VTTI is one of the world’s fastest growing storage providers for energy and other essential products like chemicals. Located at major shipping crossroads and supply gateways, VTTI provides over 10 million cubic meters of storage capacity across five continents. Seaport Canaveral Corporation, LLC- a VTTI Group Company contributes to this growth through their terminal in Cape Canaveral, FL. This highly advanced terminal delivers an independent supply of petroleum products to the state of Florida. Its 24 storage tanks provide a capacity of approximately three million barrels with space for a broad range of fuel products. The terminal features two jetties and the infrastructure for direct loading and unloading barges, seagoing vessels and trucks along with a dedicated pipeline for bunkering cruise ships.

Plans for Port Canaveral in 2020 included several cruise and cargo segment projects to expand the range of serviceability each terminal can provide. The North Cargo Piers 1 through 4 were targeted as opportunities to improve Canaveral Corporation’s capability of supporting current cargo demands while improving its competitive position for future business. North Cargo Piers 1 & 2 were completed in phase one of this project.

Having a location directly on the ocean presents numerous challenges and considerations during construction. In addition to the salty sea air, the marine transfer facilities are in a very industrial environment with a constant flow of barges, trucks and petroleum. Furthermore, the pipes that connect to the loading arms at North Cargo Piers 1 & 2 are located within the tidal zones, meaning they are submerged in water twice per day. All these components add to the corrosivity of this environment; therefore, adequate corrosion protection is necessary to ensure the safety and longevity of the structures.

Another situation project managers needed to keep in mind is how difficult the equipment would be to inspect and perform maintenance on. The same pipes discussed above are supported on pile caps which pass under bridges. Considering these structures are also under water when the tide comes in, selecting a system with little to no maintenance becomes important in terms of economics and logistics.

All things considered, Seaport Canaveral elected to specify hot-dip galvanizing for the new onshore 1,400 foot long pipe rack. It would be used to install new pipelines and utility lines connected to seven loading arms. Since hot-dip galvanizing offers three levels of corrosion protection it was the best option in this highly corrosive environment. It also offers the convenience of a delayed maintenance cycle since the rack would be difficult to access. In addition, the galvanized steel is 100% recyclable at the end of life and it will not introduce any foreign or harmful chemicals into the surrounding environment. In total, the work included a $6.4 million, 270 ton hot-dip galvanized steel pipe rack that supports two new 16” Ø lines for this first phase of the project.