Projects there has been a fair amount of activity in the tank storage industry over the last twelve months, with some major terminal operators investing in big expansion projects around the globe. Next year will probably see even more as other operators get into gear. Over the last twelve months the storage terminal sector has witnessed a lot of action involving the major players - notably Oiltanking, Vopak, ST Services and Odfjell - with large expansion plans in the offing. This movement is in stark contrast to the year before where activity was at a low ebb, especially with the biggest regional companies waiting in the wings for possible investment. As was mentioned in last year's world terminal expansion survey (HCB June 2003, page 27), Vopak was taking something of rest from major new work following the divestment of its chemical distribution arm to form a new company, Univar. The terms of the split favoured Univar in the short term, and Vopak took a breather while digesting the reorganisation. This year, however, Vopak is back with a bang and a major global expansion plan involving both large and small projects. Vopak's corporate communications director Bon Ellemeet explains that there are three main projects currently underway at Rotterdam's Europoort; the Caojing site in Shanghai, China; and the greenfield Darwin terminal in Australia.
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