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NTC Tankcleaning operates one of the largest, most diversified wash racks in Europe
WHEN the new NTC Tankcleaning Services BV wash rack opened its doors in May 2013, it didn’t take long for customers to show up. In short order, the new wash rack in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, became one of the busiest in Europe.
With its 14 wash bays, NTC Tankcleaning Services is one of the largest tanker-cleaning facilities in Europe. It’s not surprising that tank containers are a focal point for the new wash rack since Rotterdam is one of the largest and busiest ports in the world, where the number of ship arrivals can exceed 36,000 annually.
The Port of Rotterdam stretches over a distance of 40 kilometers (25 miles) and it consists of the city center’s historic harbor area, which was established in the 14th century, and now includes the reclaimed Maasvlakte area, which projects port operations into the North Sea. The region is an entry point for mass volumes of European commerce.
The importance of Rotterdam and the consistent movement of materials through the five distinct port areas and three distribution parks are massive. Facilitating the needs of a hinterland with 40 million consumers, Rotterdam was the perfect place to host an operation with the scale of the NTC tanker-cleaning facility.
For almost 25 years, NTC has been providing complete tanker-cleaning service to both operators and lease companies at cleaning sites in Rotterdam and Moerdijk. Since 2010, a new depot in the Botlek (part of the Port of Rotterdam) has been operating with an area of 50,000 square meters (164,000 square feet).
Cleaning leader
The new Rotterdam NTC facility, with its 14 tank cleaning positions, reinforces NTC’s position as a leader in the European tank container cleaning industry. The new facility is key to maintaining future growth in the market for the transport of liquid substances where tank containers are increasingly used.
“(The NTC facility) has worldwide coverage coming in for cleaning, but the majority is European-based tank-container operators and lease companies,” says Michel Bosch, director of cleaning for NTC Tankcleaning Services. “Eighty percent of our cleaning has a European base and 20% has an international base. On a daily basis we have a full capacity of 350 tank cleanings, but to keep it operational at a certain level we are targeting 200 to 250 cleanings a day.”
The growing need for transporting a myriad of liquids in tanker vehicles has brought increased regulations and stringent legislation that govern the sanitary conditions and ensure compliance among transporters. Herein lies the importance of a facility such as the NTC tank-cleaning operation.
From corrosive chemicals or lubricants to foods such as yogurt, milk, or orange juice, tank containers and trailers coming into the NTC facility can carry a very diverse listing of materials. NTC’s responsibility is to make certain the tanker’s interior and exterior surfaces are cleansed, disinfected, and sterilized appropriately in preparation for the next load in order to avoid any possible contamination from the previous content.
Quality processes
In addition to providing thorough cleaning services, efficiency is an essential part of measuring the effectiveness of any tank-cleaning operation. “Quality is very important, but it is something that is at the core of every business,” Bosch says. “The lead time needs to be as low as possible for the drop-offs and the cleaning time as a whole needs to be as short as possible.”
According to Bosch, making the most of the time available to handle a tanker cleaning really boils down to the equipment. “We need to have perfect quality products that are well-maintained and properly operated,” he says. “That’s why we use Gröninger, which is renowned for its quality cleaning systems.”
To Bosch’s point, facilities like NTC’s massive operation do not build themselves. The impressive NTC tank-cleaning operation in Rotterdam, with its high-tech equipment and specialized features, was made possible by Gröninger Cleaning Systems BV, Schiedam, The Netherlands, a specialist in high-pressure cleaning systems and equipment. Gröninger’s experience brings together specialized equipment with proven distributors and equipment suppliers that work well together.
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“In Europe, there are about 700 tank cleaning stations--about 200 of which we have built--that do approximately four million cleanings per year,” says Henk Klein, director of Gröninger Cleaning Systems. “Our systems do about 25%, which is one million cleanings per year, meaning that per working day there are about 4,000 to 5,000 cleanings performed by Gröninger Cleaning Systems.”
Complex system
At its core, the cleaning system is complex, Bosch says. When one looks at the service volumes at a facility like NTC’s, those numbers can only be obtained by using the most reliable equipment.
The new NTC Tankcleaning facility has eight bays just for tank containers, two foodgrade cleaning bays, four chemical cleaning bays (including two with 200-bar/2,900 psi cleaning capability), a large number of steam heating spots, external cleaning bays, and latex cleaning.
Edibles cleaning bays are isolated from the chemical bays to prevent contamination. Tanks can be sterilized or disinfected as needed to meet customer requirements. Edibles cleaning can be done according to kosher requirements.
Chemical cleaning bays are protected against explosion, which makes it possible to clean a wide range of products. The high-pressure wash system also gives NTC Tankcleaning a diverse cleaning capability. High-pressure heat exchangers can deliver water as hot as 90°C (194°F).
The NTC facility is filled with high-pressure machines, high-pressure guns, and all sorts of rotor jets and spinners that clean the tank interior. According to Klein, the detergent and chemical dosing is highly controlled and the tank is cleaned according to a specific recipe, based on what material was previously carried inside the tank.
High-pressure pumps
In addition to the obvious electronic equipment required to orchestrate the cleaning process, the use of high-pressure pumps is an essential part of Gröninger’s successful formula for outfitting a cleaning facility. For a solution, Gröninger has consistently relied on air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pump technology from Wilden, Grand Terrace, California, part of the Dover Corporation’s Pump Solutions Group (PSG).
“For the pumps we use for dosing and wastewater treatment systems, we have been working with Wilden for 25 years,” Klein says. “The relationship has developed and has worked quite well. Especially when you look at dosing equipment, which is a major component in tank cleaning.”
Together with Wilden, the Gröninger team developed a dosing system that ensures a good cleaning result that clearly meets the customers’ expectations. The use of dosing pumps makes reliability and required maintenance intervals a necessary consideration for choosing equipment.
“The pump is the heart of the system. The pumps are very, very important, without pumps there is no cleaning possible,” Bosch says. “The reliability of the pumps is paramount. They must be very reliable, and the Wilden pumps are extremely reliable. They have proven themselves for years.”
During chemical cleaning, many of the materials that are being removed from the tanker or are used in cleaning can be dangerous, flammable, corrosive, and toxic substances. Cleaning these substances and properly removing the wastewater and disposing of it are a matter of safety and of stringent regulations.
“The chemicals used in tank cleaning are very industrial products and may damage inferior pumps,” Klein says. “It’s important that the material in the pumps is of top quality.
The NTC facility utilizes 40 to 50 Wilden AODD pumps, which have a very broad resistance to whatever might be inside a tanker. According to Gerrit Klaassen, commercial director for Holland Air Pumps, a Wilden pump can handle a very broad range of products.
“You can pump everything with them--thin to thick, acid to caustic, and never worry about the pump,” he says. “That’s very important because they never know what’s inside a tanker.”
As currently designed, NTC Tankcleaning is well positioned for growth. “We are a down-to-earth company with a Rotterdam spirit and go to great lengths to offer our international customers the best service,” says Eric van Halewijn, NTC managing director. ♦
