Chemical Tanker: Main Characteristics of Chemical Tankers

CHEMICAL TANKER
A chemical tanker is a type of tanker ship designed to transport chemicals in bulk.

As defined in MARPOL Annex II, chemical tanker means a ship constructed or
adapted for carrying in bulk any liquid product listed in chapter 17 of the International
Bulk Chemical Code.[1] As well as industrial chemicals and clean petroleum products,
such ships also often carry other types of sensitive cargo which require a high
standard of tank cleaning, such as palm oil, vegetable oils, tallow, caustic soda,
and methanol.
Oceangoing chemical tankers range from 5,000 tonnes deadweight (DWT) to 35,000
DWT in size, which is smaller than the average size of other tanker types due to the
specialized nature of their cargo and the size restrictions of the port terminals where
they call to load and discharge.
Chemical tankers normally have a series of separate cargo tanks which are either
coated with specialized coatings such as phenolic epoxy or zinc paint, or made from
stainless steel. The coating or cargo tank material determines what types of cargo a
particular tank can carry: stainless steel tanks are required for aggressive acid
cargoes such as sulfuric and phosphoric acid, while 'easier' cargoes — such as
vegetable oil — can be carried in epoxy coated tanks.
The coating or tank material also influences how quickly tanks can be cleaned.
Typically, ships with stainless steel tanks can carry a wider range of cargoes and can
clean more quickly between one cargo and another, which justifies the additional
cost of their construction.
Main characteristics of chemical tankers

Chemical tankers often have a system for tank heating in order to maintain
the viscosity of certain cargoes, typically by passing pressurized steam through
stainless steel 'heating coils' in the cargo tanks, transferring heat into the cargo,
which circulates in the tank by convection.
All modern chemical tankers feature double-hull construction and most have one
hydraulically driven, submerged cargo pump for each tank with independent piping,
which means that each tank can load a separate cargo without any mixing.
Consequently, many oceangoing chemical tankers may carry numerous different
grades of cargo on the same voyage, often loading and discharging these "parcels"
at different ports or terminals.
This means that the scheduling, stowage planning and operation of such ships
requires a high level of coordination and specialist knowledge, both at sea and on
shore.
Tank cleaning after discharging cargo is a very important aspect of chemical tanker
operations, because cargo residue can adversely affect the purity of the next cargo
loaded. Before tanks are cleaned, they must be properly ventilated and checked to
be free of potentially explosive gases. Chemical tankers usually have transverse
stiffeners on deck rather than inside the cargo tanks, in order to make the tank walls
smooth and thus easier to clean using permanently fitted tank cleaning machines.
Cargo tanks, either empty or filled, are normally protected against explosion by inert
gas blankets. Often nitrogen is the inert gas used, supplied either from portable gas
bottles or a Nitrogen generator.
Most new chemical tankers are built by shipbuilders in Japan, Korea or China, with
other builders in Turkey, Italy, Germany and Poland. Japanese shipbuilders now
account for the large majority of stainless steel chemical tankers built, as welding
stainless steel to the accuracy required for cargo tank construction is a difficult skill
to acquire.
Notable major chemical tanker operators include MOL Chemical Tankers, Stolt-
Nielsen, Odfjell, Navig8 and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, ASM. Charterers, the end users of
the ships, include oil majors, industrial consumers, commodity traders and specialist
chemical companies.
Preparation for cargo operation : Chemical tanker

safety procedure
Ship checks prior to arrival
When approaching a port to load or discharge cargo, the following important checks
should be made by the ship in time to allow any necessary work to be done:
1. On tanks in which cargo is to be transferred, in-tank instrumentation such as level

gauges, level alarms and thermometers should be tested for operation and accuracy,
and remote system controls tested where appropriate. High level alarms and tank
overflow control alarms are safety critical components of the cargo transfer system,
and loading should not commence if pre-transfer checks find them at fault.
2. Hatches, lids and openings to cargo tanks that are not required to be
open for a specific reason should be firmly closed.
3. Cargo pipelines and crossover valves should be checked, and all drains
closed and secured.
4. All ship's cargo and bunker pipelines not in use should be securely
blanked and fully bolted at the manifold. Unless it is to be used, the stern
cargo pipeline should be isolated from the tanker's main pipeline system at
a point forward of the aft accommodation, by blanking or the removal of a
spool piece.
5. Where loading or discharging is to be via a cargo pump-room, the pump-

room ventilation system should be checked to ensure readiness for
operation throughout the cargo operations.
6. Cargo area deck lighting should be checked and confirmed as being in

full working order, with special attention given to the area of the ship to
shore cargo connection and hose handling equipment.
Ship checks after arrival but prior to cargo operations
Before any cargo transfer starts, the responsible officer should be satisfied
that the applicable precautions are being observed. The use of safety
checklists, appropriately adapted for the specific ship, is strongly
recommended. The following important checks should be made by the ship
at this stage:
1. Information should be sought on any forecast of adverse weather

conditions which may require operations to be stopped or transfer rates
reduced.
2. Certain cargoes require the vapour that is displaced by incoming cargo

to be returned to the shore facility. The responsible officer should ensure
that the ship and the shore vapour system are compatible, and that the
system will operate in compliance with local and terminal regulations.
3. The characteristics of the product must be known, usually in the form of

