19-Tank Project

Description: 19 Large Diameter Tanks (Design, Fabrication & Field Erection)

Tank Details: (8) 250’ x 71’ High (6) 215’ x 62’ High (5) 192’ x 60’ High

Project details

TIW served as the primary tank contractor on this 19-tank, $600 million project that expanded our client’s Contract Storage facility in order to meet customer demand, allowing it to hold 12.5 MMbl, which equates to five full days of Canada’s total crude oil production. Each tank stood between three and four storeys high, with 250 feet across-range in capacity (250,000 to 530,000 barrels, or bbl, apiece). Eighteen vessels were used for crude storage, while one was used for diluent. We supplied steel in rolled sections that were assembled in the field, with construction taking place on six tanks at a time.

Despite significant engineering and construction challenges, the project was completed on time, with a highly skilled and productive team of construction supervisors, certified tradespeople and others on the ground following schedules that were planned months in advance.

What we learned

We took many lessons from the project that have helped us improve our process in the last decade. One of the most critical came in the form of safe work practices and the types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that must be worn in special cases. Harsh, sandy conditions onsite meant labourers were subjected to injuries from flecks of sand entering their eyes. Immediately after we upgraded eye protection to foam-backed safety goggles, eye injuries dropped off, visits to the hospital decreased, and our safety record drastically improved.

We also now supply full face respirators to labourers working in confined spaces to protect respiratory health and prevent work-related illnesses.

At TIW, the health and safety of our field personnel is top priority. The safety culture we’ve built and fostered over the last century as well as our continual efforts to overcome safety hazards in the field reflect that.