Hosted By: American Petroleum Institute (API)
Dates: October 20, 2025 - October 23, 2025
Redirected from Storage Tanks
Aboveground Storage Tanks (AST) are large containers usually made of metal and resting on top of the ground, designed to temporarily hold a number of different liquid or gas substances. These substances can range from water to crude oil to various chemical products.
One of the many standards that apply to aboveground storage tanks is API 653, "Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Reconstruction." It was developed and published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and it provides guidelines for the inspection, repair, alteration, and reconstruction of steel aboveground storage tanks used in the petroleum and chemical industries. Before 2000, this was actually the only standard that applied to aboveground storage tanks.
There have also been several standards released by the Steel Tank Institute/Steel Plate Fabricators Association (STI/SPFA), a trade organization which represents fabricators of steel construction products, such as steel storage tanks, field erected water tanks, pressure vessels, pipes, and pipelines, and their suppliers. STI SP001 was released in 2000 and covers inspection requirements for welded metal, shop-fabricated, and small field-erected tanks among other things.
In the United States ASTs are also regulated by the federal government under 40 CFR 112, which provides certain minimum requirements for how storage tanks are designed, managed, and monitored. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) places extra requirements on any facilities, not related to transport, that happen to have a total aboveground oil storage capacity greater than 1,320 gallons. On top of general regulations, these facilities must also comply with special Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations. This is because should they leak or rupture, ASTs can cause catastrophic damage to the environment, polluting lakes and rivers, and endangering human lives.
We welcome updates to this Integripedia definition from the Inspectioneering community. Click the link below to submit any recommended changes for Inspectioneering's team of editors to review.
Contribute to DefinitionA look at common challenges with fiberglass aboveground storage tank inspections and how procedures were developed into standards to help lower safety risks.
A study of the application of inspections deployed with straight-beam ultrasonics technology to assess the condition of an FRP AST in a toxic chemical service.
A calculated and thought-out investigation into floating roof rim seal failures is required to provide usable data to support risk mitigation decisions.
When it comes to aboveground storage tanks, leveraging SMEs in the inspection data gathering process and associated scope planning can ensure that each inspection is tailored for efficiency and effectiveness.
The article presents a methodology that involves subject matter experts to navigate data challenges, ensuring accurate interpretation and swift decision-making.
Integrating a new digital technology that combines data-driven insights and data storage with innovative mobility can provide a new level of connected intelligence. Digitalization can improve workflow, increase worker productivity and allow better...
A comparative analysis of robotic nondestructive inspection tools used to locate floor defects in aboveground storage tanks.
A follow-up for storage tank owners now that SB 900 is in effect, including additional information and identifying implications of recent updates.
This article describes a storage tank built in a permafrost area and how FFS and FEA were used to address the challenges of foundation instability.
Texas legislature unanimously passed Senate Bill 900 (SB 900) which goes into effect in September 2023. It mandates that ASTs with a capacity of over 21,000 gallons must protect the ground and surface water. How prepared are you?
The assessment procedures in API 579 may also be applied to pressure-containing equipment constructed to other recognized codes and standards. The author will examine the application of these procedures to aboveground storage tanks.
Equity Engineering Practices® (EEPs) are a collection of design and maintenance focused corporate standards that include >850 engineering standards, and >300 piping classes. Enhance your mechanical integrity programs, improve equipment...
Resulting from developing a 20-year nonintrusive inspection strategy, a successful experience is presented using a volumetric examination on a modified storage tank shell-to-bottom weld, known in the industry as corner-weld.
The positive impact of digital twins on planning, costs, turnaround, revenue generation, and safety are substantial and rapid in their return. This article will examine why to leverage this technology and how to do so in a fiscally viable manner.
This article examines the quantitative tank RBI method found in API 581 and discusses uses for tank RBI other than deferral of scheduled internal inspections.
