Tank farm

The nationwide distribution of sites across the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany is a prerequisite for maintaining the uninterrupted supply of liquid products. In this context, economically less attractive sites are also operated as part of the overall concept. In addition, the tank farms of the member companies have an important function for the storage of strategic stocks within the framework of compulsory stockpiling for mineral oils.

By far the largest part of the above-ground storage capacity, around 12 million m³, is in the hands of so-called "independent" tank terminals. This term refers to a tank terminal that offers its tank space to third parties as a pure service provider and has no ownership of the stored products. In addition, refinery companies on the one hand and the - mostly medium-sized - fuel and mineral oil trade on the other hand are operators of tank farms, whereby this tank space is not made available to third parties.

Security of supply always goes hand in hand with the storability of energy, and here the advantages resulting from a historically grown diversity of storage, transport and distribution infrastructure must not be ignored lightly.

The Hamburg-based institute ETR - Economic Trend Research - was commissioned by the MEW and AFM+E associations to examine "The role of mineral oil as an energy storage medium in the energy transition debate" and came to the conclusion that the "storability of energy sources" factor is often neglected in the current discussion about a successful energy transition.

Source: UTV - Unabhängiger Tanklagerverband e.V. (website)

The tank storage sector is indispensable to Dutch society. Not only as a logistics service provider, but also as an innovator, employer (direct and indirect), trainer and exporter. The companies are generally active in the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, as well as in the various ports of Zeeland and in Eemshaven.

The VOTOB was founded in 1980 and today has 17 members, which together account for 22 million cubic metres of storage space. In the 1990s, VOTOB was one of the initiators of the European umbrella organisation of the national industries, FETSA (Federation of European Tank Storage Associations).

Source: votob Federation of Dutch Tank Storage Associations (web site)