DEMO 3: Wilhelmsen Ships Service, Rotterdam site

Founded in Norway in 1861, Wilhelmsen is now a comprehensive global maritime group providing essential products and services to the merchant fleet, along with supplying crew and technical management to the largest and most complex vessels ever to sail. Committed to shaping the maritime industry, we also seek to develop new opportunities and collaborations in renewables, zero-emission shipping, and marine digitalization.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service provides a wide range of products to customers: ropes, lubricants, welding equipment, chemicals, gasses and many more. The International Distribution Center (IDC) located in Rotterdam distributes these products directly to customers in the region as well as to other Wilhelmsen hubs and sites globally. The site has 10.000 m2 indoors storage plus 1500 m2 outdoors cylinder handling area. The site is in an industrial area, near the highway and very close to Rotterdam Port.

The chemicals and gasses handled and stored at IDC represent a total of 6 different Dangerous Goods classifications. IDC does not produce or (re-)fill but only handles and stores closed items such as cans, drums and cylinders. Because of the quantities and classifications of the Dangerous Goods stored and handled at IDC, the site is subject to periodic inspections and audits of local authorities. The DG classifications and examples of products are:

  • DG classification 2.1 and 2.2 = Gasses; e.g. acetylene, refrigerants
  • DG classification 3 = Flammable Liquids; e.g. marking ink, paint related products
  • DG classification 5.1 = Oxidizing Agents; e.g. oxygen cylinders
  • DG classification 6.1 = Toxics; e.g. soot removers
  • DG classification 8 = Corrosive Substances; e.g. cleaning products
  • DG classification 9 = Miscellaneous Dangerous Items; e.g. fuel additives

Analysing this facility as DEMO SITE offers several advantages for the sake of demonstration of the LIFE SECURDOMINO tool, related methods and to demonstrate the scalability and flexibility. Firstly, the facility stores and handles not only a mixture of hazardous and non-hazardous goods, but also a mixture of multiple DG classifications. Moreover, the facility is located in a strategic spot, which combines public infrastructures,  other industrial complexes and the biggest port in Europe.