Tag: tank cleaning

West P&I Club has issued a Loss Prevention Bulletin about best practices and guidelines on cargo tank cleaning and preparation onboard tankers.

A serious injury accident happened on board a Hong Kong registered bulk carrier when an Able Seaman 1 (AB1) fell onto the main deck from the top of a hatch coaming while carrying out cleaning and injured seriously.

The third officer (3/o) of a chemical tanker was splashed with caustic soda while preparing the ship’s cargo tanks ready for loading caustic soda. As part of its BSafe campaign, Britannia Club describes the case and shares key lessons learned. 

Transport Malta MSIU issued an investigation report on the serious injury of a crew member during tank cleaning operations, onboard the Sichem Manila, while at Tarragona anchorage, Spain. The crew member was spilled with hot water while shutting off a valve.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and BIMCO issued an approval procedure for in-water cleaning companies, aiming to set minimum requirements for approval of cleaning companies for various types of operations.

Tank cleaning is one of the key operations on board tanker carriers as it removes any hydrocarbon vapours, liquids or residues from tanks. Tank cleaning is required for many reasons, such as to carry clean ballast, remove sediments from tank top plating, prepare the tankers for internal inspections or prior to entering dry dock.

Transport Malta's MSIU issued a report on the fatality of two crew members onboard the chemical tanker 'Key Fighter' in September 2018. The two crew men fell from a height which led to fatal injuries. It was not excluded that the cause of death could have been either H2S gas intoxication or suffocation due to lack of O2.

IMO's MEPC 74 in May adopted resolution MEPC.315(74), amending regulations 1, 13, appendix IV and appendix VI of MARPOL Annex II concerning cargo residues and tank washings of persistent floating products with a high viscosity and/or high melting point in specific areas.

Compliance with 2020 sulphur cap is more than simply switching to a low sulphur fuel. HSFO, the fuel that was used so far but now will be inappropriate unless there are scrubbers installed, is primarily based on residual fuel and tends to adhere to the inside of fuel tanks. As such, a proper tank cleaning becomes necessary.