Al-Fao oil tanks in Iraq

Special foundation and ground consolidation structures for eight new floating-ceiling 58,000-cubic-metre tanks, to be realized in the Al-Fao District industrial area, near Basra – Iraq.

These tanks are located in a large raw oil stocking area used to pump oil into tankers departing from the Persian Gulf.

In order to reduce foundation settlements, the design of the foundations envisaged consolidation columns under tanks, to be realized with the deep mixing method (DMM): the ground mechanically is mixed in-situ with an hydraulic binder, injected during perforation as cement mixture. The ground is broken and mixed by the combined action of mechanical tools and an high precision jet injection system, optimizing the mixing and increasing the final quality of the ground-binder mixture, especially in terms of strength and homogeneity of the consolidated columns section.

The foundations of the tanks were built on the ground thus consolidated, by laying layers of suitably compacted coarse soil, reinforced with a polyester geogrid: the base for the cylindrical wall of the tank is made up of a reinforced concrete annular beam.

Services provided: Preliminary, final and execution design for the soil consolidation and reinforced concrete structures.

Client: PARESA S.p.A. in a temporary joint venture with IBN MAJID State Company of Basra (Iraq).

Site: Al-Fao district industrial area, south of Basra (Iraq).

Years: 2014 and 2015.

Cost of works: over 20 million Euros.