Since March 2022, Swietelsky Rail Benelux has been working on the implementation of fire-fighting facilities at the Botlek and Europoort terminals. The new facilities at Europoort were already tested and approved on November 3. Today, the new ring main around Europoort was also tested. Now that this also provides the required water pressure and flow rate, the terminals meet the new permit requirements.
In collaboration with ProRail and Movares, significant efforts have been made since October 2021 on the design of these new facilities. The work was necessary to ensure that the terminals comply with the new environmental permit, which is set to take effect on January 1, 2023. Without these facilities, the competent authority would enforce, prohibiting the transport of hazardous substances by rail.
Water pressure and flow rate
An important step in achieving the milestones was the planned Site Acceptance Test [SAT] of the Europoort terminal on November 3. The operation of the new source pumps and the northern part of the fire-fighting pipeline system were approved at that time. The SAT demonstrated that the system meets the functional specifications for water pressure and flow rate (number of m3 of water). Today, the entire system (north + south) was successfully tested under the supervision of the competent authority and ProRail. From now on, the new ring main around the Europoort terminal will provide the required water pressure and flow rate, thus meeting the new permit requirements. Later this month, the SAT is scheduled for the Botlek terminal, and we are working hard to achieve this milestone as well.
Successful software tests
The next step is the System Integration Test [SIT] on December 13, which will focus on the integration with the OBI (Operational Control Center Infrastructure). The first interim software tests have recently been successfully conducted in a test environment at the Railcenter in Amersfoort.
Underground and above ground
In addition to the underground infrastructure, above-ground facilities are also being constructed to improve accessibility for emergency services, among others. The construction of these emergency access roads, fencing, and access gates is progressing well. The project work is expected to continue until the beginning of the second quarter of 2023. The focus is on decommissioning the old fire-fighting pipeline system and laying the final cable routes.
To achieve the project objectives, we have started the implementation phase early. This has largely run parallel to the design phase. At this moment, we are finalizing the last design issues, such as grounding and overflow facilities, and concluding this intensive construction team phase.
