BIO DIESEL

Signing ceremony at

Oiltanking Singapore

with Nexsol witnessed

by Hamburg‘s First

Mayor Ole von Beust.

THE WORLD OF OILTANKING VOL. 19/2 AUGUST 2007

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TRASH BASH

Colleagues from Oiltanking

Texas City help raising

environmental awareness

and cleaning up the

beach.

SETTING SAILS Oiltanking is keeping its course to business related projects as well as to social activities.

In a lot of countries where Oiltanking is present — in the meantime 21 in total — the “big summer” vacations have already started or will start soon. In my mother tongue, Dutch, this

time of the year is called “Komkommertijd”, or loosely translated “cucumber days” — meaning that nothing really striking happens, politicians and other decision-makers are off and the media has nothing sizable left to report on except, as was the case in former days, the rising prices of cucumbers (hence the expression).

Of course, a lot of Oiltankers are having a break and enjoying their days off. But does that mean that Oiltanking comes to a stand still? No, absolutely not. At Oiltanking, we don’t really have cucumber days. Throughout this period, as in the rest of the year, we remain busy: be it to ensure continuous first-

class customer service or working together with you on our many projects.

Although our business seems to be stirred-up non-stop, our activities aren’t like “pulp in a glass of apple juice”. Similar to the girl in Thich Nhat Hanh’s story*, Oiltanking waits for the pulp to settle in order to have a clear view before drinking. We’ll always take enough time to think things over and we won’t jump on the bandwagon blindly. However, this doesn’t suggest that we always have to stick to “apple juice”. We’re also open to other tastes and keep on broadening our service palette. Learn more about Oiltanking’s newest activities in this fresh summer issue.

I wish you pleasant, “summery” thoughts and the opportunity to refresh your mind — with or without apple juice — any time and not only during these cucumber days.

Gust SpaepenManaging Director Oiltanking GmbH

E D I TO R I A L

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Mimicking the Apple Juice

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E U R O P E

Glocal Attribute

We all know that companies hold meetings on a regular basis in order to discuss future developments, financial results or budget previews. Then why fly the owls to Athens. The reason we’re mentioning the Oiltanking meeting is to let you know that business related topics were discussed, social contacts were revived, and to inform you about a particular contribution of one of the participants: Paul Matthyssens. He’s a professor of competitive strategy and strategy implementation and control at the Department of Management, Antwerp University, Belgium, as well as part-time professor of Business-to-Business Marketing at the Department of Marketing Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. His recent research topics include strategic/market innovation and strategic flexibility, international sourcing strategy and industrial market strategy, international market expansion

and withdrawal strategy. These are topics which are also of utmost interest to Oiltanking. It’s almost self-explanatory that Paul Matthyssens focused on them during his presentation at the Spring Meeting. Moreover, at the risk of telling you something you already know about our company’s viewpoint and identity, we’d like to share how he exemplified the name Oiltanking with you:

In May 2007, almost 90 Oiltanking Managers from around the world gathered in Athens, Greece, for the annual Spring Meeting. Any particular news?

* “Essential Writing” by Thich Nhat Hanh, a famous Zen Buddhist monk

A B O U T U S

open mind

innovation

learning

trust worthiness

autonomous

new value

knowledge sharing

integral sharing

new growth opportunities

glocal*

GLOCAL OILTANKERS A global vision combined with …

* glocal = global vision & local touch + proximity

… local touch and proximity.

Oiltanking Ghent with an actual storage capacity of 700,000 cbm is going to expand its service by 75,000 cbm. Therefore, four new API 650 tanks will be erected. In May 2007 the first civil works started followed by tank construction activities. The tanks are simultaneously erected using the wet construction method. Thus 75,000 cbm of harbor water in total will be pumped in sequences into the tanks via the fire fighting system in order to assemble the next tank course from the, as working platform acting, tank roof. This method shortens the construction time, makes additional hydro testing afterwards redundant and provides stability against extreme wind forces already during the construction phase.

All tanks will be connected to the existing seagoing vessel and barge loading jetties as well as to the CEPS pipeline (Central European Pipeline System). The commissioning of this new hydrocarbon storage capacity is targeted for the second quarter of 2008. Once completed 2,000 tons

of mild carbon steel will have been used. The terminal in Ghent has already been handling substantial volumes of jet fuel and by adding these new tanks Oiltanking Ghent’s position in the jet fuel market will be reinforced even more.

Jet setE U R O P E

FOUNDATION WORK for the new four API 650 tanks.

