SOLIFLO has worked closely with terminals and depots within the sub-Saharan region for decades, its original focus the supply of loading arms and safe tanker access systems.
Fast forward to the present and it is now providing fully integrated systems to encompass flow metering, additive and blending solutions together with vapour recovery and destruction solutions, and actively assisting oil companies and operators to bring their tank and terminal storage facilities up to international standards.
“Great strides are also being made in automated terminal management and in-transit monitoring and tracking of product and we recently completed the first of many terminal automation and additive systems for a major European company operating in East Africa,” says Soliflo director, Phil Dawson.
“Over the years we have seen oil majors leave the continent and refining capacity dwindle, and this presents significant opportunity for the tank storage sector, which is growing and will continue to grow rapidly, to satisfy demand for product. The challenges we are facing relate in the main to poor infrastructure and lack of investment with most terminals outdated and still adopting top loading of product for example. We are, however, gratified to see an appetite for transformation and improvement.”
SA in perspective
Soliflo has built collaborative working relationships with all the major players in the SA oil industry, all of which are operating substantial storage terminals with vast capacities, as well as distribution facilities, countrywide.
These include, but are not limited to, BP Southern Africa, Astron Energy, Engen Petroleum, PetroSA, Sasol Oil, Shell South Africa, TotalEnergies South Africa, Vopak, Bidvest Tank Terminals and Oiltanking.
“We are providing holistic solutions to the petroleum, oil, chemical and energy industries that not only get the job done, but also address environmental and sustainability concerns that challenge the industries,” he explains.
Unfortunately, the obligatory client non-disclosure agreements that the company is required to sign, precludes Soliflo from providing specifics on any projects undertaken on their behalf.
“With our service teams working at full capacity, locally and internationally, and the recent awarding of a substantial petroleum industry tender, we are extremely upbeat about the year ahead.”
Service and Support
Soliflo’s locally and internationally (factory) trained technical service team members have years of experience in the fuel, chemical, loading and unloading and related sectors and in addition to SA, they cover the SADC, EAC and COMESA regions.
“It’s a feather in our cap that they are in demand by several of our international principals to undertake global project management work on their behalf; in particular, the assembly, installation and commissioning of marine loading arms,” says Dawson.
Soliflo ranks as one of the leaders in the fields of liquid control and tank loading and unloading in Africa.
