at the in-house canteen and enjoy the freshly prepared food

India, Mumbai office

1.00 PM


NIGHT BECOMES DAY

On the previous pages much revolved around the theme of time

and you have seen, as the earth spins on its own axis, that day and night

alternate. However, this is not always the case! An interesting natural phenomenon is the longest day of the year, the so-called, Summer Solstice. This can be observed on June 21 in the northern hemisphere and is often celebrated accordingly as Midsummer. Colleagues on the terminal

in Tallinn have kindly 'captured' the midnight sun in an image for our

connections magazine.

8.00 PM 8.48 PM 9.28 PM

About ThalassemiaThe word thalassemia comes from the Greek words “thalassa,” meaning “sea” and “haima,” which means “blood.” Thalassemia diseases, which can be diagnosed by performing a Complete Blood Count (CBS) test, are inherited blood disorders of hemoglobin synthesis. Essentially, the body does not produce enough hemoglobin, an important part of red blood cells that is primarily responsible for transporting oxygen. The most common symptoms include paleness, fussiness, a jaundiced complexion, susceptibility to infections, low appetite, and enlarged organs (usually the spleen). These occur in the first few months after birth and become progressively more severe. Thalassemia patients required regular blood transfusions as well as regular iron-chelation therapy (to remove iron and prevent iron overload due to their chronic transfusion programs).


As part of its worldwide corporate citizenship efforts, Oiltanking strives to create an additional benefit for society not only in the fields of environment, education, research, culture & sports, but also through health & humanitarian projects. In February 2015, Star Energy Oiltanking Dubai, United Arab Emirates, donated around 23,000 euros to the local Thalassemia Center, which assists patients suffering from thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder. Upon accepting the check from Star Energy Oiltanking’s HSSE Manager DAS Venugopal and S. Sabapathy, Manager Finance & Administration, the center’s Director Dr. Khawla Belhoul explained that patients in financial difficulties often need assistance to manage this lifelong disease, which

requires continuous management and treatment and often leads to complications.

The Thalassemia Centre is an outpatient daytime center that provides care and management for various inherited hemoglobin disorders, mainly thalassemia, sickle cell anemia and Hemoglobin H disease. The idea of supporting the tireless efforts of the Thalassemia Center to provide suitable care and support for its patients originated from Saba’s daughter Sandhya, who visited the center as part of a school project.

M I D D L E E AS T

TOKENS OF APPRECIATION DAS Venugopal (second from left) and S. Sabapathy (third from left) accepted a trophyand certificate on behalf of StarEnergy Oiltanking

A Lifesaving Donation

L AT I N A M E R I C A

In the last three years Oiltanking Terminais in Brazil has multiplied its operational activities nearly five-fold, going from loading and unloading 8,735 trucks in 2011 to 43,497 in 2014. Additional activity also means an increase in the risk of possible incidents. Oiltanking is committed to minimizing its environmental footprint and makes every effort to ensure safe operations and promote safety awareness among the staff. Oiltanking Terminais is no exception. The terminal’s management also believes in the importance of including customers in striving for an excellent and sustainable Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) performance. Therefore, Oiltanking Terminais developed a special program to help its customers improve their safety performance as well. The objective of the “Oiltanking Safety Compliance Award Program” or OSCAR (with a nod to the Academy Awards), is to ensure a high level of safety during all operations.

On March 31, 2015, the philosophy and rules of the program were presented to all business partners and customers operating at the terminal in Vitória. In essence, the program will recognize top safety performances in loading and unloading operations, and truck drivers who are outstanding when it comes to matters of safety. The third parties will be assessed based on two categories:

� deviation: all events identified as unsafe actions or conditions, e. g. disregarding the terminal’s safety rules, using inappropriate or unsafe equipment

� reportable case: all events that can result in material damage, product release or any personal injury.

At the beginning of a month each company starts with ten points. Points are deducted for any deviation or reportable case committed by the participating company’s employees or agents. By the end of each month, the companies will be ranked according to the number of points they have left. Any company where no deviation or reportable case occurred during a whole quarter receives an award. At

year-end, the three top-scoring companies receive an annual award. The truck driver with the best safety record is also chosen and honored annually.

The program has been well received right from its implementation on April 1, 2015. Customers have responded with interesting questions and have even come up with safety suggestions, which are now being reviewed by Oiltanking Terminais. While it is still too early for a detailed assessment, it’s safe to say the program is a good initiative that helps to boost the safety awareness and performance of all parties involved.