E U R O P E

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Ministerial visit in Tallinn

The day before the tour, Jarek Zemlo, Managing Director Oiltanking Tallinn was introduced to the delegation at the residence of the German Ambassador, Julius Bobinger, in Tallinn. The visit to the Oiltanking terminal rounded off Minister Glos’ tour of the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in order to familiarize himself with their economies and discuss the security of energy supplies. After a short presentation by Jan Vogel, Oiltanking’s General Manager for Europe, North & South America, Jarek Zemlo showed the delegation around the terminal. In the subsequent discussion, Minister Glos was eager to learn more about the situation of Oiltanking Tallinn and its business. This was especially the case as the tensions between Russia and Estonia had led to a considerable reduction in rail transport between the two countries during his visit. He was glad to hear that Oiltanking’s high HSSE standards had

already been applied in Tallinn before local legislation actually made such standards mandatory. Finally, he expressed his positive opinion of Oiltanking’s installation and activities in Estonia.

The Oiltanking terminal is perfectly located between the trading routes linking Russia and the FSU with the rest of the world via the Baltic Sea. It plays an important role in bringing Russian and FSU produced chemical and specialized products to the world’s markets. The presence in the Port of Tallinn also gives security to the local players for sea delivery to the domestic market in case of delivery disturbances from Russia. Further prospects for the terminal include the extension of the infrastructure in order to enable imports of specialized products to Russia and FSU.

On May 4 2007, the German Federal Minister of Economics Michael Glos and his delegation, politicians from the Ministry of Economy and Technology and journalists, visited Oiltanking Tallinn, Estonia.

R E D C A R P E T

MINISTERIAL APPROVAL Minister Glos surrounded by Jarek Zemlo (right) and Jan Vogel, during the tour of the terminal.

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Excellent Signing Ceremony

Oiltanking Singapore is going to expand its product portfolio with an environmentally friendly fuel — biodiesel — for Nexsol (Singapore) Pte Ltd. The subsidiary of the international Peter Cremer Group (PCG) specializes in oleo-chemical production and distribution. The new biodiesel facility on Jurong Island, Singapore — an investment of up US$ 20 million — will be PCG’s first in Asia and neighboring the Oiltanking Singapore (OTS) phase 6 terminal. In order to produce biodiesel PCG will have to import palm oil (from Malaysia) as well as methanol via a newly constructed 5,000 DWT jetty. The products will then be stored in new tanks, for which OTS has already commenced construction, and will then be pumped over to the biodiesel plant. Once the biodiesel is made, this very product, as well as the by-product called Glycerine, will be pumped back to OTS, where it will be stored and exported via OTS jetties.In order to serve the needs of PCG, OTS is going to construct eight new tanks with a total capacity of 29,400 cbm. Both the biodiesel plant and the off-site storage will be ready for commissioning in September 2007. It is estimated that the total throughput of the new biodiesel terminal, where all facilities will have dedicated systems for PCG, will be 240,000 tons per year. PCG will need 120,000 tons of palm oil and 10,000 tons of methanol per year to make 100,000 tons of biodiesel and 10,000 tons of Glycerine annually.

AUSPICIOUS COINCIDENCEThe day of the signing ceremony coincided with another celebratory event for Oiltanking. Ole van Beust, the Mayor of Hamburg was in Singapore for an official two-day visit, accompanied by officials, as well as a business and press delegation. The highlight of his one-week trip to the Far East was his meeting with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana. Nevertheless, for Oiltanking the crowning point was his Excellency’s visit to the terminal. Together with the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Folkmar Stoecker, Ole von Beust witnessed Rutger van Thiel, Managing

Director OTS, and John Hall, Managing Director Nexsol (Singapore), signing the deal.As Senator Axel Gedaschko, State Minister of Urban Development and Environment, pointed out in his speech on the occasion of the signing ceremony, Singapore has quite a lot in common with Hamburg. Not only does it often rain in both cities, but they also enjoy a prime location as a major port. Both maintain very good relationships with each other, some dating back quite a long time. There are more than 900 German companies, many of them from Hamburg, in this Asian metropolis with 4.5 million inhabitants.

For OTS, as well as for Nexsol, both Hamburg-based companies, Singapore is an ideal location for biodiesel production. The city is situated in an agriculturally rich region, at the center of the world’s largest palm oil production area, has excellent connectivity and infrastructure, as well as potential for downstream integration. For OTS biodiesel means a new product to take care of in the broad variety of its product range. It is also a step towards participating in the search for promising fuel alternatives leading to a cleaner environment and the reduction of global warming and pollution.

On May 24 2007, in the presence of high-ranking officials, Oiltanking Singapore Limited officially signed a long-term contract with Nexsol (Singapore) Pte Ltd to build, operate and own all off-site storage related to the Nexsol biodiesel plant being constructed adjacent to the Oiltanking Singapore terminal on Jurong Island, Singapore.

