Tank Cleaning & What It Means to You


As any vessel readies itself for a new charter – in this case, yours – it is ultimately the shipowner’s responsibility to ensure that the vessel is ready to receive the nominated cargo(es) upon arrival at the load port. As the vessel’s spot charterer, you will have limited involvement in this sometimes-complicated process. But, your interest in ensuring that this is accomplished is paramount. Your Soundtanker broker will know which cargo your intended fixture last loaded. He can advise you on the possibility of loading your particular cargo onto any of the vessels available for hire.

In the world of parcel carriers, the thoroughness and competency of the tank cleaning operation will be as important as the safety and suitability of the vessel itself. There are stringent guidelines in place to prevent the loading of a particular grade, following one that is deemed not compatible. In days gone by, it was not permissible to load vegetable oils onto any vessel that had not carried lead-free cargoes on its last three voyages. Moreover, the vessel had to be engaged in the clean oil trades only. Those rules have only tightened over the years and the matrices governing compatibility issues and tank cleaning procedures vary slightly from company to company, country to country and between charterers and shipowners.

A Soundtanker broker can certainly advise you on the specifics of loading sensitive cargo onto a particular vessel. The so-called independent, bonded cargo inspectors are also a good place to start. In many cases, these companies will certify a tank as clean and suitable to load the intended grade. There also many “tank cleaning” guides and software packages from which the cargo owner / vessel charterer can plug in cargo data to obtain the proper cleaning procedures and / or the possibility of loading a specific grade into a tank which has previously contained another cargo.

Two very good sources of information on the specifics of tank cleaning can be found below:

• ChemServe: This is a German company that provides immediate access (registration is required) to its MIRACLE Tank Cleaning database. This database is used by most major shipping companies. www.chemserve-marine.com.
  
  
• Dr. A.Verwey: www.drverwey.com – these folks know their stuff.