Midia Marine Terminal
The Single Point Mooring Buoy (terminal) is located approximately 8.6km East of Midia Harbor, Romania in the Black Sea.
The system is designed to transport crude oil via the terminal to or from the moored tanker, in the range of 60,000 DWT up to 165,000 DWT.
The port of Midia has a depth that allows only the entry of ships of 10,000-20,000 tons. A tanker of 160,000 tons could have been unloaded only in Constanța Port, and the oil would have reached the refinery through long pipelines and with various losses along the way.
How it works
The terminal is the Single Point Mooring type; it has a single connection with the vessel that can rotate freely around the position of the terminal.
In short, the terminal has a fixed part that is well anchored to the seabed and a rotating part, which contains the oil transfer system; it can rotate freely in the direction of the ship when sea currents move it in various positions around the terminal.
The maximum flow rate during tanker offloading and loading is 7,000 m³/h. A crude oil tanker between 80,000 to 160,000 tons can be unloaded in 24-36 hours.
A tanker mooring hawser arrangement and two floating hose strings are used for connecting tankers to the buoy installation. All are designed to survive the anticipated 100-year storm condition if no tanker is moored.
The crude oil flows through the floating hoses to the Buoy itself, which acts as a transfer point and from there, through the subsea hoses the crude flows to a manifold on the seabed, at a depth of 24 meters, called PLEM. From PLEM leaves a single subsea pipe with a diameter of 1 meter that connects with the shore, where it reaches the crude oil tank farm consisting of 8 tanks of 50,000 tons, that feeds the refinery.
When the oil tanker calls Midia Marine Terminal, the SPM crew reaches the vessel using the terminal tugs: two hose handling tugs to connect tankers to the SPM installation and one escort tug to assist during discharging operation, used also for personal transfer to/from onboard the tanker.
The communication with the operators on board of the terminal is by mobile VHF radio contact.
SPM Buoy control system
SPM Buoy control system comprises three independent systems that can control through telemetry the PLEM valves, instrumentation monitoring, radio communication, navigational aids.
The remote control system installed onboard the Buoy is powered using solar power system and windmills.
Apart process part, the SPM Buoy is equipped with several devices that use sensors to measure the sea state and weather conditions, giving live data that is assessed when making decisions regarding tanker vessel mooring/unmooring operations.
All the data is transmitted, displayed, interpreted and recorded using an customized software, providing exact data about:
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weather
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underwater currents
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swell altitude
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orientation and position of SPM
Significant parameters are displayed in a graphical interface screen which centralizes the information, while secondary displays are showing the auxiliary parameters grouped by functionality. Alarms are provided to signal overruns of reference values.
The buoy system is a Lloyd's Class notation floating offshore facility that means that any major damage or disoperation or structural damage or modifications are to be officially reported to the Lloyd's Authority prior commencement of work activities.
Maintenance
ROV Robots
In addition to diving equipment, the terminal also uses two remote-controlled robots (ROV) for inspection.
More related info:
Trading and Supply Chain
Trading provides the three Rompetrol production units of the Group, Petromidia and Vega refineries and the sole petrochemicals division in Romania with crude oil and raw materials.
Refining and Petrochemicals
Rompetrol owns two out of four refineries in Romania, the excellence centers Petromidia refinery (Navodari city) and Vega refinery (Ploiesti city) as well as the Petrochemicals division, the sole producer of polymers in Romania.
Operations automation
In refineries, technology has allowed us to extract maximum from raw materials and maintain safe operations without unplanned shutdowns.
It also helped us reduce the impact on the environment, by continuously monitoring the parameters of the installations.
Environment
The oil and gas sector is crucial for addressing global energy demands, yet it must also reconcile these requirements with ecological preservation. Aware of the consequences our operations bear on both the environment and neighboring communities, we are dedicated to reducing these impacts through mindful practices and ongoing enhancement.