CUSTOMARY HANDSHAKE Ole von Beust (back, left) and Folkmar Stoecker (back, right) witnessing the signing ceremony between Rutger van Thiel (left) and John Hall.

R E D C A R P E T

Despite decreasing its intensity from a Category 5 Cyclone with sustained winds of 160 mph to a much weaker Category 1 as it neared the Arabian Peninsula, Gonu still caused a huge number of fatalities in Oman. It made landfall near Sur, east of Muscat and worked its way over land and sea to Muscat. Just before it reached the capital, the cyclone changed course towards Iran causing the eye of the storm to be above the sea when it passed Muscat in the late afternoon. The torrential rains and howling winds turned streets into wild rivers of water in this typically arid region. Authorities had evacuated thousands of people from the low lying coastal areas but still many people were trapped in their fl ooded homes. Flash fl ooding due to rain water which was washed down from the mountains into the desert wadi (dry river beds) along with landslides and mudslides became a real hazard.

The Oiltanking Odfjell offi ce in Muscat is located adjacent to one of those wadis. Fortunately, the offi ce was spared because it is situated on the third fl oor of a building. However, the shops on the ground fl oor of the Oiltanking building lost everything as water and mud reached indoor heights of up to 1.5 meters. The Industrial Port of Sohar, two hours to the west of Muscat, was closed and the 11,000 workers active in the port were moved out. Other than an unusual swell and powerful high waves, which tested the port’s breakwater, no damage was caused to the Oiltanking offi ce in Muscat and the preliminary works on its fi rst phase tank construction. The offi ce remained closed for ten days for the water and mud to be cleared and the electricity and normal water supply to be reinstated. Thankfully, none of the staff in Oman was injured.

In order to help Omani directly affected by the cyclone Oiltanking Odfjell made a donation of more than 10,000 Euro to the Oman Charitable Foundation.

E U R O P E

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After the fi rst „ground breaking“ in September 2005, the terminal capacity was increased by 90,000 cbm in the fi rst phase and an additional 70,000 cbm in the second and third phases. This expansion was managed within four big Class III fi xed roof tanks for Heavy Fuel Oil, currently in high demand as „Bunker Fuel“. In addition, two tanks will be used for Class I products such as Gasoline.

In order to commence the construction work, a solid limestone rock up to eleven meters high had to be removed (and disposed of) from the tank farm area. Quite a remarkable milestone within the entire project was the initial removal of almost 46,000 cbm of rocks that had to be trenched. This was followed by the excavation and disposal of an additional 40,000 cbm of solids partially on the island and into the sea. In this “exercise”, almost 6,000 truck journeys were involved in the disposal of limestone material.

As Malta is a remote and largely tourist island in the Mediterranean Sea, nearly all of the equipment had to be shipped, trucked or air lifted from Europe, Canada and Asia to Malta in order to keep up with the construction schedule. Steel plate for example made its way by ship from Finland to Malta via Algeria (in total almost 3,500 tons). It is obvious that the delivery had to be just in time in order to keep the on-site work force busy with the laying and welding work. Tons of equipment, such as electrical cables, transformers, pipelines, boiler

equipment etc., came by truck. Each delivery came with its own little story of missing documents, language problems, missing ferries whilst crossing Italy and all sorts of other diffi culties that had to be solved. However, at the end of the day, many of these funny stories led to much laughter in the construction site offi ces of Oiltanking Malta.

To ensure continuous construction and to keep the cost under control, each discipline had been contracted out to various contractors from small to medium size companies. This required signifi cant coordination skills from the project management team. Due to the „cocktail“ of various languages spoken on site, one can say that eventually a sort of site jargon developed that contained English, Italian, German, Maltese and Dutch words.

Apart from the daily logistical and coordination challenges with all these companies, above average social skills were required to make all those nationalities work together, especially when the world soccer championship started to cause additional friction. This event triggered a competition between the German and Italian companies. Both tried to fl y their national fl ag as high as possible. The Italians emerged as victors because, being tank contractors, they had access to the top of the tanks, an elevation of 26 meters.

The fi rst tanks began operations in November 2006, defi nitely a reason to organize a good party. In the meantime, construction is still on going but is nearing completion. Visitors to Malta fl ying over the terminal can still see the fl ag pole put up by the Italian contractor. Next to it, they will see the two remaining tanks under construction, which hopefully will be handed over to Oiltanking Malta by November of this year.

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No stoneunturnedSince September 2005, the Oiltanking Malta terminal has constantly been growing. Because of the location in the middle of the Mediterranean, construction work has been very challenging.

