Today, we visited two companies: Vitol Tank Terminal Vasiliko (VTTV), a subsidiary of Vitol Tank Terminal International (VTTI), and Vasiliko Cement Works. Both of these companies are in the Vasiliko area and met us in the Cement Works building, where they had a joint meeting with us.
VTTV is a company that deals in storing oil. They do not own any of the oil that they store, they just provide a space and time to store it, in addition to some other processing services. They discussed how they were attempting to move towards storing green energy as that is the clear investment that should be made at this time. They also have a port-like space that they own on the coast that can connect up to two tankers at a time, which they showed us. When we looked over this space from atop a nearby ridge, they told us that they, along with all necessary municipalities of Cyprus, were undergoing a drill in which they would have to deal with a terrorist attack, so we were able to see two helicopters flying overhead.
Vasiliko Cement Works deals in production of cement, not concrete, from Cyprian stone, which they bolstered was the third most exported good from Cyprus. They explained to us how they process the concrete, sending the stone through multiple subsequent levels of grinding and heating until it is a powder like that of flour. They gave us a small tour of their facilities, the coolest piece of which I thought was the spinning kiln. This kiln was a tube that was in the center of a brick of industrial pipes and scaffolding that spun, which to me seems like a difficult feat. We also got a small tour of their control room, where we could see dozens of cameras for all the important parts of their facility.
Overall, I believe that both facilities were baffling technologically and incredibly fascinating. I also believe their place in the supply chain to be incredibly important facilitating the transport and controlled selling of oil and a semi-processed good that is important in the production of one of the most used production in a modern era.