In light of its increased operational activities, Oiltanking Terminais in Brazil has developed an Oiltanking Safety Compliance Award Program called OSCAR, designed to help customers improve their safety performance and to reward safety compliance. It was introduced in April 2015 and has been very well received.

Rewarding Safety Compliance

SAFETY FIRST Oiltanking Terminais has initiated a program that rewards safe

behavior among its customersNormalThalassemia

This year was the 40th running of this famous race, which usually begins with a nice run up and back on North Padre Island's sandy beach, then over the John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway, through the Naval Air Station, up Ocean Drive and ending in McCaughan Park. Each relay team is comprised of six people who each pay a US $ 250 entry fee and pledge to walk or run approximately seven km (4.4 miles). The race, which honors the Armed Forces, is also a traditional event for Oiltanking colleagues. This year marks the 17th year that they, along with their families, participated. A total of ten teams comprised of colleagues from the downtown Houston office, Texas City, United Bulk Terminals and Oiltanking Dupré Corpus Christi joined the race. They teamed up with the “Impact A Hero” organization, which provides immediate and ongoing emotional and financial support for severely wounded post 9/11 combat veterans and their families. Each of the Oiltanking teams ran or walked for one of these veterans of the Armed Forces wearing a bracelet with that Hero's name. That evening after the race, in Oiltanking style, all ten teams celebrated finishing the race with a dinner and some dancing.

Planning such an event takes a lot of time and effort. Three colleagues volunteered to make it happen, from organizing the teams and arranging the lodging to transporting the participants to the starting line and the celebration party. Mike Johnston, Tammy Kerr and Martha Picazo invested a lot of time and effort in the worthwhile cause, and look forward to an even bigger turnout for next year's race.


Since the expansion of the Oiltanking Terneuzen terminal went into operation in September 2013 (16 additional tanks, 317.000 cbm) the original Customer Service Team of two, Bob Bogaert and Pascal Pauwels has welcomed five new additions to their team over the past three years: Lisa Lapère, Rozanne van Lopik, Adri Nieuwdorp, Martine Geertse, and Selina Grootjans-de Nooijer. With so many newcomers, and everyone working around the clock to give customers the best possible service, there was little room for "quality time" for the team. Now, with the weather becoming more pleasant and the help of chief operator – and owner of a hot air balloon – Omèr Verbist and his friend Koen Oudenaerd, a normal working day was given a very special twist on a beautiful spring evening in May: the team went hot-air ballooning!

After grabbing a quick bite, at 8 PM the Oiltanking “crew”* helped the ballooning team to lay out the equipment in the village of Hoek, in Zeeuws Vlaanderen, the region where the terminal is located. Among other things, it is very important to monitor the shape of the clouds. Little "fluffy clouds" had to disappear from the sky before the pilots agreed at 8:30 PM that it was safe to fly. So the eight ‘Oiltankers’ got into the basket and took off into the blue sky – in complete silence! Among the sights clearly visible below were the Oiltanking terminal, the estuary of the river Scheldt and the city of Terneuzen. Amazingly, they could even see as far as the Belgian city of Antwerp! The balloon also flew over the brand-new "Sluiskiltunnel", which connects the east and west side of Terneuzen, and when it crossed the village of Axel, it was even spotted by a couple of colleagues on the ground. Eventually the team landed

near the village of Koewacht around 9:45 PM – perfectly timed for a beautiful sunset in the open field.

After the balloon was folded back and stowed in the trailer, Omèr and his team surprised the colleagues with an official ballooning baptism featuring champagne and some nice snacks. Now the colleagues are all “dukes and duchesses of the ballooning guild”!

On May 20, 2015 eight colleagues at Oiltanking Terneuzen in the Netherlands soared to new heights during a balloon flight, and so did their team spirit …

The Beach to Bay race held annually in Corpus Christi has become a Texas tradition. It is the largest relay marathon in the United States and attracts runners from all over the nation, as well as England, Kenya and Mexico. Approximately 2,600 teams totaling over 16,000 runners compete each year.

S P O RTN O RT H A M E R I C A

MAKE IT HAPPEN! It takes the runners’ dedication, but also the volunteers behind

the scene for a successful race

WHAT A DIFFERENCE From ringing telephones and the hectic

running around of a busy day at work, to smooth hovering in

almost complete silence at a height of 700 m!