PHASE LIFTING Paul Cardona (right), Oiltanking Malta site Manager, and members of the tank builder after lifting the fi xed roof tank of one of the 35,000 cbm tanks.

ONGOING CONSTRUCTION The remaining tanks are nearing completion.

Gonu Hammers OmanOn June 6, 2007, the Tropical Cyclone Gonu hit the Sultanate of Oman. Oiltanking Odfjell colleagues braved the storm but the offi ce had to remain shut for ten days.

BRAVING THE STORM In over 30 years Gonu was the fi rst cyclone to visit the Sultanate and the worst ever recorded.

THREE DAYS AFTER The area close to the OOT offi ce in Muscat, Oman.

S O C I A L A C T I V I T I E S

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S O C I A L A C T I V I T I E S

Right from the start, Oiltanking Malta allocated a budget for sponsoring because it wanted to become involved in the community. Therefore, both the company and the staff support undertakings they believe will result in a better society and which will help to improve and serve the community. Accordingly, the various deeds are mainly related to education or recreation.

A really new project is the sponsoring of M.U.S.E.U.M., the Society of Christian Doctrine. The organization promotes good values and the catechism to young people from five years onwards (the acronym M.U.S.E.U.M. stands for the Latin words Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus — „Master, may the whole world follow the Gospel”). The fact that Gorg, the founder of this society, has just recently been canonized by the Pope was a great joy and feast for the Maltese population. OTM has agreed to sponsor the building of the new premises of M.U.S.E.U.M. in Birzebuggia.

When asked about memorable events regarding sponsoring pursuits, Leddy Evangelista, Managing Director OTM, immediately mentioned a young girl named Amy Zahra. “It was very touching to meet such a brave person. She isn’t only full of joy, but she’s a living example of courage and determination.” Oiltanking co-sponsored Amy Zahra by buying her a car in 2007. She survived meningitis and had to

undergo a bilateral leg amputation and total amputation of fingers. (see the next page for more on her story).

Another new project is the assistance being offered to a village council that initiated a scheme to embellish the sea front of Birzebuggia to create a recreational area for the residents.There are, however, other projects that have been getting support for many years now, e.g. Providenza, an institution for people with physical and intellectual disabilities and the poor. Not only does OTM sponsor it but also all Oiltankers who work at the terminal are unstinting in their time, and support the project wholeheartedly. For more than three years, Razzet has been on the list of beneficiaries, too. The institution focuses

Welfare SponsoringSince the very beginning of Oiltanking’s business activities in Malta in 1992, the company has always been involved in social actions.

SETTING SAILS “Kerisma”, Sönke Stein‘s boat, Chief Executive Officer Star Energy Oiltanking, finished third in the Vega Oil Platform Race 2007, sponsored by Oiltanking Malta.

It all started off with a rash on Amy Zahra’s legs that proceeded to spread all over her body, combined with a very high temperature. She was immediately rushed to hospital where doctors diagnosed her as having meningococcal septicaemia. At that stage her medical condition was so critical that her parents were advised to start preparing for the funeral. Nonetheless, the “fighter” Amy pulled through... However, her new life came at a price: the disease resulted in the amputation of her legs and fingers, leaving only the left thumb; the knees, elbows and part of her right shoulder needed grafting.

Amy had to take part in a recovery program, which kept her in hospital for a long time. At the beginning she was completely dependant on others. It was her family, friends and boyfriend who believed in her and encouraged her not

to stop trying. In addition, the meeting with another victim who had experienced the same bitter fate but managed to live a “normal life” gave Amy hope. Today her everyday life is back to routine. She goes out with friends and meets up with her boyfriend. She is doing her second year exams as she is reading a Bachelor in Engineering at the University of Malta. Amy also got her driving license back and is now able to drive her brand new VW Polo. The car has a hand controlled accelerator and brake which was co-sponsored by Oiltanking. Soon she will be getting a new pair of prosthesis. Amy is also working on setting up an association for amputees and hopes to write a book about her experiences. One piece of advice that she has already published is: “Don’t give up. At times it might seem to be the easiest solution but life isn’t always that easy. I believe I’m still here for a reason.”

Don’t Give Up!Shortly after Amy Zahra’s 21st birthday her life turned upside down when she was diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia. This disease left its mark on Amy’s body but not her spirit.

