Ledbury ‘SuperVault’ fuel storage tank on route to the Falklands Islands

Ledbury Welding & Engineering (LWE) has secured a valuable contract to supply a petrol storage tank and associated dispensing equipment to the Falklands Islands.

Production has been completed at the company’s factory in Ledbury. The tank has now been delivered to Southampton docks for shipment to Fox Bay Village on West Falkland, at the southern end of the Falkland Sound. The contract was awarded by Stanley Services Ltd, which provides fuel to both the Domestic population of the Falkland Islands and the fishing fleet operating in the waters near and around the Islands.

“This new facility will allow our customers on West Falkland to collect petrol in a very straightforward and easy manner and saves them having to store highly inflammable product in 205 litre barrels,” noted Tom Swales, Managing Director of Stanley Services Limited.

The new tank will provide above ground storage of 10,000 litres capacity for petroleum spirit. It will be located at Fox Bay Village alongside existing storage facilities for diesel. The package includes fuel dispensing pumps and an electronic metering system (already in use at Fox Bay) which allows registered customers to obtain their fuel by way of a self –service account. Since petrol is a much more volatile commodity, the tank package and dispensers are designed to ensure safety and all components are ATEX certified, for use in explosive atmospheres.

Commenting on the order, LWE managing director, Kevin Powell said. “We won this order against a competitive bid. We believe that a deciding factor was the integrity of our SuperVault technology which has been designed to pass rigorous fire and multiple –hazard test requirements. “The tank is self-bunded (in excess of 110 percent of the nominal capacity) to ensure secondary containment. Its design features a steel inner and outer tanks and the cavity is filled with a specially formulated cement-based, lightweight insulation.”