Tank coating for 16 new-build tanks at GTS, Port of Ghent

Ghent Tank Storage built a series of new storage tanks in the Port of Ghent and looked for one party to take the complete coating scope in one hand: sixteen newly constructed tanks, from bare steel to protected system, both exterior and interior.

Part of the tanks was destined for chemical and petroleum products and therefore required specialized internal lining systems: coatings that deliver chemical resistance on top of corrosion protection, matched to the stored product.

On a new-build site you are never alone. While we blasted and coated, construction continued around us and the terminal commissioning dates were fixed. That demanded tight coordination with the other contractors, work sequences per tank and a schedule with no room to let a tank drag.

Interior work in tanks also means confined-space conditions: controlled access, ventilation, climate control and measurements before every step.

Every tank went through the same chain. First full blasting, inside and out, to the cleanliness grade the coating system demands, with cleanliness and profile checks before release. Then the system build-up coat by coat, with climate measurements before every coating activity and film thickness measurements after every coat.

For the tanks with internal linings, the system was matched to the future product, applied under controlled conditions and fully documented. The terminal received a dossier per tank proving what sits on the steel, from blasting report to final thicknesses.

Sixteen tanks, protected inside and out and ready for decades of service in the Ghent port climate, delivered within the terminal commissioning schedule. Blasting, coating and lining in one hand kept the planning tight and the responsibility unambiguous.

GTS remained a regular client after this program: Russo NV keeps working on the terminal in the Port of Ghent on later projects as well.