The demolition of Cyprus’ largest fuel storage tank, owned by the Cypriot petroleum company Petrolina, officially began in Larnaca on Thursday 3 May 2018, at a special ceremony attended by the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades.

The ceremony, held at Petrolina’s storage facilities on the Larnaca-Dhekelia road, was also attended by the Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism Mr. Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Mrs. Vasiliki Anastasiadou, the Minister of Interior Mr. Constantinos Petrides, the Mayor of Larnaca Mr. Andreas Vyras, Larnaca MPs, the district officer of Larnaca, the president of KODAP and various associates and executives of Petrolina.

The event is considered historic, as it highlights the relocation of Petrolina’s petroleum facilities from Larnaca to Vasiliko.  It is significant, as “Storage Tank No.15”, built in 1972 with a height of 19.50 metres, a diameter of 60.96 metres and a total capacity of 56,913 cubic metres, is the biggest petroleum storage tank ever built and used in Cyprus. 

The demolition of “Storage Tank No.15” began as soon as all the necessary permits were secured from state and local authorities. It will require approximately three months to be completed. Once all of Petrolina’s storage tanks are demolished, the environmental restoration of the land will begin, the extent of which will depend on the land’s future use.

The demolition and clean-up of the area will be carried out by TETCO Group/TAHAN, which has also undertaken additional construction work at Petrolina’s fuel storage facilities at Vasiliko. Upon completion of this work, the Company will be able to operate exclusively from the Vasiliko energy centre. Petrolina’s terminal at Vasiliko is currently used to store and manage aviation and marine fuels, as well as light and heavy fuel oil.

In his address during the event, President Nicos Anastasiades expressed is contentment with this development and congratulated Petrolina for “leading the way with today’s demolition and with the infrastructure it has already developed at Vasiliko.”

In his address Mr Dinos Lefkaritis, Executive Director of Petrolina (Holdings) Public Ltd, stressed among other things that the Petrolina Group, with its well-known drive and with vision of how the future will unfold, began its strategic plan for the relocation of its fuel facilities from the Larnaca coastal front to the Vasiliko area since 2003 and proceeded to create its new infrastructure in Vasiliko.  “The Group’s actions in relocating to Vasiliko are well known to everyone” he added, “since we have already invested €35m for the storage facilities for petroleum products and are currently developing additional infrastructure, involving additional capital expenditure of €24m.” Mr Lefkaritis assured that “all of Petrolina’s efforts are focused on completing the relocation schedule to Vasiliko within the agreed timeframes, with infrastructure that will make a substantial contribution to our country’s economic growth over the next decades.”