NDICE

1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................3
1.0 THE COURSE.........................................................................................................................................3
1.1 SEA TRANSPORT OF CHEMICALS.......................................................................................................3
1.2 CARGOES IN CHEMICAL TANKERS.....................................................................................................5
1.3 PRODUCTION AND USE OF LIQUID CHEMICALS...............................................................................7
2. CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS.................................................................................................................19
2.1 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CARGO.................................................................................................19
2.2 CHEMISTRY OF CARGO.....................................................................................................................23
2.3 HYDRO CARBON GROUPS.................................................................................................................25
2.4 CHEMICAL BULK LIQUID CARGOES..................................................................................................31
2.5 CHEMICAL REACTIONS......................................................................................................................32
2.6 TRUE VAPOUR PRESSURE (TVP)......................................................................................................34
2.7 THE REID VAPOR PRESSURE (RVP).................................................................................................34
2.8 FLASH POINT.......................................................................................................................................35
3. HAZARDS..............................................................................................................................................36
3.1 HEALTH HAZARDS..............................................................................................................................36
3.2 HAZARDS TO THE ENVIRONMENT....................................................................................................39
3.3 REACTIVITY HAZARDS......................................................................................................................41
3.4 FLAMMABILITY AND EXPLOSIVITY HAXARDS..................................................................................44
4. RULES AND REGULATIONS................................................................................................................49
4.1 INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL CODES AND REGULATIONS......................................................49
4.2 BULK CHEMICAL CODES....................................................................................................................54
4.3 ANNEX II OF MARPOL 73/78...............................................................................................................54
4.4 CERTIFICATION AND SURVEYS........................................................................................................73
5. SHIP DESIGN AND CARGO CONTAINMENT......................................................................................76
5.1 CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS.....................................................................76
5.2 SHIP ARRANGEMENTS.......................................................................................................................78
5.3 CARGO CONTAINMENT......................................................................................................................80
5.4 SHIP TYPES AND SURVIVAL CAPABILITY.........................................................................................82
6. CARGO HANDLING SYSTEM...............................................................................................................88
6.1 TANKS PIPING AND VALVES..............................................................................................................88
6.2 TANK MATERIALS AND COATINGS....................................................................................................93
6.3 CARGO TANK VENTILATION SYSTEM...............................................................................................95
6.4 PUMPS AND UNLOADING SYSTEM.................................................................................................101
6.5 EFFICIENT STRIPPING.....................................................................................................................122
6.6 CARGO HEATING SYSTEM...............................................................................................................125
6.7 TANK-WASHING AND SLOPS-RETAINING SYSTEMS.....................................................................127
6.8 INERT GAS SYSTEMS.......................................................................................................................129

6.9 INSTRUMETATION............................................................................................................................131
7. TANK ATMOSPHERE..........................................................................................................................134
7.1 TANK ATMOSPHERE EVALUATION.................................................................................................134
7.2 FIRE PREVENTION AND EQUIPMENT.............................................................................................141

7.3 A.POLLUTION PREVENTION............................................................................................................146

7.4 PROTECTION AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT........................................................................................152
8. CARGO HANDLING AND BALLAST OPERATION............................................................................186
8.1 GENERAL...........................................................................................................................................186
8.2 CARGO PLANNING............................................................................................................................187
8.3 PROCEDURES AND PREPARATIONS FOR LOADING....................................................................205
8.4 CARGO MEASUREMENT AND CALCULATION................................................................................211
8.5 CARGO CONDITIONING DURING TRANSPORT..............................................................................213
8.6 DISCHARGING PLAN AND PROCEDURES.....................................................................................214
8.7 UNLOADING, STRIPPING AND PREWASH OPERATION WITH NLS...............................................214
8.8 BALLASTING AND DEBALLASTING.................................................................................................218
9. TANK-CLEANING OPERATIONS...................................................................................................221
9.1 GENERAL..........................................................................................................................................221
9.2 TANK-CLEANING PROCEDURES AND DISPOSAL OF SLOPS.......................................................221
9.3 GAS FREEING OF CARGO TANKS...................................................................................................228
9.4 TESTS FOR CLEANLINESS...............................................................................................................229
10.0 SHIP/SHORE INTERFACE.........................................................................................................230
10.1 LIAISON WITH TERMINALS.............................................................................................................230
10.2 SHORE RECEPTION FACILITIES....................................................................................................239
11. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS............................................................................................................240
11.1 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND PLANNING........................................................................240
11.2 ALARMS...........................................................................................................................................241
11.3 EMERGENCY PROCEDURES.........................................................................................................243
11.4 FIRST AID.........................................................................................................................................244

1. INTRODUCTION
1.0 THE COURSE
This section should give a short background for and the purpose of the course as:
- The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW
78/95), which contains mandatory minimum requirements for training and qualifications of masters, officers and
ratings of chemical tankers.
This training is divided into two parts:
- Level 1: Chemical tanker familiarization a basic safety training course for officers and ratings serving on board
chemical tankers.
- Level 2: Advanced training in chemical tanker operations for masters, officers and others who are to have
immediate responsibilities for cargo handling and cargo equipment.
This course covers the requirements for level 1 and level 2 training required by STCW 78/95 Chapter V Regulation V/1
1.2, 2.2 and Section A-V/1 regulations 15- 21.