A Cherished (Oiltanking Family) Tradition

High flyer Omèr Verbist is the only balloon aviator in the Dutch province of Zeeland. He has owned his own balloon for ten years and performs around 80 balloon flights a year with his team of volunteers. Balloon flying involves a slew of rules and regulations, especially with regard to safety. Above all, pilots require a license and must be officially registered with a governmental body, as does their balloon. Every flight must be officially announced and licensed. Also, landowners must grant permission to use their land for take-off and/or landing. There is always a team present on the ground to track the balloon via radio and assist during take-off and landing procedures. More about Omèr’s hobby: www.ballonvarenzeeland.nl

Team Spirit, Flying High

* Erik de Bruijne from Operations joined the Customer Service Team in place of Adri Nieuwdorp, who was prevented from attending by an injury

To Bay: Beach

When a Dutch host invites you over for a cup of coffee, better double-check the timing. Dutch people would more than likely assume you were coming in the evening after dinner, while Germans would expect you for afternoon “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake) around 3 or 4 PM, corresponding to England’s “afternoon tea,” which is traditionally served between 4 and 5 PM.

Although “time is money,” you had better take your time with meetings in places like Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East in order to not offend your business partners. Your vis-à-vis will be ready to talk business only after an appropriate “warm-up” round of small talk, often accompanied by (several) cups of tea or coffee.

If your stomach is rumbling, perhaps it’s time for dinner! But the time and the kind of food being served can vary widely depending on where you are. While the Dutch enjoy a warm dinner as early as six o’clock, in Spain and many Latin American countries, the clock may strike nine or even ten o’clock before a warm meal is served. By that time, dinner in Germany would already be cold, but it would have never been warm anyway, as Germans prefer to eat bread with cold cuts in the evening, usually having a warm meal for lunch. Indians also tend to eat late. Should you be invited by an Indian family, avoid being impolite by aiming to leave about half an hour after dessert is served.


C U LT U R A L E X P E R I E N C E S

In modern societies, there are 365 days in a year, 24 hours in a day, and all nations use standard

time zones. However, the concept of time can vary immensely between countries and cultures. We feel

it’s time to have a look at some of those differences.

Imagine a meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. When are you expected to show up? A bit earlier or would this be perceived as over-punctual? At 9 o’clock on the dot, or by 9:15, or even later? All of these are possible, with the best of intentions and with no offense in mind. The right timing could very well depend on the country you are in and its cultural background.

According to Edward Twitchell Hall,* there are as many different languages of time as there are verbal languages. In his book “The Dance of Life: The other dimension of time” (1983), he elaborates on how cultures structure their time. Each culture has a unique concept of time and manages time in a different way. He distinguishes between monochronic versus poly-chronic concepts of time. Monochronic cultures follow the notion of one thing at a time: tasks are measured by output over time. This concept involves careful planning and scheduling. Germany’s oft-cited efficiency puts it firmly in this category, along with cultures in other Western and Scandinavian countries

and in the U.S. In polychronic cultures, human interaction is valued over time and material things. Multiple tasks are handled simultaneously, time is flexible and subordinate to interpersonal relations. Examples for polychronic cultures are Latin America, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Russia.

Especially in these times of increasing globalization, Hall’s thesis about time might be criticized as too stereotypical and generalizing. Focuses might vary and blend, thus contradicting his time concept. Nevertheless, he does have a point, alongside the other cultural factors he identified such as space, context and information, time is also a factor that has a decisive influence on culture.

Another interesting study was done by Geert Hofstede**, whose work centers on the study of cultures across nations. He developed the concepts of short-term vs. long-term orientation, one of the cultural dimensions (individualism, masculi-nity, uncertainty avoidance index and

power distance) he focuses on. Short-term vs. long-term orientation refers to the difference in how cultures experience time and the importance of the past, present and future. Cultures with a short-term orientation will be more concerned with the past and present. Efforts and beliefs will be focused on matters related to the short-term. By contrast, cultures with a long-term orientation are more concerned with the future, and focus their efforts on future-oriented goals.