BRIGHT BOOKWORMS Leddy Evangelista, Managing Director Oiltanking Malta, amid pupils ...

on improving the lives of children with physical and intellectual disabilities and integrating them into society. In addition, there is the financial support for the “Day to clean the beaches” which contributes towards cleaning the country’s beaches. And talking of beaches... OTM again sponsored the Vega Race, an 80 nautical miles offshore race which starts in Malta, goes around the Vega Oil Platform of Sicily and returns to Malta. OTM’s former Managing Director and passionate sailor, Soenke Stein, always took great pleasure in taking part in this race himself. He’s now responsible for OT in Dubai, however, he didn’t miss out on the chance to participate again, coming all the way from Dubai. Last but not least, the annual contribution to the local football club and the sponsoring of the library of the village school in Birzebbugia. This is an ongoing project that entails the procurement of books to enrich the library and also efforts to automate it.

The annual amount allocated to sponsoring is currently at about US $30,000. The OTM colleagues use this “fund”, their time and lots of determination and dedication to improve their society. “It gives me a great feeling of satisfaction and joy when I see how people benefit from our support, how grateful they are and how a “little” help also makes a great difference”, comments Leddy Evangelista proudly.

... from the village school where Oiltanking Malta is sponsoring their library.

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Once a year, thousands of volunteers gather along the Texas waterways to do their bit in cleaning up the environment. This so-called “Trash Bash” is the largest statewide event to educate the public about the importance of their water resources and raise environmental awareness while involving both the community and local industry. Throughout the Houston and Galveston area, 12 sites take part in order to raise public environmental awareness and to clean the lakes, bays’ n bayous. As in the past, Oiltanking Texas City planned to participate in the 13th Annual Trash Bash on the Texas City Dike, organized by the Texas City Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately, due to heavy rain that day, the Trash Bash, scheduled for March 31 was cancelled. But that did not stop the folks at Oiltanking Texas City. On April 28, OTTC employees and their families came together to show their support for a second time by collecting trash, bottles, jugs, plastic bags, cans and other litter. — Just for the record: during last year’s Trash Bash, 55,281 volunteers helped to collect 1613.5 tons of waste. — For the Oiltankers the night was not complete without a hotdog and marshmallow roast on the beach, not to mention a fun game of horseshoes. So, all was enjoyed by both children and adults alike. And of course, our colleagues left the location impeccable and spotless!

N O R T H A M E R I C A

Trash Bash 2007

GOODIE TWO SHOES (from left): Todd Harms, Tammy and Kendall Kerr and Jolee Herrera, all OT Texas City, cleaning the beach.

1. OT Texas City staff and families 2. Jesman and Nicholas Devia picking up trash on the beach 3. Clean-up time on the beach 4. Koen Verniers 5. Larry McCaslin

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S O C I A L A C T I V I T I E S E U R O P E

For the construction of the tank foundations of the new tanks, Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp (OTSA) enlisted the contractor Verwater-Besix, a company it had had good experience with in the past. Once these preparatory works are completed, six 43,000 cbm cup tanks with a diameter of 54.5 meter and two 24,500 cbm cup tanks with a diameter of 42.5 meter will be constructed on top of the eight foundations. Unfortunately, the condition of the soil caused a lot of headaches. In order to prevent excessive settling of the tanks afterwards, the soil had to be reinforced by means of piles. Thus, OTSA decided to construct piles with a technique where first holes are drilled and consecutively filled with concrete (grout pile construction). Another contractor, Franki GeotechnicsB, had to be involved for this extensive job. Altogether, 6,104 piles needed to be constructed with an average height of approximately 13 meter each.

Verwater-Besix was bound to a tight schedule because the tank construction had to commence in early June. In order to meet the deadline, four machines created thirty piles each every day. Once the piling jobs were finished, filling material was added. Subsequently, the foundations were completed with a liquid-tight layer and a sand/asphalt layer before handing them over to the tank construction contractor.

Having managed the mountain of work, OTSA’s tank capacity will increase by 307,000 cbm to 854,000 cbm. This expansion will reinforce the position of OTSA as a major hub for middle distillates in Northwest Europe.

With the construction of eight new cup tanks, Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp, Belgium, is expanding again. The soil condition and bad timing were challenging for both Oiltankers and its contractors.

A N T W E R P

Managing Mountains of Work

PILING UP Grout piles were used for the expansion of the Oiltanking terminal in Singapore in 2005 and were also applicable for Antwerp.

PICTURE QUIZ Try

to see the words “Zalig

Pasen” (Happy

Easter”)

E N T E RTA I N M E N T E U R O P E

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In Estonia, besides Christmas, Midsummer’s Eve (Jaaniõhtu) and St John’s Day (Jaanipäev) are the most important days of the year. Jaanipäev is celebrated on the night of the 23 and the 24 of June, a few days after the summer equinox, when the day seems endless. It marks a change in the farming year, specifi cally the break between the completion of spring sowing and the hard work which summer hay-making entails. Understandably, some of the rituals of Jaanipäev have very strong folkloric roots. The best-known Jaanik, or midsummer, ritual is the lighting of the bonfi re before jumping over it. This is said to help to frighten away mischievous spirits, thus ensuring a good harvest, prosperity and good luck. Traditionally, people serve St John’s cheese (made with caraway).

