Indian Maritime University

BNA 023 CARGO HANDLING & STOWAGE

Block no. 1 Cargo handling and Care
Unit No. 1 Cargo pumps and Piping Systems

Topic 1.4 Safety on tankers

1) Hazards of petroleum
2) Static electricity & bonding wire
3) Intrinsic safety
4) Gas sampling equipment
5) Gas freeing, Tank entry & Tank cleaning
6) Ship / shore safety check-list
7) Pressure vacuum valves
8) Emergency shut down system
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Safety on tankers

1.4.5.3
Tank cleaning

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 Indian Maritime University
BNA 023 CARGO HANDLING & STOWAGE
Block no. 1 Cargo handling and Care
Unit No. 1 Cargo pumps and Piping Systems
Topic 1.4 Safety on tankers
5.3) Tank cleaning

When there was no requirement for segregated ballast

tanks on a tanker, ballast used to be carried in the
empty cargo tanks. These were then required to be
cleaned during the ballast passage and kept ready for
loading cargo on arrival at the loading port.

The above reason for cleaning tanks no longer exists.

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 Indian Maritime University
BNA 023 CARGO HANDLING & STOWAGE
Block no. 1 Cargo handling and Care
Unit No. 1 Cargo pumps and Piping Systems
Topic 1.4 Safety on tankers
5.3) Tank cleaning

However cargo tanks still need to be cleaned for the

following reasons :

• Before gas freeing a tank for repairs or dry-docking.

• Before entry into a tank for surveys or inspection.

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 Indian Maritime University
BNA 023 CARGO HANDLING & STOWAGE
Block no. 1 Cargo handling and Care
Unit No. 1 Cargo pumps and Piping Systems
Topic 1.4 Safety on tankers
5.3) Tank cleaning

Prior to the implementation of the Crude Oil Washing

system, the build up of sludge had to be physically
removed out of the tank.

For entry into tanks where physical cleaning was

required, special ventilation arrangements had to be
made so that a continuous supply of fresh air is
supplied to the persons cleaning the tanks.

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 Indian Maritime University
BNA 023 CARGO HANDLING & STOWAGE
Block no. 1 Cargo handling and Care
Unit No. 1 Cargo pumps and Piping Systems
Topic 1.4 Safety on tankers

Tank cleaning

When water was used for cleaning tanks, the

accumulated dirty oil and water mixture had to
be properly discharged as per Marpol rules.

The Crude Oil washing system leaves

practically no slop in the tanks.
Cleaning is carried out by jets and scrubbers.

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 Indian Maritime University
BNA 023 CARGO HANDLING & STOWAGE
Block no. 1 Cargo handling and Care
Unit No. 1 Cargo pumps and Piping Systems
Topic 1.4 Safety on tankers

Tank cleaning

Clean ballast tanks and tanks needing to be gas free for

entry may have to be water washed.

Tankers use portable or fixed washing machines.

Sometimes the water is permitted to be dozed with
cleaning material to aid the cleaning process.

The tank cleaning system incorporates a water heater.

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 Indian Maritime University
BNA 023 CARGO HANDLING & STOWAGE
Block no. 1 Cargo handling and Care
Unit No. 1 Cargo pumps and Piping Systems
Topic 1.4 Safety on tankers

Tank cleaning

Tank cleaning should be carried out in a controlled

atmosphere, preferably in an inert atmosphere. Gas
freeing should be continued during tank cleaning..

Tank cleaning may be carried out in open cycle mode

or in the closed cycle mode, which is the recirculation
mode.

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Tank Cleaning

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Tank cleaning

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 Tank cleaning

• Tanks must be cleaned from time to time for various

reasons.

• One reason is to change the type of product carried

inside a tank

• Also, when tanks are to be inspected or maintenance

must be performed within a tank, it must be not only
cleaned, but made "gas-free”.

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 Tank cleaning
• On most crude-oil tankers, a special crude
oil washing (COW) system is part of the
cleaning process.

• The COW system circulates part of the

cargo through the fixed tank-cleaning
system to remove wax and asphaltic
deposits.

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 Tank cleaning
• Tanks that carry less viscous cargoes are washed with
water.

• Fixed and portable automated tank cleaning machines,

which clean tanks with high-pressure water jets, are
widely used.

• Some systems use rotating high-pressure water jets to

spray hot water on all the internal surfaces of the tank.

• As the spraying takes place, the liquid is pumped out of

the tank. 13
 Tank cleaning
• After a tank is cleaned, provided that it is
going to be prepared for entry, it will be
"purged".

• Purging is accomplished by pumping inert

gas into the tank until hydrocarbons have
been sufficiently expelled.

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 Tank cleaning
• Next the tank is "gas freed" which is usually
accomplished by blowing fresh air into the space with
portable air powered or water powered air blowers.

• "Gas freeing" brings the oxygen content of the tank up to

20.8% O2. This process ensures the tank never has an
atmosphere capable of ignition.

• Specially trained personnel monitor the tank's

atmosphere, often using hand-held gas indicators which
measure the percentage of hydrocarbons present

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 Tank cleaning
• After a tank is gas-free, it may be further
hand-cleaned in a manual process known
as mucking.

• Mucking requires protocols for entry into

confined spaces, protective clothing,
designated safety observers, and possibly
the use of airline respirators.

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Blue seas

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