Knowing a person’s cultural time orientation is crucial to managing, motivating and negotiating with them. Bearing in mind that other time concepts exist can also help to create mutual understanding and respect for each other’s conduct and customs.

as a Cultural Factor

C U LT U R A L E X P E R I E N C E S

LTO scores mapped out

0 - 19 20 - 39 40 - 59 60 - 79 80 - 100

LTO scores mapped out

PERCEPTION OF TIME According to Geert Hofstede

the time concept of countries differs and ranges

between short-time (lower scores) and long-time (higher

scores) orientation.

0 - 19*

20 - 39*

40 - 59*

60 - 79*

80 - 100*

*In years* Edward T. Hall, Jr. (1914 – 2009), American anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher** Geert Hofstede, (1928), Dutch social psychologist

Time

© Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov, "Cultures and Organizations, Software of the Mind", Third Revised Edition, McGrawHill 2010, ISBN 0-07-166418-1. ©Geert Hofstede B.V. quoted with permission.

required to be on-stream in July 2017, and COASSA is making available a 100 m berth for the electricity companies to dock any of their FPPs to fulfil the tender.Companies have contacted COASSA continually, since the terminal offers the perfect solution: a suitable berth to dock an FPP with capacity of up to 130 MW, the availability of fuel oil through COASSA’s customer, proximity to the grid, and the highest standards of safety and reliability in the country. At present COASSA is in talks with an important electricity company to dock and install a further FPP at the terminal. If everything goes as planned, COASSA will have seized a unique opportunity which, although perhaps outside of its core business, will certainly complement it and create significant value by putting some of its assets to productive use which would otherwise be underutilised.

L AT I N A M E R I C AL AT I N A M E R I C A

Over the past decade, Panama’s economy has grown at an average rate of eight percent per year. Economic growth goes hand in hand with energy demand, which has been increasing at an even higher rate. Although public spending and foreign direct investment have reached record levels in the last five years, investment in electricity generation has not kept pace. As a result, Panama is now in dire need of additional power generation capacity. Currently, there are two main sources for electricity in Panama: hydroelectric and thermoelectric plants (the latter based on fuel oil and gasoil). The quickest way to enhance power capacity in the country is to increase the capacity of the thermoelectric plants or add new ones, but this has its limitations, mainly due to the lack of available land. Panama has now come up with a brilliant idea: building floating power plants (FPPs), docking them at available berths and connecting them to the grid.

Recent developments in the efforts to enhance Panama’s power capacity are giving rise to powerful new business opportunities for Oiltanking’s terminal in Colón.

Generating Powerful New

Business

Currently, there are two FPPs operating in Panama and they have added 72 MW into the system as of the beginning of 2015. Next to the premises of Oiltanking’s terminal in Colón, Panama, another electricity company has been awarded a power purchase agreement by the local electricity distributer for an additional 90 MW of capacity. This will also be generated by FPPs. Colon Oil And Services S.A. (COASSA) and the latter electricity company have entered into an agreement to provide the storage tank capacity for the fuel needed for the electricity generation at the FPP, as well as the construction and operation of a pipeline (approx. 50 m) that will connect the Oiltanking terminal to the FPP.

The story does not end here; the local electricity distributor has issued another tender to continue enhancing the power generation that is so urgently needed in Panama. Currently, COASSA has two berths which are rarely used and are highly suitable for docking FPPs without interfering with COASSA’s existing operations. This new tender was for an additional 250 MW of power generation,

OUT OF THE BOX Serving the needs of electricity companies generates new business opportunities for the terminal in Colón

BUSINESS AS USUAL Oiltanking in Colón normally accommodates the

increasing demand for marine fuels by vessels transiting the Panama Canal

and calling on ports in the area


P E O P L E & P L A C E SP E O P L E & P L A C E S


Stephen Wilkes has been widely recognized for his fine art and commercial photography. His newest body of work is titled Day to Night. An ongoing photography project, it narrates the events and human activities of an entire day using a uniquely innovative photographic process that fuses as many moments as possible into one.

to

The very idea of a photograph is that it captures just a single moment in time. However the latest work of Stephen Wilkes (born 1957), changes the way one looks at a single still image. “I imagined changing time in a single photograph”, explains the renowned photographer whose photographs have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. His awards and honors include the PDN Award of Excellence (Photojournalism), Time Magazine Top 10 Photographers, The Art Directors Club Merit, to name just a few. “I began to explore this fascination with time in a series of photographs called “Day and Night”.”

