En-Sure was engaged by a fuel terminal operator to conduct air quality monitoring during fuel transfer operations on site.

The facility receives Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) from tankers, and gas oil / diesel from barges into the tanks on site. Emissions to air from the fuel tanks during such operations are mitigated through activated carbon filters. The site then supplies barges, ships and road tankers with fuel.

Air monitoring was requested by the then Malta Environment and Planning Authority (now the Environment and Resources Authority) as part of the Environmental Permit for the facility. The monitoring consisted of samples taken at the fuel tanks (before and after filtration), as well as at several points at the site boundary, depending on the wind direction. Samples were analysed for volatile organic compounds, including thiols, as well as hydrogen sulphide. The project required the use of both active and passive sampling techniques to account for different concentrations of the various analytes being monitored.