*Welkom* to our blog! We are the 2008 Group Study Exchange team representing Rotary District 7620 which includes Central Maryland and Washington DC. We will be visiting District 1600, located in the southwestern part of the Netherlands as a part of a professional exchange with members from their district. This exchange is a part of the greater goal of the Rotary Club to promote world peace through the exchange of ideas and the understanding of other cultures. District 1600 includes Rotterdam and The Hague, which are the second and third largest cities in the Netherlands, following Amsterdam. We will be in the Netherlands from April 26 through May 24, during which, we will live with host families, give presentations to several Rotary Clubs and visit vocational sites related to our respective professions. Most of all, we will be immersed in Dutch culture and have many wonderful experiences. We hope you will enjoy reading about our experiences and adventures! *Dank u*

Friday, May 16, 2008

Crude


























Our team visited the Maasvlakte Olie Terminal with Monika and Hans. This is one of the world's largest crude oil storage and redistribution facilities. The share holders in the facility include some of the major oil companies, like Exxon Mobile and Shell, and they have their own pipelines leading away fron the tanks for easy retrieval. A storage tank (seen in picture) can store 120,000 cubic meters of oil, which is enough to fuel 90,000 cars for 1 year (I wonder if that meant smart cars or SUVs :) There are 36 tanks located here, you do the math, that is a lot of crude. Clement Saaltink, the Safety and Environment Supervisor, gave us a wonderful tour, we actually were inside one of the tanks, and then admired the views from the top of another. Some of us (I will not name names :-) faced our fear of heights, so kudos to you both.

Also, many thanks to drs. Harry van der Meijden (Wassenaar RC), Headquarter Director of Royal Dutch Shell, for the insightful history and tour of the Shell headquarters in the Hague. We had a great time and we felt your enthusiasm and dedication to your work and your company.
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