This series is a unique collection that perfectly captures the energetic flow from dawn until dark at well-known landmarks around the world. For his shoots, Wilkes gets up before dawn and takes the first pictures by daybreak. Often he uses a crane to get at least 15 m above his subjects. During the day he will continue shooting 1,200 to 1,500 pictures until he finishes 12 or 15 hours later. While taking pictures he is constantly observing the view, watching for spontaneous events occurring in the scene and narrating a visual story as the hours go by. Only a selected group of about 50 shots will make it into the final photograph, and the painstaking editing process can take up to several months. Beyond the narrative of light, Wilkes utilizes customized technology to achieve large-scale prints of breath-taking clarity and detail. The next opportunity to see his work on display is at the Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in New York City, which starts on November 12, 2015 or www.brycewolkowitz.com.

DayNight

FLATIRON The iconic skyscraper and exemplary symbol of New York, The City That Never Sleeps, is also one of several pictures in Stephen Wilkes’ photo series called “Day to Night”

© Stephen Wilkes, www.stephenwilkes.com

Employees are a company’s most precious asset, so it is important to offer them the best workplace environment possible by maintaining and improving their health, safety and wellbeing. With this in mind, Oiltanking Colombia started a cardiovascular screening program in December 2014, which prompted a health and wellbeing month held in April 2015.

Medical findings The results of the December screening were weighty: 70 percent of the employees who work at Oiltanking Colombia were overweight, and nearly half (46 percent) were classified as obese. Based on this, the departments of Human Resource (HR) and Health, Safety, Security, Environment and Quality (HSSEQ), decided to promote healthy

l i f e s t y l e s among the employees by

carrying out a competition called “Oiltanking’s Biggest Loser”. The contest aimed to promote healthy weight loss in order to lower the Body Mass Index and encourage colleagues to embrace a health-enhancing lifestyle. All of the employees participated.

But who would naturally and thoughtfully lose the highest percentage of

weight from December 2014 to April 2015?

April was promptly scheduled to be “health and wellbeing

month.” Each week, the HR and

HSSE departments hosted several activities at all Oiltanking Colombia facilities to promote health consciousness among all employees and to help them eventually achieve a better quality of life. The main themes of the campaign were:

• Self-care as a company policy: talks about healthy lifestyles and the importance of regular medical checkups• Medical checkups: specialists including a dermatologist, physiotherapist,nutritionist and optometrist provided medical assistance

• Nutrition: cardiovascular screening, Body Mass Index (BMI) checkup, a cooking workshop and talks about healthy eating habits • Wellbeing: workshop about techniques for coping with stress and a session of relaxing massages• Recreation and sports: employees participated in aerobic sessions held at the Oiltanking Colombia facilities.

The cardiovascular screening in April showed a completely different outcome. An incredible 64 percent of Oiltanking Colombia employees lost weight! The five with the highest percentage of weight loss received an award. Among them is Angelica Novoa “Oiltanking’s

José Zanetti, HSSE Supervisor at the Oiltanking Ebytem terminal at Puerto Rosales, Argentina, began working as a volunteer firefighter for the city of Punta Alta at the tender

age of 20. During his 25 years of service he has experienced quite a few difficult situations and has on several occasions even put his own life at risk to protect his neighbors in an emergency. He has successfully held various higher-level positions, e. g. as leader of the squad (Commander), and has gained distinction in various fields, e. g. as “Instructor of the National Firefighter Academy” in Argentina, “Director of Training of the ‘Centro Sur’ (South

Central) Association of Voluntary Firefighters,” “Instructor of ‘Collapsed Structures’ of the National Academy of Firefighters” in Argentina, and “Coordinator of Training for the Provinces of La Pampa and Buenos Aires.” He has also lectured at dozens of seminars and given training courses in his area of expertise.

For his contribution and tireless commitment, the City Council of Punta Alta honored José Zanetti as a “Prominent Neighbor” of Coronel Rosales County, in March 2014 at the City Town Hall. The distinction acknowledges his outstanding work as a firefighter, which involves devoting himself to protecting the wellbeing of every citizen, their possessions and the environment. For his colleagues, his efforts serve as a shining example, and he has been much congratulated on them.

Biggest Loser” who lost a total of 8.7 kg proving that where there is a will there is indeed a way! Another two prizes were raffled off among the colleagues who managed to maintain their ideal weight. And the ultimate finding was: The company’s first health and wellbeing month had a very positive impact on the Oiltanking Colombia’s employees and demonstrated their interest in maintaining healthy lifestyles. Let’s keep up that healthy spirit!

