Frequently
Asked Questions

A terminal is defined as all the equipment and facilities (mainly tanks, pipes, and pumps) used to receive, store, and deliver liquid products.

The hallmark of coastal terminals is that they are connected to the sea, next to ports, by pipelines so that products can be delivered by ship. In this sense, they are of strategic importance for the national economic system. At terminals, no production activities are carried out and products are simply stored in tanks.
There are different types of coastal terminals. We are a coastal terminal for bulk chemicals and petrochemicals.

A total of 40 direct and 30 indirect employees work at our facilities every day. They are specialised workers employed under permanent contracts and receive ongoing training on health, safety, and environmental issues.

If we also consider the customs agents, technicians and carriers who work with us on a steady basis, about 70 people are involved in our regular day to day operations.

Nothing! We only store and market chemicals and petrochemicals.

We mainly store liquid products that are used in the pharmaceutical industry, the agro-technical industry, the plastics industry, and in the productions of paints, thinners, glues, and other products. Since the end of 2010, we have also been authorised to store mineral oils including biodiesel of vegetable origin and lubricating oils.

The flash point of a material is the “lowest liquid temperature at which, under certain standardized conditions, a liquid gives off vapours in a quantity such as to be capable of forming an ignitable vapour/air mixture”.
Based on their flash point, flammable liquids are divided into different categories.

The inspections carried out in our premises are regular and of various types: both internal and by third parties, both on the facilities and on the conduct of the people working there.

We are subject to ongoing monitoring by:

• the Fire Department, which certifies compliance with fire prevention regulations, i.e., the existence of fire safety requirements, attested by the Fire Prevention Certification (11/2017);
• by the Regional Agency for the Protection of the Ligurian Environment (ARPAL), which verifies compliance with the standards for water discharges, emissions, noise attested by the Single Environmental Authorisation (AUA) issued by the Metropolitan City of Genoa in December 2015 and later updates;
• by the Local Testing Commission pursuant to Art. 48 of the Navigation Code Regulations for operational suitability certified in December 2020;
• by the Italian Ministerial Commission for the Control of the Safety Management System (Legislative Decree 105/15), which verifies the adequacy of the operator’s technical, organisational and management systems, with reference to the measures and means provided for the prevention of major accidents and the mitigation of consequences;
• by the Customs Agency, which verifies the physical stock and accounting of products and the correct application of the operating licence.

In addition, the following are carried out:

• • internal, ongoing inspections by specialised technicians within the scope of plant maintenance activities;
• inspections by suppliers such as the Italian State Railways and Certification Institutes;
• inspections by customers.

We manage atmospheric emissions in compliance with the Single Environmental Authorisation issued by the Metropolitan City of Genoa.
This Authorisation requires that the emissions produced are conveyed to a state-of-the-art emission abatement plant and that the efficiency of this plant is continuously monitored.

The results of the various inspections are submitted to the competent authorities (Genoa Metropolitan City and ARPAL).

The main measures we take to prevent accidents are:

Facility precautions

In terms of prevention, the main measures taken are:

• Nitrogen pumping of tanks containing highly flammable substances and automatic inertisation system for tanks.
• Programmable, automatically locking mass flow meters for tanker truck loading.
• Closed-loop tanker truck loading, with continuous measuring and monitoring system for process parameters.
• Automatic loading stop meter on rail tankers.
• Strain relief valves on the end sections of rail tanker loading arms.
• Pump blocking device in case of liquid present in the vapour recovery pipe.
• High and very high-level alert system in the storage tanks to prevent overfilling.
• Continuous monitoring system of the levels of product in each tank using radar probes to detect millimetric variations.
• Vapour emission abatement system.
• Systems for detecting the presence of flammable vapours in places with high levels of concentration. These detection systems automatically activate extraction fans with appropriate flow rates and alarms in manned areas.
• Electrical systems designed to prevent sources of ignition (explosion-proof).
• Adequate earthing and protection against lightning strikes.
• Remote maintenance and/or remote diagnostics and/or remote-control systems (for pumps and flow meters).
• Testing programmes and periodic replacement of all components particularly subject to wear and tear (e.g., loading arms and flexible pipes).

To prevent pollution in the event of accidental spillage of products:

• Tank basins are of adequate capacity and their bottom is made of impermeable materials.
• The pump rooms have impermeable bottoms and walls.
• The tank truck loading shelters have slopes so that any spills are channelled towards collection grids that, by means of piping systems, convey the substances to adequately sized impermeable tanks.
• All wastewater from the site is collected and purified before discharge into a highly efficient system.
• A system of wells creates a hydraulic barrier around the perimeter of the site and allows the monitoring of possible pollutants in the subsoil and their collection.

Operational precautions

Operational precautions are essentially aimed at preventing the occurrence of spills, fires and explosions and consist mainly of:

• Periodic inspections and testing of the state of preservation of all equipment in contact with products.
• Periodic inspections on the functioning of safety systems (tank vent valves, shutoff systems, mobile vehicle filling stop systems, pumping system, tank high level alarms, vapour extraction systems).
• Adoption of procedures to minimise the possibility of operational errors causing product spillage during loading/unloading of mobile vehicles.
• Adoption of procedures to prevent overfilling of tanks by periodically checking the functionality of the instrumentation and alarms.
• Adequate scheduling of incoming product lots according to residual tank capacities.
• Adoption of scrupulous procedures for cleaning equipment to prevent the formation of flammable vapours inside tanks and piping when they are taken out of service for maintenance and inspections.

Measures taken to prevent risks due to human error

Organisational and procedural measures are taken to reduce the risk of plant operating errors causing accidents. This is achieved by adopting regular training, education and information programmes defined in the Integrated Management System.

From the calculations made in the Safety Report, screened, and approved by the Regional Technical Committee of the National Fire Department, the credible effects of a possible, unlikely major accident would remain within the plant’s boundaries.

Yes, there is an External Emergency Plan drawn up by the Prefecture of Genoa. Pursuant to Legislative Decree no. 334 of 17.8.1999, the mayor is obliged to inform the population of the risks of major accidents associated with certain hazardous substances present in facilities located in the municipal area.

No, we do not move or store gas. The possibility of an accident like the one that happened in Viareggio would be related to the transit on the Genoa-Ventimiglia line of rail tankers containing LPG that have nothing to do with our activity.

No, Attilio Carmagnani ‘AC’ S.p.A. is a family-owned company owned by the founder’s descendants, Carmagnani, Bonetti and Rossi, while Superba belongs to the PIR Group, Petrolifera Italo Romanian of Bologna.

As stated on the Porto Petroli di Genova S.p.A. website, Carmagnani’s and Superba’s chemical products together make up just 2% of the total products handled by Porto Petroli.