Gulfstream Bulk Fuel Terminal
Gulfstream bulk fuel terminal in Lusaka, Zambia
The Lusaka bulk fuel terminal project currently underway in Zambia’s capital for Gulfstream FZC from Dubai in the Middle East, consists of eight 15,000 m3 tanks and a 2,000 m3 tank on a co-mingled storage basis. The terminal has road tanker receiving and dispatching facilities, and will be supplied from the ports of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and Beira in Mozambique.
At the start of the project in 2016, Zutari carried out the internal financial feasibility study, followed by supporting the request for quotation (RFQ) process and adjudicating an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor. The process was concluded in 2019, and Zutari was appointed as the managing contractor and owner’s engineer in the integrated management team.
Construction site management and site supervision were also added to Zutari’s responsibilities. The project started construction in 2019 and commissioning was scheduled for 2020.
Facing challenges initially
Supply chain and logistics to the landlocked country of Zambia would be a key factor in the project’s success. The site for the terminal is in a high-water table area, and the foundation and civil designs are quite complex. Managing the groundwater and stormwater was also challenging, and qualified local companies and artisans to build a petrochemical storage facility were limited. The situation required extensive audits and training to bring the companies and individuals up to an appropriate standard.
Supply chain and logistics to the landlocked country of Zambia would be a key factor in the project’s success.
Experience counts
Zutari’s ability to call on and coordinate experienced global multidisciplinary experts in the bulk fuel terminals business was a significant differentiator on the project
Zutari’s ability to call on and coordinate experienced global multidisciplinary experts in the bulk fuel terminals business was a significant differentiator on the project, and instrumental in its progress to date.
Engineering was executed both in Dubai and in India, and an international EPC contractor was brought in from Dubai and established in Zambia to assist in the erection of the project. Even in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, engineering continues, even if only in the virtual space.
Completion rescheduled
As at May 2020, the project is still under construction, and is about 30% complete. The original planned completion was to be at the end of 2020, but due to the global impact of Covid-19 this has been postponed to mid-2021.
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