Practical steps to mitigate corrosion under insulation (CUI) damage on fixed pressure equipment and commentary on common mitigation techniques and good engineering practices for external insulation or fireproofing system design and application.
Asset owners can realize economic and HSE benefits from utilizing internal in-service robots for hazardous fluid tank inspection. Achieving high levels of coverage and collecting enormous amounts of quantitative data are possible for clean tanks.
Secure your NDT data with our DIMATE PACS solution, which we can install on-premises or run as a cloud service for you. If you would like to reliably store and retrieve your inspection data, contact us at buddy@dimate.de!
This article reviews the effectiveness of AET for inspecting tank bottoms in two ways; namely, benchmarking regulations in different countries and comparing AET and MFLT results through a case study.
There are tools available that can achieve nearly 100% corrosion monitoring coverage. The use of robotics and ultrasonic inspection methods such as rapid ultrasonic gridding have shown to be highly effective in acquiring these data points.
The refining and petrochemical industries will continue to benefit from the evolution of robotics and data management. The biggest hurdle will be to accept this evolution and embrace the new capabilities that come with it.
Tank inspection to achieve regulatory compliance has often been viewed as just another expense. This article takes the opposite view by utilizing regulatory compliance as a means for enhancing overall efficiency, awareness, safety, and profitability.
This article is written to provide a brief case study of an acoustic emission test of an FRP storage tank. A method combining acoustic emission with ultrasonics is proposed to ensure reliable long term operation.
Companies have developed detailed programs for managing wide range of assets. However, unsustainability negatively impacts effectiveness of these programs. Reach out to us on how we can address sustainability through digital transformation.
Tanks are ubiquitous and essential in industrial societies. When they fail, the consequences can be dire if products/volumes they store are explosive and/or toxic.
The use of drones for confined space inspection is proving to reduce safety risks and create efficiencies in both time and cost. These benefits have been realized particularly in the oil, gas and petrochemical industry in internal tank inspection.
With no industry consensus documents in existence that provide guidance for determining FFS of FRP, this article provides a case study that illustrates how an existing European design standard on GRP tanks can be used to calculate expected changes...
This article outlines the engineering and assessment methodologies applied during the analysis of a failure of a 15-foot diameter reactor tank supported by four legs.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued two reports on the safe management of hazards by small businesses and storage facilities that use highly hazardous chemicals in business processes.
FER's extensive TA experience, combined with our custom software (RAMI Scope) that tracks all aspects of TA activities, we have the ability to keep your turnaround flowing flawlessly with the methodology to maximize your value of premium time.
In Part 1 of this 2-part series, published in the July/August 2015 issue of Inspectioneering Journal, I discussed corrosion control methods and some effective techniques for inspecting ASTs, and also identified several root causes of AST failures in...
Refinery, petrochemical, and storage tank operators are responsible for properly cleaning facility tanks on a periodic maintenance basis, typically in 20 to 30 year increments. This article provides a suggested “checklist” of inspection...
Aboveground Storage Tanks (AST) are essential to any successful oil and gas operation and must be properly managed to ensure operations function in a safe and reliable manner. In this 2-part series, I will identify some common failures related to...
Occasionally, we like to provide recaps of articles written by our authors on a specific subject related to asset integrity management. This week, we're highlighting four of our most popular articles written about storage tank inspection.
Maintaining the mechanical integrity of above ground storage tanks (AST’s) is the focal point of tank inspection programs. Performing internal inspections is an integral part of a tank integrity program, however, deciding when to take a tank out...
Introducing the IGS Tube Tech rover system, the next generation in autonomous cleaning technology, capable of removing more than 90% of fouling and restoring your fired heater convection sections to their original design thermal efficiency.
Each year about 14,000 oil spills are reported, according to the EPA. It is estimated that there are 618,000 facilities that are regulated under EPA SPCC in the United States.