Midsummer‘s eve is also signifi cant for lovers. Among Estonian fairy tales and literature, there is the story of two lovers, Koit (dawn) and Hämarik (dusk). They only ever see each other on the shortest night of the year to steal a kiss. Earth-bound lovers go into the forest to look for the fl ower of the fern which is said to bloom on that night only. Also on this night, single people can follow a detailed set of instructions to see whom they are going to marry. Girls pick seven different fl owers in the hope of fi nding their Prince Charming.

Bright NightVALUABLE JEWEL Immaculate

presentation of valuable “jewels”.

... at 22.30 p.m ...

Imagine being on a splendorous white sandy beach with crystal clear azure water watching the sun set together with the one you love, ... what else could you possibly want in that kind of tropical ambience? What about an exotic cocktail? While it’s obvious that the Martini has probably become the most well-known mixed alcoholic beverage over the years, the origin of the cocktail is a contested story and where the name comes from isn’t certain, either. Here’s one of the more common and amusing explanations:In 1779, Betsy Flanagan’s inn near Yorktown was frequented by American and French soldiers. She couldn’t stand her neighbor, an Englishman, who had some excellent chickens. Betsy had always promised her guests that one day she’d serve them roasted chicken. Eventually, one evening she kept her promise and dished up a lavish meal of “Stolen Chickens”. Back at the bar, Betsy proudly pointed at the tail-feathers from the chickens, which she’d used to decorate the drinks. The offi cers drank until morning, periodically making rowdy calls for more “cock tails”.

Here, we’ve a legendary cocktail — not to mention its wonderful name, its vivid blue color and its delicious taste. All parts of the recipe that make this drink an absolute summer hit:

The Bikini Martini 3 ounces Bombay Sapphire gin A squeeze of fresh lime juice 2 tbsp Blue Curacao 1 tbsp peach schnapps 1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar 1 lemon zest

Fill a martini glass with ice and water to chill it. Half-fi ll a martini shaker with ice and add the gin, lime juice, Blue Curacao, schnapps and sugar. Shake well for at least 30 seconds. Pour out ice and water from martini glass, and pour in the mixture through a strainer. Garnish with lemon zest.

Summer Sip

Summer Gifts-Giving

WHEN DAYLIGHT LASTS for more than 20 hours out of 24 also the night is very light. The OT terminal in Tallinn, Estonia, at 3.30 a.m ...

.. at 2.50 a.m.

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I N T E R V I E W

... this time Linda Sterner, Shift Leader, OT Texas City. Another colleague whose face will be prominent in Oiltanking’s new international advertising campaign ‘we can, we care”.

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? During career days at school, I remember wanting to be either an airline stewardess (they were called stewardesses back then!) or an interior decorator. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT OT? WHAT ATTRACTED YOU? I first heard of Oiltanking when our

terminal was in negotiations to be purchased by Oiltanking. Some of us had a choice whether to stay with our previous company or join Oiltanking, and after hearing great things about Oiltanking, I decided to join. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING FOR OT? Three years. WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION / WHAT DO YOU DO? I am a Shift Foreman at the ethanol blending and shipping area. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB? I enjoy working with everyone involved in making my job happen – from logistics to environmental to

accounting to operations – because I enjoy working with people who take pride in their jobs. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN A SHORT SENTENCE? Self-motivated, independent and a good mother. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? People of all ages who face a variety of challenges. HOW DO YOU RECHARGE YOUR BATTERY? Spending time with friends enjoying a good bottle of wine. WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? I have two grandkids, Krista and Colten, who I like to spend time with. Krista is heavily involved with dance – she just returned from a national competition where her team placed first (yes, I am a very proud Grandmother – can you tell?). Colten is actively involved in many sports with baseball the current favorite – he is naturally athletic. DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY? No, but I can be found spending time outdoors any chance I get. THREE THINGS YOU LIKE? Firm handshake. Good manners. When the underdog wins. THREE THINGS YOU DISLIKE? Negativity. Liver. Bad photographers. WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH AND WHAT MAKES YOU ANGRY? I always laugh when I hear children engage in fits of uncontrollable laughter – that is such a beautiful sound. I really do not get angry – I always try to step back and see all sides of a situation before I reach the “boiling point”. WHAT COULD YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT? Faith, family and friends. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD THREE MONTHS VACATION? Travel, travel and travel! There are so many places in the world I would like to visit the most difficult thing would be to pick where to visit first.

