If it’s dirty or dangerous, we have a clean, safe solution

Whether it’s transporting and storing hazardous chemicals, cleaning industrial tanks, removing sewage, resolving spills, managing special wastes, or environmental and gas detection engineering, we have smart solutions.

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  • It’s how we started, from shifting firewood from Dunecht estate to one of the largest independent tanker providers in Scotland. We can manage all your liquid and power logistics challenges.

  • From cleaning tanks, emptying grease traps, interceptors, sewage tanks, collecting waste oils, and providing emergency response teams and training, we can provide a range of solutions to meet your industrial service needs.

  • We provide a wide range of parts washers from solvent based to aqueous hot wash washers. You can rent or buy our machines and we also offer maintenance contracts to keep in the best working condition.

  • As well as having onsite fabrication and mechanical services , William Nicol also supplies gas and fire detection systems as well as environmental engineering solutions.

  • William Nicol specialises in the reclaim of waste oils, and waste water treatment. We also manage special waste and drilling fluid wastes. Whatever your requirement we can find a safe disposal route.

  • We don’t just work with business customers, if you have septic tank that needs emptied or a domestic fuel tank that needs decommissioned we can provide a solution

  • We looked for an operating system to suit our business, we couldn’t find one, so we built one for ourselves. Customers and staff can access via the login on header.

    In addition, through our digital subsidiary,nudge talent lab, we have developed a proprietary wastemanager.ai platform that utilises cutting edge artificial intelligence agents to support our customers waste challenges.

  • Through our Fierce Mother Trucker range we provide trucker merch, thats a practical yet cool alternative for modern truckers. All proceeds go to charity. Check out the range on our store page.

Serving Aberdeen and Beyond since 1935

Do you need liquid or powder managed?

Be it from tank to tanker, from one blend to another, across the country, for future use or disposal, hazardous and non-hazardous we can manage it all.

The transport division manages long-distance bulk haulage of liquids, specialising in bulk hazardous goods.

The industrial services division specialises in tank cleaning, waste management, storage, and local distribution of specialised powders, oils, and chemicals. Together we can provide a complete liquid logistics package.

So if you need liquids or powder stored, transported, or removed you can be assured of a quality responsive service that solves your problems.

Sectors in which we work

  • We have been born and bred in Aberdeen, the offshore capital of Europe so we have a rich history in serving the oil and gas industry and transitioning into renewables.

  • It’s how it all started, William grew up on farms and we still serve that sector to date.

  • We store and transport all manners of chemicals for all sectors.

  • Where there is a need for liquids there is generally a need for transportation, we are ready to serve your needs.

Case Studies

  • SSE- Tank Cleaning for Inspection

    SSE employed William Nicol Ltd to clean a 5-million litre heavy oil tank at their Peterhead power station in the north east of Scotland. Using our specialist suction pumping equipment we removed the oil and then, our operatives worked inside the tank to clear out the remaining sludge. We then thoroughly cleaned out this lower area of the tank, taking it back to bare steel to enable specialist tank inspectors to check for corrosion. The project took two weeks and we finished within time and budget.

  • Morgan Sindall- Providing a Water Solution

    The construction company Morgan Sindall enlisted our help during their construction of the Marriott Hotel at Dyce, west of Aberdeen. During the early stages of the project, there was no mains water on site. We provided them with a tanker trailer for on-site storage of potable water and, at a cost-effective rate.

  • Chivas Bros- Helping to Save the Roofs of Whisky Warehouses

    During some particularly severe winter weather, snow was building up on the roofs of the Chivas Bros whisky warehouses in Speyside and the weight of the snow was threatening to bring the roofs down. We responded to the emergency by delivering a tanker of de-icer to the site so that a helicopter could then be used to spray it onto the roofs to prevent their collapse.

  • Talisman Energy- Heat Exchangers

    As part of their contract with Talisman Energy to refurbish some 57 feet long heat exchangers, Glacier Energy Services sub-contracted us to clean the various parts of the equipment.

    We allocated an area within our site at Badentoy Industrial Park, Portlethen in which to carry out the work. The site was cordoned off and tightly controlled due to the potential risk of norm radiation.

    The team from Glacier Energy Services brought the heat exchangers to the site and removed the tubes from them. They then cut the tubes into three sections and we cleaned them and disposed of them safely in a controlled area.

    We then cleaned the main shells of the heat exchangers and returned them back to Glacier Energy Services' own premises where they inserted new tubes.

  • Cleaning and De-gassing Fuel Storage Tanks for the RAF

    William Nicol Ltd was sub-contracted by the RAF to clean and de-gas five 1-million litre fuel storage tanks at one of their bases.

    We removed the sludge which had built up at the bottom of the tanks and disposed of it in accordance with waste disposal regulations. We then cleaned and de-gassed the tanks, after which another contractor shot-blasted and painted parts of the tank. The tanks were then inspected by a specialist inspection company and we provided the rescue team to be on standby whilst their operatives were working in the confined space of the tanks.

    Finally, we carried out a second clean of the tanks to bring them back up to the required standard.With the tanks playing a key role in the operations of the air base, we had very tight deadlines to meet and we completed our work well ahead of schedule.

  • Helping to Keep Runways Operational in Winter Weather

    William Nicol is contracted by Univar to transport, store and distribute runway de-icer to airports and air bases throughout Scotland, including the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.

    Each year, before the onset of winter, eight of our tankers transport some 200 tonnes of de-icer from Middlesbrough to our storage facilities in Portlethen. We then distribute the de-icer to the various airports and airfields including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Prestwick, Inverness, Aberdeen, Sumburgh, Scrabster, Wick, Stornoway, Kirkwall, Lossiemouth and Kinloss.

    We also keep a buffer stock of de-icer at our storage facilities ready to deliver when required, so that there is never any risk that the airports and airfields will run out of this vital product.