In December 2014, Oiltanking Colombia organized a health screening that triggered a health and wellbeing campaign and a month filled with health-related activities in April 2015. Everybody united for the same goal: healthy Oiltankers!

L AT I N A M E R I C AL AT I N A M E R I C A

WE CAN, WE CARE Colleagues of

Oiltanking Colombia displaying not only sporting outfits but also sporting spirit

AND THE WINNER IS Over a period of four

months Angelica Novoa became more health

conscious resulting in weight loss

A Celebrated Neighbor (and Colleague)

Where losers


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT José Zanetti (right) is honored as a “Prominent Neighbor” by The Deliberating Council of Puerto Rosales County

winnersbecame

Human beings and animals aren’t the only creatures that respond to day and night – plants do, too. Botanists used to think that the length of daylight periods a plant was exposed to was crucial to whether or not it would flower. In fact, however, photoperiodism (the biological response to seasonal changes in the proportion of light and dark in a 24-hour cycle), depends crucially on the length of uninterrupted periods of darkness. Interestingly there are plants that flower regardless of the length of daylight hours (day-neutral plants), e. g. roses. “Nap takers” like carnations are plants that require only a short night (long-day plants) and bloom only when they receive more than twelve hours of light. On the other end of the spectrum are the “long sleepers” like poinsettias, who need a long period of darkness (short day plants) and flower only when the daytime is less than twelve hours long.

Petals may close in response to changes in temperature and the switch from day to night. In this phenomenon called “nyctinasty,” plant cells pump out water from the base of the petals and cause the petals to wilt themselves closed to protect pollen. So if you see morning glories in bloom, you can be sure it is morning, because their flowers only open in the morning hours and remain closed throughout the rest of the day and night. You can easily smell that evening is approaching when you are near a moonflower: at this time, it quickly opens its petals, releasing a sweet fragrance, and doesn’t close them again until touched by the light of day.

Short days, long days and closing time

EVENING PRIMROSES These flowers release a sweet, delicate fragrance that heralds the

approaching evening – and besides smelling the time of day, you can actually hear it, too,

when the plant’s buds pop open

What’s theTime?

CONNECTIONS 39


CONNECTIONS38

“Summertime”

Time to wake up?

"Summertime" recently started for a lot of countries, meaning that clocks were set forward an hour and will be turned back to the “normal” time

after some months, in order to make better use of daylight. Indeed the

concept of daylight saving is nothing new. As long ago as 1895, the New Zealander George Vernon Hudson came up with the idea, making him a major contributor. On April 30, 1916, Germany became the first country to implement Daylight Saving Time (DST) As a way to save coal during the First World War. Other countries quickly followed suit, but reverted back to standard time after

the war. It wasn’t until the next World War that DST made its return and was widely adopted in the North US and Europe as a result of the 1970s energy crisis. Today DST is in use in over 70 countries, though the beginning and end dates vary depending on the country.

And while the various arguments of DST supporters and critics regarding its benefits or disadvantages have yet to be conclusively proven, one piece of advice always remains timely: carpe diem! (from Latin: “seize the day”)

It’s an annoying phenomenon: On the days you promise yourself a nice lie-in, you awake early, while on the days you have to get up early, the only reason you do so is the unforgiving ringing of your alarm clock. But do you really get up when it goes? Here are some alarm clocks that show no mercy and will drag you out of bed for sure:� Ease into the day with soft and calming sounds! Not with this alarm clock. Shaped like a vintage blender, it produces such a cacophony of churning styrofoam and absurd jungle noises, you will be happy to get out of bed just to make it stop. � If you are addicted to your snooze button, this wheeled time keeper might help. After one snooze cycle, it rolls off your nightstand and leaps up to 90 cm. It will also continue beeping random patterns until you hunt it down. � If you manage to stop this alarm’s ringing you have every reason to be proud of yourself: not only did you get up, you’ve already completed a small workout as well. This 1.5-pound dumbbell clock will shut off only after you do 30 biceps curls.

There’s no way to cheat, as the clock counts your movements! � Getting up becomes a no-brainer with some brain jogging! When this alarm clock goes off, the screen that normally shows the time will display a plus or minus sign. To turn it off, you have to twist the dials to create an equation that makes sense. � It’s time to be puzzled! This gadget launches three puzzle pieces into the air. You’ll have to be wide awake to return them to their matching holes in order to shut off the alarm.