Introducing ...

The parade began in 1988 with 40 vehicles and has blossomed into the world’s largest and oldest Art Car Parade, a party put on annually by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. True to the motto “anything goes”, this year artists from 16 states were striving to again reach new heights of creativity but also vied for $10,000 in awards in different categories. More than 200,000 people marveled at the stream of hot rods, classic cars, all sorts of modified moving contraptions, and musicians. Not only were the car’s designs flabbergasting but also their names. Here are some of the most striking wheels, but there again, they do say that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder...

Rolling ArtWhat do a giant giraffe, a knight’s castle and sea shells have in common? They were just three of the 250 jaw-dropping rolling works of art which made their way down Allen Parkway during the 20th Art Car Parade in Houston, Texas/USA, in May 2007.

MISHELL KARMA GHIA by Kathy Kathamann (Santa Fe, N.M) got first place in the category “Art Car”.

ELEE by Mark Bradford (Houston, TX) won in the category “People’s Choice”.

FINN JET by Antti Rahko (Lakeworth, Fla.) went home with first place in the category “Art Car”.

WOMEN ROCK ART

CAR an interesting

composition is rolling up.

WHO LET THE DOG

OUT? A very creative

master of the dog.

1) Inca Trail Milagros Lopez Hurtado, GMP, and her husband at

Macchu Picchu, Cusco/Peru. 2) Catch me if you can Javier

Feijoo, OT Argentina, fi shing with his sons at Lacar Lake, San

Martin de los Andes, Argentina. 3) Highland highlight Andres

Bereilh, OT Peru, with his family in Tarma, in the highlands of

Peru. 4) Sunny days Gisella Toso, OT Peru, and her husband at

San Bartolo Beach, Peru. 5) “Palm Beach” Gabriel Chavez,

Consorcio Terminales, with his wife and son at Playa Arenas, Peru.

6) Tracing James Bond Jerlyn Tan, OT Singapore, relaxing

together with her family on the beach of Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

7) Welcome on board Nancy Olarte, Concorcio Terminales, and

her son at Laguna de Pacca, Peru. 8) Prehistorically tour

Miriam Wilson, OT Peru, surrounded by Inca culture at Pimentel

Beach in Lambayeque, Peru. 9) Mission Possible Mike Overhoff,

OT Houston, with his family at the Universal Studios in Orlando,

Florida/USA. 10) Picture Perfect Roxana Reluz, Consorcio

Terminales, and her husband in front of the Louvre, Paris/France.

11) Wall(ow) in China Immanuel Hernandez, OTS, and his

wife exploring the Great Wall, China. 12) Winter Wonderland

Pablo Gural, OT Ebytem, with his family in Bariloche (Cerro Otto),

in Patagonia, Argentina. 13) Gentlemen’s Agreement Frithjof

Langelotz, OT GmbH, and his dog “Mr. Snoopy” decided to relax

at the Baltic Sea in Boltenhagen/Germany. 14) Divine vacation

Sven Partzsch, OT Singapore, went to see the ancient temples

and statues of Goddesses in Cambodia. 15) French

Connections Reza Adami, OT GmbH, and his wife at the Tour

Eiffel in Paris, France.

Spot our colleagues

VA C AT I O N P I C T U R E S

CONNECTIONS16 CONNECTIONS 17

VA C AT I O N P I C T U R E S

Summer, sun, ... snapshot!

Feijoo, OT Argentina, fi shing with his sons at Lacar Lake, San

Andres

Bereilh, OT Peru, with his family in Tarma, in the highlands of

Gisella Toso, OT Peru, and her husband at

Gabriel Chavez,

Consorcio Terminales, with his wife and son at Playa Arenas, Peru.

Jerlyn Tan, OT Singapore, relaxing

together with her family on the beach of Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

Nancy Olarte, Concorcio Terminales, and

Prehistorically tour

Miriam Wilson, OT Peru, surrounded by Inca culture at Pimentel

Mike Overhoff,

OT Houston, with his family at the Universal Studios in Orlando,

Roxana Reluz, Consorcio

Terminales, and her husband in front of the Louvre, Paris/France.

