Port of Amsterdam and Sitos opt for “sustainable” storage of cocoa butter in western port area

On Wednesday May 30, the first pile was driven into the ground for the construction of a cocoa butter warehouse on the Koffie-/Latexweg in the western port area. The new storage facility will be used by Sitos Commodities & Logistics BV. The warehouse will be equipped with a cutting-edge fire detection, warning and suppression system. This will pick up the slightest traces of smoke, warn the occupants of the building that they must get out and - after an inspection - fill the affected section of the building within two minutes with 40,000 cubic metersof carbon dioxide and thus extinguish the fire immediately.

This so-called 3B System was recently developed to offer an affordable solution that also complies with the more stringent requirements enforced by the Fire Department. The whole 19.000-square meter warehouse will consist of five areas, each of which will have its own detection and pipe system linked up to the central CO2 fire-suppression system.

The 3B System is more than an attractively priced solution that meets tightened-up fire regulations. The 3 B also offers an additional advantage: the building and the stored products are not destroyed or damaged by water used to put out a fire. The carbon dioxide utilized instead does not affect the warehouse or the goods in any way.

Moreover, in terms of its carbon footprint, the system is particularly environmentally friendly. The 40,000 cubic metersof CO2 are extracted from the air and stored as a fluid in a low-pressure tank. Only in the event of a fire is the CO2 released. But it is then used to extinguish the beginning of a fire and to prevent it from developing into a blaze that would produce a great quantity of carbon dioxide. The 3 B system also averts the major social impact that any full-fledged fire has.

Cooperation between government agencies (the Port of Amsterdam, the Fire Department, as well as the Environmental and Building-Code Authorities) and commercial players (the project developer, Rabobank and the engineers) has led to the innovative and environmentally friendly 3B System. In this system, the building will be specifically geared toward the "user-friendly" fire-suppression system. The 3 B System provides a storage solution that is affordable for the company and sustainable for society.

The containerized cocoa butter will be brought in from the Far Eastusing the Ceres Paragon terminal. For Ceres, this is the first spin-off activity resulting from its operations in Amsterdamand is also an excellent example of how a container terminal and processing companies can reinforce each other.

More information?

Ab van der Neut, Communication Department of the Portof Amsterdam

Tel: +31 (0)20 5234875 or +31 (0)6 51171291