Caltex’s magazine for employees, franchisees & resellers
Issue 42 Apr – May 08
Article Highlights
Every day, around 5 million litres of fuel products pass through here – over 1.6 billion litres a year. It's an operation that never sleeps, a major hub in the fuel supply chain that's every bit as crucial as a refinery.
In this issue:
The terminal, the hub that never sleeps
Peter Riley at the Banksmeadow terminal's VRU.
6am. The roar of turbocharged diesel engines fills the air on the northern fringes of Botany Bay. A procession of tanker trucks is moving into the vast Caltex terminal at Banksmeadow, Sydney.
One by one, they enter covered bays where their drivers load up to 70,000 litres of petrol, diesel, jet fuel and heavy fuel oil into their barrels from gantries.
Some of these truckies have been on the road since well before dawn. Between 4 am and 8 am is one of the busiest times at Banksmeadow, one of 22 terminals Caltex delivers fuel from across the nation. In volume throughput Banksmeadow ranks third after the Newport terminal in Melbourne and Lytton terminal in Brisbane.
Every day, around 5 million litres of fuel products pass through here – over 1.6 billion litres a year. It's an operation that never sleeps, a major hub in the fuel supply chain that's every bit as crucial as a refinery.
The tanker trucks entering the main gates belong to Caltex resellers and contract carriers. From here they'll distribute through the Sydney basin and further afield into regional NSW to satisfy the state's unquenchable thirst for fuel.
Specialist skills
Naturally, none of it could happen without the specialist skills of Caltex people. In a well-lit control room, Pipeline Coordinator Rob Brooks is on duty, perched in front of six computer screens that cover the terminal and pipeline to Newcastle. One of 12 terminal coordinators, he's working a 12-hour shift today in tandem with another coordinator.
With deft taps on a keyboard he checks and directs the transfer of product through the maze of pipes and tanks. At the same time he keeps a close eye on a monitor where coloured lines and figures show the functioning of the vapour recovery unit (VRU). This recovers about 95 per cent of fuel vapours captured from the tanker loading process.
An injury free workplace
The VRU is an essential piece of safety and environmental management equipment for terminals which ensures the vapours are not released into the atmosphere. Safety is the number one priority here, and all staff are alert to ensure the smallest incidents are recorded and investigated. Right now they're especially proud. Their record stands at over 1,700 days without a lost time injury and over 1,500 days without an employee needing medical treatment.
"I see on the permits we've got three contractors on site today?" says Peter Riley, the terminals Facility Coordinator.
"Yep, they're assembling the floating pan in the ethanol tank," answers Rob. "Another team's pouring the slab for the pumps and the plumber's in to fix the leaking water line."
Soon Peter sets off on his daily inspection to check operations are running smoothly and safely. Like many at the terminal, he's got a lot on for the day. As Facility Coordinator he's responsible for controlling all its daily functions safely and efficiently – monitoring costs, ensuring product supply and maintenance systems are running well and managing staff and customer matters.
Five days' supply
As he walks through the terminal grounds clad in an orange high viz safety vest, Peter is flanked on all sides by huge white storage tanks. These hold four to five days' supply of the various petroleum products that come from the Kurnell refinery across Botany Bay via five underwater pipelines.
The refined products in the tanks don't only leave the terminal in road tankers, as product is also pumped through a multi-product pipeline to the Newcastle terminal 150 kilometres north of Sydney. Product is also pumped to Sydney's Brotherson Dock on Botany Bay for dispatch to bunkering barges to supply ships.
Peter stops at a site to inspect how work is progressing on some new infrastructure and to check contractors are working to the requirements of their work permit. Reconditioned tanks here will soon allow Banksmeadow to blend Bio E10 Unleaded, Caltex's petrol blend containing 10 per cent ethanol, on site.
"No issues this week but the interim measures for supplying E10 have added to the terminal's costs," Peter tells colleague Ron Brennan.
Banksmeadow has been supplying E10 to market by having tankers pick up the petrol component at the terminal and travelling to the Vopak terminal three kilometres away to add the ethanol.
"They may have," agrees Ron. "But at least it will allow us to supply E10 into the market and work towards meeting the ethanol mandate requirements in NSW."
Bringing on biofuels
By the end of May this $2.9 million upgrade will allow Caltex to store ethanol and blend it with unleaded petrol to make Bio E10 Unleaded at Banksmeadow to satisfy a mandatory requirement – and market need – for the biofuel and save money. (The state government mandate requires ethanol to make up two per cent of petrol sales in NSW.)
A similar project is under way at Lytton terminal in Queensland. In the Sunshine State Caltex is currently having ethanol blended with petrol at the SEQF Depot at Rocklea 30 kilometres from Lytton.
Meanwhile Peter continues on his rounds, monitoring the activities going on in the terminal for the day.