a cargo information form or data sheet indicating, among other things,
health hazards, specific gravity, temperature, vapour pressure, reactivity
with other materials or cargoes, heat sensitivity, risk of exothermic self-
reaction, toxicity and general safe handling practices. It is desirable that
initial response to emergencies is clearly shown. An example data sheet is
in Appendix M.
4. If a cargo liable to self-reaction is to be loaded, correct arrangements

should be made for conditions and limitations in the inhibitor certificate to
be met for the duration of the voyage.
5. Normally tanks to be loaded are pre-inspected for cleanliness by an

independent surveyor. This can vary from a superficial visual inspection
from the deck, to a very detailed inspection inside the cargo tank in which
bulkheads are wall-washed and thoroughly checked. The responsible
officer should satisfy himself that the tanks to be so inspected are well
ventilated and safe to enter, and are marked as being safe to enter. Tank
entry procedures should be complied with. When a tank is entered for
inspection the surveyor should be accompanied by the responsible officer
or a person delegated by him.
6. Tanks passed for loading should be tightly secured with all cargo
openings closed.
7. All sighting ports and ullage plugs should be closed and secured, unless
expected to be used during handling of the cargo about to be loaded. If
openings are required to be open for venting purposes, each opening
should be protected by a flame screen designed for that opening and kept
clean.
8. When not in use, sea suction and overboard discharge valves connected
to cargo and ballast systems must be securely closed and lashed, and may
be sealed by shore authorities. In-line blanks should be inserted where
these are provided. When lashing is not practicable, valves should be
suitably marked to indicate clearly that they are to remain closed.
9. Before cargo handling is started, all deck scuppers and any open drains
onto the jetty must be effectively plugged to prevent spilled cargo escaping
into the water around the tanker or onto the terminal. Accumulations of
rainwater should be drained periodically and scupper plugs replaced
immediately afterwards. Contaminated water should be transferred to a
slop tank or other suitable receptacle.
10. Cargo manifolds should be ready for connection to shore hoses, but
with blank flanges removed only on those lines to be used, and only on the
connecting side of the ship.
11. Where loading is via a cargo pump-room, the pump-room ventilation

system should be working throughout the operation, and all drains and non-
essential valves in the pump-room must be closed and secured.
12. Accommodation doors and portholes overlooking the cargo area should
be shut. If stern loading is to be undertaken, it may be necessary to provide
special advice to the crew.
13. The cargo venting system should be appropriate for the cargo
operation.
14. Intakes for central air conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems
should be checked for correct setting.
15. Means should be provided for the prompt removal of any spillage on
deck.
16. Fire fighting equipment should be inspected, and ready for immediate
use.
17. Correct personal protective clothing and breathing apparatus,

appropriate to the cargo, should be immediately available, and should be
worn as necessary.
Just prior to commencing cargo transfer, the responsible officer should
check that the cargo pipeline system is set correctly, that correct valves are
open and that pipeline valves not being used (including drop valves) are
closed.
Fig:Chemical tanker general safety precautions at berth

Joint ship anti shore liaison, and checks prior to cargo operations
A liaison meeting should be held with the responsible terminal staff, at which the
operational plan for the order of cargo handling can be agreed. The following joint
ship and shore checks in co-operation with a terminal representative are
recommended:
1. That the Ship/Shore Safety Checklist has been completed satisfactorily.
2. That local and terminal regulations have been ascertained and are being
observed.
3. That agreement has been reached with the responsible terminal representative
about signals to indicate stand-by, start operation, slow down and stop operation.
4. That when shore-supplied nitrogen is to be used for inerting cargo tanks, the
procedure for handling it has been agreed.
5. That the sequence of cargoes and pumping rates has been agreed.
6. Whether ship or shore will order pumps to be stopped on completion.
7. That emergency shutdown procedures, and action to be taken in case of fire or

other emergency, have been agreed.
8. That if an insulating flange is used in the hose connection, its insulation has not
been impaired.

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CHEMICAL TANKER

A chemical tanker is a type of tanker ship designed to transport chemicals in bulk.

Main characteristics of chemical tankers

Preparation for cargo operation : Chemical tanker

1. On tanks in which cargo is to be transferred, in-tank instrumentation such as level

5. Where loading or discharging is to be via a cargo pump-room, the pump-

6. Cargo area deck lighting should be checked and confirmed as being in

Ship checks after arrival but prior to cargo operations

1. Information should be sought on any forecast of adverse weather

2. Certain cargoes require the vapour that is displaced by incoming cargo

3. The characteristics of the product must be known, usually in the form of

4. If a cargo liable to self-reaction is to be loaded, correct arrangements

5. Normally tanks to be loaded are pre-inspected for cleanliness by an

11. Where loading is via a cargo pump-room, the pump-room ventilation

17. Correct personal protective clothing and breathing apparatus,

Fig:Chemical tanker general safety precautions at berth

1. That the Ship/Shore Safety Checklist has been completed satisfactorily.

6. Whether ship or shore will order pumps to be stopped on completion.

7. That emergency shutdown procedures, and action to be taken in case of fire or

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