You can easily find out what time it is by checking your watch. A glance outside to see if it is dark / light may help in guessing the time, while a rumbling stomach can also be an indicator of sorts. You can even smell the time! Enough said, now it’s time to read more about “time”.

TURN BACK TIME? At least

you can turn back the clock when

“daylight saving time” ends

© nandahome

P E O P L E & P L A C E SP E O P L E & P L A C E S


Europe On Sunday, May 10, 2015, Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp welcomed some 450 people, including colleagues, family, friends and the public at large, to visit the terminal as part of the Belgian Open House Weekend of Chemistry. The program at the terminal started with a guided bus tour around the premises, which are currently undergoing an expansion. People could also visit the brand new promotional and Human Resource stand for job opportunities and a demo of the online Basic Operator Training. The youngest visitors played on the bouncy castle and participated in the fire brigade game. Young and old could also explore various physics and chemistry experiments. The success of this interesting and entertaining event was only possible with the voluntary commitment of enthusiastic colleagues from all departments. A nice result of genuine teamwork! The weekend was a hit at national level as well, with over 30,000 visitors turning up to explore the chemical sector.

Europe Today’s Shtandart, a replica of the first warship of the 18th century Russian Baltic fleet, embodies pure tradition. Peter the Great hoped that the original, which made its maiden voyage in 1703, would gain access to the Baltic Sea and break the supremacy of Sweden. When Empress Catherine I ordered an inspection of the frigate’s condition in 1727, the ship fell apart during testing. Thanks to the Project Shtandart initiative of 1994, a replica of the frigate was built within six years and set its sails for the first time in June 2000. The project’s current tasks mainly include teaching seamanship, promoting team spirit and forming international contacts, for example by participating in regattas like the Tall Ships Races. Traditionally, the Shtandart also moors almost every year for bunkering at Oiltanking Kiel, as it did, for example, on April 17, 2015. However, no Oiltanking colleagues have ever (yet) sailed on it!

Europe After over one year, the “EURO” project came to a successful conclusion when Oiltanking GmbH received the merger approval on May 19, 2015. Oiltanking GmbH is expanding its existing partnership with 3i Infrastructure by selling to the latter a 45-percent minority shareholding each in Oiltanking Terneuzen, the Netherlands, and Oiltanking Ghent, Belgium. The present transaction follows 3i’s acquisition in 2007 of a 45-percent stake in three other Oiltanking terminals: Amsterdam, Malta and Singapore. An internal EURO party was organized on April 16, 2015 at the Sandton Grand Hotel Reylof in Ghent to look back on the process and celebrate the successful transaction.

THE FRIGATE SHTANDART The 2000 replica of the ship is divided into a historic part (above the gun deck) and a modern part (former cargo bay).

SIGNIFICANT MEANING OTDB is the acronym for Oiltanking Day Bay, as well as for the terminal’s operating concept: Outstanding service; Together, stronger; Dedication to safety; Belonging

CHEERS! Meng Zhou, Neo Zhong,

Miao Yu, Zhanglong

Ai and Tianbo

Liu (from left) enjoy

birthday cake and

felicitations from their colleagues

NutshellIn a

Asia Pacific Oiltanking Daya Bay (OTDB) has plenty of reasons to celebrate. Just recently, on May 21, 2015, the terminal was named “2015 Best Service Provider in China Chemical Industrial Park” by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation (CPCIF). For the colleagues, this award is not only a recognition of their steadfast dedication to work and commitment to offer 24/7 service and excellent performance, it is also a motivator that keeps encouraging them to do even better.

OTDB’s best service philosophy applies not only to customers but also to the employees themselves. Out of respect and care for each other, every staff member’s birthday is remembered and each month there is a collective celebration. No wonder colleagues feel themselves to be part of a happy and healthy family!

© Vladimir Martus, www.shtandart.eu

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R E A D E R ' S C O R N E R

... and Action!Try to solve our riddle and don't miss out on the chance to win! Please send your entries to: [email protected], or contact us by post: Oiltanking GmbH, connections Team, Admiralitaetstrasse 55, 20459 Hamburg, Germany, or by fax: +49 40 370 99-499.