Immanuel Hernandez, OTS, and his

Winter Wonderland

Pablo Gural, OT Ebytem, with his family in Bariloche (Cerro Otto),

Frithjof

Langelotz, OT GmbH, and his dog “Mr. Snoopy” decided to relax

Divine vacation

Sven Partzsch, OT Singapore, went to see the ancient temples

French

Reza Adami, OT GmbH, and his wife at the Tour

Spot our colleagues

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6

7

10

5

14

15

12

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• Take your (European) shoe size • Subtract 30 • Add your age • Deduct the sum of the digits • Add the two numbers • Deduct 2 • Multiply by 3

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R E A D E R ’ S C O R N E R

CONNECTIONS18 CONNECTIONS 19

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have an abundance of energy at the crack of dawn while others come alive in the evening? These “early bird” or “night owl” dispositions may be intensifi ed by the social, cultural or lifestyle factors one is often obliged to follow. They seemed so fl abbergasted that they even became the

subject of scientifi c research. Hans van Dongen, associate research professor at the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University, found the biological explanation behind morning and evening types: a small group of brain cells, called the Suprachiasmatic nucleus, emits signals to the body that synchronize the time of the day. This “biological clock” runs two hours fast in morning types and two hours slow in evening types. The early bird may well catch the worm but you should not be disheartened if you are not exactly a morning person; a new study suggests that “night owls” are more likely to be creative thinkers and age does not curtail this creativity. (Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan/Italy).

Night Owls and Early Birds

THIS OWL FOUND SHELTER at the Indian Oiltanking terminal in Navgar. In the Hindu religion, the owl is considered to be the sacred carrier of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth.

Time to NapIn order to increase productivity at the municipal Pathumwan district offi ce in Bangkok, employees get a special energy booster. They are allowed to fall asleep. Following the newly introduced program, lights go out just past noon during lunchtime. Even a “nap room” has been set up complete with soft music, fl owers and a strict ban on mobile phones and talking. “Even sleepers are workers and collaborators

on what goes on in the universe”Heraclitus, Greek philosopher, BC 535-473

... and action!Try to solve our riddle and don’t miss the chance to win! Please send your entries to: connections@oiltanking.com, or contact us by post:Oiltanking GmbH, Connections Team, Admiralitaetstrasse 55, 20459 Hamburg, Germany or by fax: +49(0)40 370 99 499

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

Quiz solutionWhat happened to our last quiz where we asked for the right answers regarding good manners for the international parquet? Maybe our readers were just too polite — in the end we received only a handful of entries. Unfortunately, none of them were quite correct. Nevertheless, here are the solutions:1. In Australia, it’s usual to hold both hands under the table after everybody has been served.2. Two Filipinos looking at each other in the eyes, raising their eye brows and lowering them again means: hello.

3. In Singapore, smoking and littering cigarette butts in public buildings are punished with a high fi ne.4. Don’t bring yellow roses as a present in Russia because it’s considered to be bad luck.5. Don’t touch a child’s head in Thailand.6. In Russia, the distance to other people is small.7. Being late isn’t considered impolite in Ireland.

Do you have diffi culty remembering things? No need to worry, everything is — literally — coming up roses! According to recent research from the University of Luebeck, Germany, the scent of a rose can enhance your memory. Sniffi ng rose scent while

carrying out a task, and then being exposed to the same smell while sleeping, helps memories stick. However, the

memory enhancement technique depends on a specifi c sequence of events. Simply sleeping in a rose-scented room will not do the trick. It has to happen during a certain stage of the sleep process, the so-called slow-wave sleep when the brain is thought to process newly acquired facts, fi gures and locations most effi ciently. So far, no other smells have been tested to fi nd out if rose scent is particularly effective. Some people may already have discovered that scent and memory is intertwined somehow: you get a nostril full of a particular odor and suddenly you are struck by a strong emotional memory.

Rosy Sleep

Once again we’ve a little brain twister or an “arithmetical problem” for you to solve. However, don’t worry! In order to fi nd out how many countries Oiltanking is active in at the moment all you’ll need is your shoe size! Here we go...

Do you know where the shoe pinches? Maybe you’ll be the lucky winner who’ll receive the ice box. Good luck!

you’ll be the lucky winner who’ll receive the ice box. you’ll be the lucky winner who’ll receive the ice box.

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InimitablePostingIn response to the lack of street art in Singapore, an unforgettable contest was held in April/May 2007: imaginative, painted postboxes throughout the garden city. Stamp, the fi rst nationwide postbox public art competition, was organized by the creative group Farm, together with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Singapore Post, among other partners. Forty postboxes were painted with much devotion and sparkling creativity by students, professional designers and art teachers. The public could vote for their favorite three mailboxes and their selection made up 50 percent of the fi nal score. The other portion came from a panel of judges from Farm, URA and Singapore Post together with four other designers. Among the outstanding and eye-catching artworks, that of the one of Lee Kian Kong, a professional illustrator, won the hearts and minds of the jury. His postbox has intricate, witty details and a complex visual composition — technically challenging as well as wonderfully romantic: it shows a couple that are thinking of each other despite their busy schedule. They pen love letters to each other which are delivered by... post!

L AS T B U T N OT L E AS T