A unique technique for inspecting and cleaning the floors of an Above Ground Storage Tank (AST) emerged in the late 90’s based on In-Service Robotic Technology. The technology has come a long way since then, with new inspection and tank cleaning...
A unique technique for inspecting the floors of aboveground storage tank's (AST) emerged in the late 90's based on in-service robotic technology. The technology has come a long way since then, with new inspection and tank cleaning capabilities,...
Among other things, a welding QA/QC program needs to ensure that only qualified welders, utilizing qualified procedures are allowed to weld on any pressurized equipment, including storage tanks and piping.
API is currently developing a new Certification Program - Tank Entry Supervisor Certification (TES).
The objective of this joint industry project is to develop and commercialize a non-intrusive system for mapping the thickness of aboveground storage tank (AST) bottoms using Lamb wave tomography.
In this webinar, we discuss the process from robotic data collection to advanced AI analysis and predictive modeling to maximize your tank integrity program.
Join us for our on-demand webinar where we team up with Gecko Robotics to explore effective digitalization strategies for optimizing tank maintenance.
Inspectioneering teams up with Gecko Robotics to discuss how new technologies are optimizing API 653 inspections and driving operational efficiencies.
Inspectioneering teams up with The Equity Engineering Group, Inc. to bring you "FFS Assessment of Aboveground Storage Tanks - Common Pitfalls and Case Studies," a one hour webinar presented by Kate Gustoff.
The CSB has released an animation detailing the events leading up to the February 8, 2017 explosion at the Packaging Corporation of America's DeRidder, Louisiana, pulp and paper mill. The incident killed three contract workers and injured seven.
This course offers an understanding of the key recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEPs) for the design and inspection, testing, and preventive maintenance (ITPM) of fixed equipment.
This helpful guide provides an outline of current jurisdictional regulations (as of July 2021) in the United States for the use of RBI as a means of determining the next inspection date for initial and subsequent internal inspection of storage tanks.
Edgewater Midstream has entered into agreements with certain subsidiaries of Shell USA, Inc. to acquire the Sinco Pipeline system and the Colex East and Colex West Terminals in the Houston refining corridor.
One worker was killed and another injured in a fire incident at an Indian Oil Corp (IOC) plant in the southern Indian city of Chennai.
Stolthaven Terminals is expanding its two US facilities in New Orleans and Houston to continue to meet its customers’ growing needs for specialist storage and handling services.
Crews extinguished a fire on Tuesday at Phillips 66's 149,000-barrel-per-day joint-venture refinery in Borger, Texas, and six people were treated for injuries, the company said.
Crews at the second largest U.S. refinery were containing crude oil gushing from a storage tank at the Houston-area facility on Wednesday, a company spokesman said.
Traditional pressure vessel inspections often require taking assets out of service. However, MISTRAS’ Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) programs provide data as good or better than internal inspections, while assets remain in service. NII is...
IMTT recently announced it will build additional tanks, pipeline, and dock infrastructure at its Geismar, Louisiana marine terminal to handle renewable feedstocks and renewable products, including renewable diesel, biodiesel and other products.
China’s Jiasheng Gas Co Ltd, an independent gas distributor, has agreed to an engineering and construction deal to build a 2.5 billion yuan ($380 million) liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and receiving facility in east China.
Seven workers were injured in a fire on Saturday at the Magellan Midstream Partners petroleum storage tank farm in Corpus Christi, Texas, according to company and city officials.
API is currently seeking presentations abstracts for the 2021 Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit, scheduled for June 7-10, 2021 in San Antonio, TX. The deadline to submit your abstract for consideration is September 15, 2020.
Two people were taken to a hospital after an oil storage tank exploded near the Texas A&M University Galveston campus, according to Galveston city spokeswoman Marissa Barnett.
Ethos has assembled a team of experts who apply what they learned through years of process safety experience in the industry and dealing with OSHA and EPA. Click here to learn more about our services.
