Tanker ships carrying cargo especially liquid materials will need to be cleaned to avoid contamination during the next voyage. The cleaning process can be an expensive and pose an operational challenge due to the content of the cargo and the geographical accessibility of the vessel. This is especially true for the transportation of fuel oil where the viscosity is high, which makes it stick to the walls of the tank. Over time, a semi-solid substance will be form which is extremely hard to be removed. Hence, oil desludging and de-slopping is a highly important process.
Jotun is a leading supplier of solutions for protecting crude oil storage tanks. We have specialist products that protect the steel from corrosion, without any effect on the stored product. We focus on long life and short out of service intervals. Although crude oil has not traditionally been seen as a challenging area, the advent of unconventional oil has heightened the need for coatings resistant to temperature and very sour oils. Crude oil tanks are most commonly floating roof tanks, some have a false roof in addition to reduce loss of light fractions due to heat etc.
Muck refers to mud, dirt, or a sticky natural substance such as animal waste. In the marine field, while the vessel is on sail there will be a series of chemical reactions occurring in the oil tanker. In the process, precipitation will be produced. If the owner does not clean the precipitate on a regular basis, it will endanger the people who are on the vessel and the vessel engine will not last. This is because the precipitate will block the engine components in the oil tanker.