1.1 SEA TRANSPORT OF CHEMICALS

Sea transport of chemicals started with the chemical industries rapid growth in the years after the World War Two.
At first, chemicals were transported in bottles or drums on dry cargo ships; larger quantities were shipped in bulk in the
deep tanks of these ships.
As the worlds demand for chemicals increased, the need for a new type of seagoing ship became evident.
The first chemical tankers were converted war-built American oil tankers (T-2 tankers).

- adding bulkheads to provide more and smaller tanks

- extending the line system
- installing additional cargo pumps
In addition to these converted, relatively big chemical carriers, smaller tankers specially designed and constructed for
the carriage of "acids" e.g. sulphuric acid were built during the early 1950s, the cargo tanks of which were made of
special alloy steel, strengthened for cargo densities up to 2.0 kg/l.
In order to carry chemicals of high purity and sensitive to contamination, coating techniques were developed for cargo
tanks of mild steel.
The first real chemical tanker specially designed for the carriage of liquid chemicals in bulk was the Norwegian M.T.
"Lind", delivered in 1960; this was the first tanker equipped with stainless-steel cargo tanks.
A modern chemical tanker has a large number of cargo tanks and is designed for carriage of a wide variety of cargoes.
The cargo-tank section on these modern ships is normally divided into some stainless-steel tanks and some coated
mild-steel tanks, each of which is normally equipped with deepwell pumps and a separate piping system.
The term "chemical tanker" does indeed cover a wide range of designs from quite simple vessels designed for transport
of low hazard type chemicals to highly complex vessels designed for transport of a large variety of chemicals and
special purpose vessels built for the transport of a single or a few chemicals. In the following we shall mainly focus on
general purpose chemical tanker design and operation.

1.1.1 CARGO TYPES

The range of cargoes normally transported by such vessels is often grouped as follows:
- Chemicals

- Oil products
- Animal and vegetable oil

- Other substances.
However, if one wishes to consider the consequences of rules and regulations on design and equipment of chemical
tankers, it may be useful to group the different cargoes according to the extent the various rules and certification
requirements apply.
The entry into force of MARPOL Annex II has established as an overruling principle:
"NO LIQUID CARGO IS ALLOWED TO BE CARRIED UNLESS IT HAS BEEN ASSESSED BOTH FOR SAFETY AND
MARINE POLLUTION."
For crude oil and oil products this assessment has been done once and for all and the consequential application of
Regulations and Certification requirements is straight forward. In terms of safety the SOLAS requirements for oil tankers
apply to products with flashpoint less than 60 Centigrades and the Safety Equipment Certificate is proof of compliance.
In terms of marine pollution all oils, regardless of flashpoint, are subject to the MARPOL Annex I regulations and the
IOPP certificate is the proof of compliance.
For liquid cargoes other than oils the picture is far less clear. The main grouping of the cargoes is:
1) Cargoes subject to the requirements of the "expanded" International Bulk Chemical Code. In Chapter 17 of the Code
these cargoes are listed ("expanded" means the International Bulk Chemical Code with amendments making
MARPOL Annex II requirements part of the Code)
2) Cargoes not subject to the requirements of the "expanded" International Bulk Chemical Code. These cargoes are
listed in Chapter 18 of the Code.
Cargoes under 1. are those products assessed to possess safety hazards according to the hazard criteria of the
Chemical Code or products categorized as A, B or C according to the marine pollution hazard criteria given by MARPOL
Annex II.
It is worth noticing that the chemical hazard criteria includes flammability hazards, toxicity (human life), reactivity and
corrosivity as opposed to SOLAS hazard criteria which only considers flammability.
Cargoes under 2. are those not found to be hazardous according to the Chemical Code Criteria and which have no
marine pollution hazards (Annex II, Appendix III) or very moderate marine pollution effects, i.e. categorized as D
substances according to MARPOL Annex II criteria.
It should be observed that all products under 2. both category D products and Appendix III products which have
flashpoint less than 60o C are subject to the SOLAS regulations for tankers (fire protection requirements).
Products under group 1 are only allowed to be carried under a Certificate of Fitness for the Carriage of Dangerous
Chemicals in Bulk (C.O.F.) and it is required that the products permitted are listed in the Certificate by their names. For
sake of practicality the C.O.F also lists category D products in group 2.
Products in group 2 having pollution hazard category D only are required to be carried under a separate Noxious Liquid
Substance Certificate (NLS) if the vessel does not hold a C.O.F. The requirements to be complied with for obtaining
such certificate are purely operational and hence carriage may be allowed on all types of ship, except for those products
which have flashpoint less than 60o C or which are required to be carried in vessels of oil tanker standard in respect of
fire protection and ship arrangements. Products in group 2 which are non-pollutants may be carried without special
certification. However, products with flashpoint less than 60o C are only allowed in vessels of oil tanker standard.
Unlike oils the assessment of chemicals and other products is not a finalized process. New substances and mixtures
of different substances appear as bulk cargoes for sea transportation from time to time. In order not to unduly upset
the trade IMO has adopted guidelines for provisional assessment of substances and allocation of carriage
requirements. Provided sufficient information and data for the potential cargo is available, such assessment may be
completed within a few days.