ExxonMobil has hired Matrix Service Inc. to build six new 500,000-barrel storage tanks, four of which will be located at ExxonMobil’s Webster Station in Webster, TX with the remaining two at its Baytown Complex in Baytown, TX.
A March fire at a petrochemical terminal that spread a blanket of black smoke across Houston began when part of a manifold, which includes a pump and motor, on one storage tank broke, according to a report by local and federal agencies.
Flames engulfed two ethanol holding tanks on Tuesday at a NuStar Energy petrochemical storage facility near San Francisco, prompting health authorities to urge residents of two adjacent towns to remain indoors for much of the day.
Pembina Pipeline Corporation is acquiring Kinder Morgan Canada Limited in a multi-billion dollar deal.
Cameroon's 42,000 bpd Sonara Refinery was forced to shut down after a storage tank explosion and fire over the weekend.
Whether you decide for a Computed Radiography scanner with flexible imaging plates or a flat panel detector with the fastest imaging, or even combine the advantages of both technologies, DÜRR NDT's innovative systems offer high reliability and...
Phillips 66 and logistics company, Square Robot, Inc. and Veritank, Inc., have collaborated to successfully deploy an autonomous robot that safely performed its first in-service inspection of the interior of an aboveground diesel storage tank.
Fines for violations of air, water and waste regulations by U.S. petroleum storage facilities so far this year have exceeded all of last year.
A large fire broke out this weekend at Intercontinental Terminals Company's (ITC) storage facility in La Porte, TX, just outside of Houston. The fire originated on Sunday in one storage tank holding Naptha, but has since spread to seven other tanks.
Sempra Energy has completed the sale of its non-utility U.S. natural gas storage facilities to an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners (ArcLight) for $328 million in cash
Chevron U.S.A. Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, has signed a Share Purchase Agreement with Petrobras to acquire all the outstanding shares and equity interests of Pasadena Refining System, Inc. for $350 million.
Increase the efficiency of your mechanical integrity programs through the design, implementation and optimization of inspection databases.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has released an animation detailing the events leading up to the February 8, 2017 explosion at the Packaging Corporation of America's DeRidder, Louisiana, pulp and paper mill. The incident killed three contract...
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued two reports on the safe management of hazards by small businesses and storage facilities that use highly hazardous chemicals in business processes.
The DOJ, EPA, and TCEQ have announced an agreement with Vopak Terminal Deer Park Inc. and Vopak Logistics Services USA, Inc., to improve air quality in the Houston area by strengthening air pollution controls and compliance with federal and state...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has settled with Wilson Oil, Inc., (doing business as Wilcox & Flegel Oil Co.) for alleged Clean Water Act spill prevention violations at its Longview Terminal facility in Longview, Washington.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s (CSB) final report into the massive release of chemicals into this valley’s primary source of drinking water in 2014 concludes Freedom Industries failed to inspect or repair corroding tanks, and that as hazardous...
Introducing the IGS Tube Tech rover system, the next generation in autonomous cleaning technology, capable of removing more than 90% of fouling and restoring your fired heater convection sections to their original design thermal efficiency.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) will convene a public meeting on, September 28, 2016, at 6:00 pm EDT at the Four Points by Sheraton located in Charleston, WV, to release its final report and safety recommendations into the January 9, 2014,...
A new hazard alert from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health identifies health and safety risks to oil and gas industry workers who manually gauge or sample fluids on...
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has approved the final investigation report and video from the 2009 explosion and fire at caribbean petroleum terminal facility in Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today emphasized the hot work safety resources available free of charge through the agency’s website at www.csb.gov. The Board previously released safety videos, a safety bulletin, and accident investigations...
CSB Investigation Finds No Record of Inspections on Freedom Industries' Chemical Storage Tanks; Leak in Bottom of Tank that Contaminated Charleston, WV, Drinking Water Resulted from Corrosion Caused by Water Seeping through Holes in Tank Roof