South Africa’s foremost independent bulk liquid and gas storage operator Bidvest Tank Terminals (BTT) continues to leverage bulk tank builder TROTECH’s formidable bulk tank design, procurement and construction services to successfully complete its large capital expansion projects.

Working alongside the owner’s engineer, TROTECH recently completed the construction of 18 new bulk-storage tanks at BTT’s state-of-the-art tank farm in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. TROTECH has since been appointed to construct two additional 

15 000 m3 storage tanks for this leading steward and handler.

Notably, this was the first time that TROTECH was tasked with building 18 bulk storage tanks simultaneously – a task that the company took in its stride. Achieving this impressive feat again showcases TROTECH’s commitment to always meeting cutomer’s expectations and finding the best way to do so. Certainly, “around here, you can count on me and around here, we find the best way” are unwritten ground rules that emanate throughout M&D Group, which acquired TROTECH in 2023.  

This is exactly the mindset that TROTECH senior project manager Storme Wilson and members of his skilled and experienced team, which peaked at 300 employees, maintained throughout the project duration. They started site erection in August 2023 and successfully completed the project at the end of May 2024.

The project entailed the design, supply, delivery and erection of 15 self-supporting dome roof structures, each 14 500 mm in diameter and 19 000 m in height, and three 18 000 mm diameter and 14 000 m high cone roof structures. Included in the scope of work was the supply and installation of shell and roof nozzles; manholes; peripheral roof handrails; spiral staircases; and inter-tank bridges.

Once again, TROTECH deployed its innovative reverse building method for tank construction. This technique entails constructing tanks at ground level and progressively jacking them one strake at a time to their final height after undergoing rigorous quality inspections and control. The method offers enhanced safety, precision and speed in tank construction, reducing the need for working at heights and minimising the amount of internal and external scaffolding required.

“We jacked 18 tanks in a week; installed 1 225 t of steel in ten months using four tower cranes; and undertook 852 x-ray welds, of which less than 1% required rework. This while working in an extremely congested site with multiple interface activities. Innovation has always been at the heart of M&D Group. ‘Around here, we find the best way’, another M&D Group unwritten ground rule that translates words into action,” Wilson says.

In line with M&D Group’s focus on Khula Nathi: “Around here, we grow, you succeed”, ten members of the Richards Bay community received training. Outstandingly, 80% of all labour was sourced from Richards Bay.

TROTECH operations director Gavin Heron and MD Lukas Brink lauds the performance of the TROTECH team on this project.

“Based on the high quality of our workmanship, we have nurtured a more than 20-year professional relationship with BTT. Certainly, we will again strive to deliver the same high standard of workmanship that this valued client has become accustomed to from us when constructing the two additional tanks,” Heron says.

TROTECH has also nurtured long-term working relationships with other clients, including leading hydrocarbon producers.

The company’s recent stellar performance on the tank roof replacement project at Durban Harbour enabled TROTECH to secure additional work for another important client, a provider of unique hydrocarbon solutions.

This project entailed removing the wooden roof of a molasses tank and replacing it with a new steel cone roof with rafters enabling it to now store heavy-fuel oil. Notably, the project was completed ahead of schedule, with TROTECH starting site erection in February 2024 and finalising the work scope in the beginning of July 2024. There was also not a single health and safety incident on site, demonstrating the company’s commitment to another important M&D Group unwritten ground rule: “Around here, safety begins with me.”

The new contract will entail building six additional tanks as part of the second phase of the expansion of this worldclass tank farm in KwaZulu-Natal. 

“Reputations are built over many years. TROTECH has more than 30 years of proven track record under the belt. Over three decades, we have built more than 240 tanks, providing more than 1.1-million cubic meters of storage capacity, in 11 different countries. With each build, we have become even better at what we do, earning us an enviable reputation as the tank builder of choice,” M&D Group CEO Rukesh Raghubir concludes.