1.1.2 STRUCTURE OF RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR CHEMICAL TANKERS

Both our classification rules and the International Bulk Chemical Code (IBC-Code) are composed of two main parts:
1) A general part containing regulations applicable to all multipurpose chemical tankers.
2) An optional part containing special requirements for some individual cargoes or type of cargoes.

A general purpose chemical tanker must satisfy all the requirements of the general part (Sections 1 through 14 plus
Section 16 of our Rules Part 5 Chapter 4). The general requirements offer options to choose between in several areas,
e.g. tank venting, tank ullaging etc. and the choice has an impact on the allowable range of cargoes. The extent to
which a chemical tanker complies with the additional special requirements will further determine the extent of additional
cargoes permitted.

From the above it is seen that the term "chemical tanker" is non-specific because of the alternatives and options
available. In a specification it must therefore be stated which design and equipment options and alternatives are to be
complied with, alternatively a list of cargoes for which the vessel is to be designed must be specified.
A dedicated chemical tanker differs from the multipurpose one in the respect that all of the general regulations need
not be fulfilled. This in particular applies to the fire protection requirements, which need not be met for non-flammable
products. In terms of classification such a dedicated chemical tanker will not be assigned the general "Tanker for
Chemicals" notation, but have a notation e.g. "Tanker for phosphoric acid" or "Tanker for non-flammable chemicals".

1.2 CARGOES IN CHEMICAL TANKERS

1.2.1 PETROCHEMICAL PRODUCTS
This is the classification for chemicals derived wholly or partially from petroleum or natural gas, although this strict
definition has now been generally broadened to include the whole range of aliphatic, aromatic and naphtenic organic
chemicals no matter what their source, which may be petroleum, coal or vegetable. Petrochemicals such as benzene
and naphthalene may be obtained from either petroleum or coal, while ethyl alcohol may be of either petroleum or
vegetable origin. Petroleum is also considered as a raw material in a number of inorganic chemicals such as sulphur,
ammonia and carbon black.
Raw petroleum or crude oil is a complex product containing thousands of different compounds of hydrogen and carbon
and other chemicals such as sulphur and therefore must undergo numerous refining treatments before the light gaseous
hydrocarbons, which form the basis for petrochemicals, are obtained. The first process, which the crude oil must
undergo, is primary or fractional distillation. This involves heating the crude oil and since the various hydrocarbons in it
have different boiling points they can be separated out into individual cuts or fractions. These basic cuts are gasoline
(the main component of petrol) Kerosene, gas oils and residual heavy fuel fractions. These commodities are known as
paraffins and make up the traditional bulk liquid cargoes carried in "product" tankers. They are the "saturated"
hydrocarbons and chemically, they are relatively stable and unreactive. Although they do not constitute the most
suitable materials for making other substances, they do burn readily, some explosively when vaporized and mixed with
air, and hence their value as fuels.
Further processes such as thermal and, more efficient, catalytic cracking can be carried out on the residual heavy fuel
fractions or gas oils to yield lighter and more volatile, high quality distillates and many light hydrocarbon gases such as
methane, ethane, propane, butane, olefins and acetylenes.
These gases are the unsaturated hydrocarbons and form the basis upon which the petrochemical industry has been
built. Petrochemicals gave birth to and are the feedstocks for the giant plastics, synthetic rubber, synthetic fibres,
agricultural chemicals and detergent industries.
Plastics are made from simpler chemicals by the process of polymerization in which single short chain molecules or
monomers are combined to form molecules called polymers. The two main groups of plastics are the thermosets and
thermoplastics. Thermosets flow like syrup when heated and then can be squeezed or moulded into any shape of form,
the shape being made permanent by further heating for a few minutes; after that they can no longer be melted to make
them flow again. Thermoplastics soften when heated and harden again when cooled.
Synthetic rubbers are also produced by polymerization and resemble certain types of plastics but are characterized
by the particular kind of elasticity found in natural rubber. There are two types of synthetic rubber, the first being the
general purpose rubbers which have many of the same applications as natural rubber e.g. tyres wire and cable
insulation as well as a wide range of domestic articles. There are also special purpose synthetic rubbers which have
been developed for use where some particular quality is highly desirable e.g. resistance to great heat, to oil or
corrosive action. They are made from basic hydrocarbons such as butadiene, styrene, acrylonitrile and isobutylene
among others.