Midia Marine Terminal, company of KMG International Group, completed the works for the replacement of the oil transfer equipment at its Black Sea oil terminal, with a total investment amounting to 3.5 million dollars.
„The project was aimed at replacing the entire flexible oil transfer system between oil tankers and the oil depot of the Petromidia refinery. The mandatory capital maintenance works keep the sea terminal in optimum safety and performance conditions. Moreover, the investment also ensures a high level of marine environmental safety. We invest around 200.000 dollars every two years, 1.4 million dollars every four years, and approximately 3 million dollars every three years in such works”, said Ioan Tăuș, general manager of Midia Marine Terminal.
The replacement of the flexible hose system was carried out at sea by Midia Marine Terminal and involved 6 boats and 20 divers working 24/7 for 16 days. The project was implemented with the participation of Rominserv, KMG International’s general contractor.
The flexible hose system of the Black Sea offshore oil terminal is made up of two rows of metal-reinforced rubber hoses with a weight between 3.5 and 5 tonnes, provided with a double casing specially designed for the protection of marine environments in case of hose failure. This system is made up by two rows of floating hoses, each approximately 270 meters long, and two rows of 19-bar proof underwater hoses, built to international standards, but also taking into account the hydrological and weather conditions in the area where it is laid, i.e. 9 km East from the Midia Năvodari. The service period of such hoses is 2 years for high-stress floating hoses, 4 years for underwater hoses and 8 years for others transfer hoses.
More than 23 million tonnes were unloaded and 276 have been safely processed at the Black Sea offshore oil terminal between the beginning of 2009 and September 2015. The terminal withstood severe cold to violent storms with waves in excess of 8 metres without any damage, and is designed to operate for at least 25 years.
The terminal currently ensures the oil supply needs of the Petromidia refinery – the largest Romanian refinery, which in 2015 processed a record 5 million tonnes of crude since its commissioning in 1979, thus reaching its maximum operational capacity.
With a designed transfer capacity of 24 million tonnes a year, the oil terminal may accommodate ships of up to 160,000 tdw. The supply route through the terminal is 33 km shorter than the Constanta port route and secures oil supply cost cuts of approximately 7 dollars/ton. Thus, the 100 million dollars investment in the oil terminal was amortized in just 5 years from commissioning.