Statoil has been looking for a way to make tank cleaning on supply vessels safer and more effective.
M-I SWACO, a Schlumberger company, has developed a technological solution and has now been awarded a contract with Statoil that is valued at around US$55.7million (NOK 500 million), including options.
Statoil has not used this type of technology on supply vessels before but M-I SWACO has used the technology on its own vessels. This is the first time that M-I SWACO has commercialized the technology.
The solution comprises an automatic system which means that personnel avoid having to enter the tanks in order to clean them. Wash water and soap are also recycled so that it is only the actual waste washed out of the tank that has to be delivered for further processing.
"The solution increases the safety of our personnel as there is no need to enter the tanks and we reduce both time use and costs," said Jone Stangeland, vice president of logistics and emergency preparedness at Statoil.
The supply vessels transport chemicals in tanks below deck. When the tanks are emptied offshore they must be cleaned before being used for other assignments.
Tank cleaning is often carried out with the vessels' own tank cleaning plant, although manual tank cleaning has also been necessary on some occasions.
Manual tank cleaning is carried out by emptying the tanks of residual volume before personnel enter them, erect scaffolding and rinse with water and chemical cleaning agents.
Manual tank cleaning normally generates a high volume of waste and a typical clean can involve 10–15cu m/assignment.
"By cleaning the water in the same operation, the volume of waste is reduced significantly," said Stangeland.
The new system will fit onto a lorry, and once the system has replaced manual cleaning, vessels will spend much less unproductive time while docked in connection with tank cleaning.
Image: Tank cleaning module/ Statoil
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