The Challenge
A 300-million-litre petroleum tank farm development required 124,000 m² of heavy-duty ground stabilisation across tank bund areas, internal roads, and hardstandings. Fully loaded petroleum tankers and heavy plant impose extreme axle loads that destroy unprepared ground on soft natural subgrade within a single rainy season. Conventional subgrade replacement at this scale would have added significant time and cost to the programme.
Our Solution
Willem Olaf procured and installed 124,000 m² of high-tensile woven geotextile across all road, tank bund areas and hardstanding areas, providing the tensile reinforcement needed to distribute heavy tanker loads across the weak subgrade without rutting or settlement. The geotextile also reduced the imported structural fill requirement significantly against the original design.
The Outcome
Tank bund areas, roads, and hardstandings all achieved the load-bearing performance required for full tanker operations from day one of commissioning. The geotextile reinforcement delivered a measurable reduction in structural fill across the entire 124,000 m² footprint — one of the largest single woven geotextile installations Willem Olaf has completed in South-West Nigeria.