In spite of ever-increasing safety regulations, explosion incidents on tankers still happen. Any explosion risk has three prerequisites: flammable material, oxygen and an ignition source. Take away (at least) one to achieve safety.
West of England (WEST) P&I club loss prevention manager Dean Crossley questions why oil and chemical tanker blasts are still happening despite the implementation of updated requirements for inert gas systems, says in article published in ecochlor website.
SOLAS
According to SOLAS requirements any tanker newbuilding > 8000dwt since 2016 has to have an inert gas system installed which reduces the oxygen concentration to safe levels. Before it was > 20,000 dwt. However, there is no requirement to retrofit IG systems to existing pre-2016 tankers, which means they are frequently subject to hazardous conditions.
Tanker explosion
- On 28 September 2019, two explosions and a fire on Stolt Groenland injured several crew and firefighters. The explosion has been linked to a deck rupture above a cargo tank which in turn ignited styrene monomer vapour in the tank.
- On 7 September 2020, residual fumes from a cargo tank on Trung Thao 36-BLC are thought to have caused the explosion which blew several of her 12 crew overboard and resulted in the death of one.
- An explosion on board General Hazi Aslanov on 24 October 2020 caused three fatalities among its 13 crew.
Why tanker explode?
The cargo itself is the fuel, including its vapour. The heat source or spark may result from electrostatic discharge caused by static accumulation due to the flow of liquid cargo during operations or tank cleaning. This spark cause explosion.
P&I Club recommends
Loss Prevention Manager at WEST P&I Club recommends retrofitting IG systems to ALL tankers, oil & chemical, old and new ones, incl. those < 8000 dwt. However, retrofitting an IG system is nearly impossible for technical reasons, if not economic. NanoVapor may be a cost-efficient and simple option to prevent hydrocarbons from evaporation. Thus, taking away the flammable material.
What is NanoVapour?
Nanovapor is a safe, gas-freeing alternative to more traditional methods. Time needed to a gas-free fuel or cargo tank is dramatically reduced and a single application can continue to suppress fuel vapors for days. The NanoVapor delivery unit uses a compressed air source to create a high-flow air stream used to inject the suppressant molecules into an enclosed tank. The molecule suppressant works quickly to suppress VOC evaporation from all liquid fuel throughout the entire tank.
Summary
- Any explosion risk has three prerequisites: flammable material, oxygen and an ignition source.
- Amendments to the SOLAS Convention required newbuild oil and chemical tankers of 8,000 dwt and above to have an inert gas (IG) system fitted from 2016. Prior to this, it was for oil tankers of 20,000 dwt and above.
- The heat source or spark may result from electrostatic discharge caused by static accumulation due to the flow of liquid cargo during operations or tank cleaning cause explosion.
- Nanovapor is a safe, gas-freeing alternative to more traditional methods.
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Source: ecochlor