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

N E W Q U I Z

Quiz Solution

One to nine

Admittedly, the last quiz was a bitter pill to swallow. Many of you sent quite clever solutions but unfortunately nobody managed to guess all answers correctly: 1) the letter “s”, 2) bridge, 3) chimney sweep, 4) balloon, 5) snow, 6) hole, 7) washing water.

Are you in for a new brain twister? We hope this new quiz featuring symbol characters will bring some color to your life and is not so difficult that it keeps you busy 24/7! All you need to do is to find out where the numbers one to nine go – each color always represents the same number. The symbols give additional hints about which number it is (prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7):

If the number in the field is even:Heart: this number is smaller than the one on the right end of the same vertical lineSmiley: all directly adjacent numbers (but not diagonally adjacent) are larger than this numberSun: This number can be divided into the number directly above itHexagon: the number below this number is not a prime numberCross: this number is smaller than five

Circle: at least one of the directly adjacent numbers (not diagonally) has the value oneSquare: this number is larger than the number at the top of this column

If the number in the fieldis uneven:Heart: this number is larger than the number at the far left end of this rowSmiley: all directly adjacent numbers (not diagonally) are smaller than this numberSun: the number above this field is a multiple of this number

Hexagon: the number directly below this number is a prime numberCross: this number is five or larger Circle: at least one directly adjacent field (not diagonally) contains the number nineSquare: this number is smaller than the number at the bottom of this column

People have different chronological preferences and attitudes to working hours: Early birds are said to be very productive in the morning while "night owls" seem to be at their best late in the evening. The fact is that work has to be done, and one often wishes there were more than 24 hours in a day. While the system of a 24-hour day dates back to the ancient Egyptians, the expression 24/7 was first mentioned in the U.S. magazine Sports Illustrated in 1983, in connection with a phrase used by the basketball player Jerry Reynolds talking about his jump shot: He claimed it was “good 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

According to the American Time Use Survey – which collects information about the activities people do during the day and how much time they spend doing

them – on an average day of an employed person aged 25 to 54 with

children (in 2013), 8.7 hours are spent on work and related

activities.*

Oiltanking colleagues work 24/7, as it were. First, this is due to Oiltanking’s global presence: while some of us are fast asleep, others are busy at a terminal somewhere on the other side of the world. Second, many of them work in shifts, meaning that services and duties are carried out around the clock. Exactly how many hours the folks at Oiltanking work is meticulously documented at each Oiltanking location and evaluated / reviewed by the Marquard & Bahls Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) department. In 2014, the collective annual working hours (including overtime / hours present on site) of all Oiltanking colleagues in the period from January 1 until December 31, 2014, was 10,852,615 hours.

* Rest of the day : sleeping = 7.7h; leisure & sports = 2.5h; caring for others = 1.3h; household activities = 1.1 h; eating & drinking = 1 h; other = 1.7; Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey (2013)

NUMBER

HOURS 10,852,615 10,852,615

CONNECTIONS42

L E I S U R E & E N T E RTA I N M E N T

STAYING CONNECTED The winners await a

handy USB port

L AS T B U T N OT L E AS T

© Matilde Gattoni

This picture with a touching history was captured by the renowned Italian photographer Matilde Gattoni (in 1974). While in Kuwait, she visited a camel farm located in the desert. A sandstorm had been raging for several days, painting the sky a permanent translucent orange. Baby camels were taking shelter behind their mothers, hiding their faces from the sand blown into the air by the wind. A farmer standing next to the photographer was approached by a white camel. It placed its head over its owner’s shoulder; the farmer then slowly lifted his arm to caress him. They remained in this embrace until the sun set.

Before Matilde Gattoni started her career as a photojournalist she studied History and Art History at the University of Strasbourg, France. Today she is a sought-after photographer whose clients include the UN. Her work focuses on human rights issues around the world. Her stories have been published in reputable magazines all over the world, she has won various prestigious international photography awards, and her works have been exhibited at venues like the European Parliament in Brussels, in Finland, the U.S. and Canada. We invite you to see more for yourself at: http://matildegattoni.photoshelter.com

Until the sun sets

THE WORLD OF OILTANKING VOL. 27/2 AUGUST 2015

WORKING

247AT OILTANKING

Documents

24/ - Oiltanking...* During the cracking process of naphta, a gaseous mixture of various C4 hydrocarbons (mainly 1.3 butadiene, 2-methylpropene (isobutylene), butanes and butenes,