Exolum will invest 30 million euros in the construction of a plant for hydrocarbon recovery in the port of Algeciras

Exolum will invest 30 million euros in the construction of a plant for hydrocarbon treatment and recovery on a site in Algeciras Bay. To develop this project, Exolum has incorporated a company named Garbium and has reached a collaboration agreement with the company Naviera Murueta.

The project is part of the circular economy concept and consists of the construction of a facility for the processing and treatment of MARPOL residue (sea water mixed with oil from the ships’ bilges). It aims to minimise the environmental impact of these products in the marine environment and recover and recycle hydrocarbons so that they can be reintroduced into the market as commercial products.

The plant will have the capacity to treat 550,000 tonnes of product per year and it is expected to be operational at the beginning of 2025. The project, which has already obtained the Integrated Environmental Authorisation and is currently in the detail engineering stage, will lead to the creation of more than 50 jobs during the operation stage and 150 jobs at the peak of the construction stage, in addition to generating an important induced economic activity in the area.

The new facility will occupy a plot of 21,500 m2 where the receipt tanks for the residue consisting of 90% water and 10% hydrocarbon waste will be built. The plant will also be equipped with settling tanks for oil/water separation, as well as end product tanks from which the recovered fuel will be dispatched. A water treatment unit will also be installed for the treatment of recovered water, thus ensuring it is delivered in compliance with environmental quality requirements.

Receipt of the products to be recycled will take place by sea or land. For receipt by sea, the existing berthing will be used to build connecting pipelines to the new facility. For receipt by land, road tankers will be used and a loading/unloading area will be installed inside the treatment plant to enable product receipt and the dispatch of the recovered fuel for its distribution to end customers.

The new plant will be equipped with the most technologically advanced safety and environmental protection systems, such as fire prevention and extinguishing systems and odour control systems. Such systems connect all tanks and processing units to a gas filtration area thus ensuring compliance with strict environmental requirements and removing any odours that may be generated by plant operations. Premises for monitoring the operations at the plant and other auxiliary facilities will also be built.

With this project, Exolum intends to provide a service that is highly demanded by the ships that operate in the area by enabling them to comply with the provisions of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). Therefore, by using high-capacity resources that offer an outstanding performance, they will be able to use these services without incurring in delays.

Furthermore, the project is an integral part of the company’s strategy to develop the circular economy, minimising the need to extract resources, generate toxic emissions and produce waste by increasing the life cycle of the products treated at the plant.

Exolum in Andalusia

Exolum is Europe’s leading logistics company for liquid products and one of the largest in the world. Its core business is the transport and storage of a wide range of bulk liquid products, particularly refined and chemical products and biofuels, in a sustainable and efficient manner. It also operates in new sectors, such as eco-fuels, the circular economy and the development of new energy vectors.

Exolum manages nine storage terminals in Andalusia located in Cordoba, Seville, Huelva, Rota, Algeciras, San Roque, Malaga, Motril and Arahal. It is also present at Cordoba, Seville, Jerez, Granada-Jaen, Almeria and Malaga airports.