TANKER ARANGEMENT

- Cargo & Ballast Tanks, Pump rooms, Slop tanks, Cofferdams, Deep tanks
TANKER ARRANGEMENT
Definitions (MARPOL)
 Crude oil tanker means an oil tanker engaged in the trade of carrying
crude oil.
 Product carrier means an oil tanker engaged in the trade of carrying oil
other than crude oil.
 Combination carrier means a ship designed to carry either oil or solid
cargoes in bulk.
 Tank means an enclosed space which is formed by the permanent
structure of a ship and which is designed for the carriage of liquid in bulk.
 Wing tank means any tank adjacent to the side shell plating.
 Centre tank means any tank inboard of a longitudinal bulkhead.
 Slop tank means a tank specifically designated for the collection of tank
drainings, tank washings and other oily mixtures.
 Segregated ballast means the ballast water introduced into a tank which
is completely separated from the cargo oil and oil fuel system and which
is permanently allocated to the carriage of ballast or to the carriage of
ballast or cargoes other than oil or noxious liquid substances as variously
defined in the Annexes of the present Convention.
 Oil tankers generally have from 8 to 12 tanks. Each tank is split
into two or three independent compartments by fore-and-aft
bulkheads.
 The tanks are numbered with tank 1 being the forwardmost.
 Individual compartments are referred to by the tank number and
the athwartships position, such as “one port”, “three starboard”,
or “six centre’’.
 Pump rooms usually situated aft so that power can be easily
linked direct from the engine room.
 A major component of tanker architecture is the design of the
hull or outer structure.
 A tanker with a single outer shell between the product and the
ocean is said to be single-hulled.
 Most newer tankers are double-hulled, with an extra space
between the hull and the storage tanks. Hybrid designs such as
double-bottom and double-sided combine aspects of single and
 IMO distinguishes three categories of single-hulled tankers that will be phased
out by 2016, in accordance with amendments to Annex I of the MARPOL
Convention.

 “Category 1 oil tanker” is defined as

 an oil tanker of 20,000 tonnes deadweight and above carrying crude oil, fuel oil,
heavy diesel oil or lubricating oil as cargo, and
 of 30,000 tonnes deadweight and above carrying oil other than the above,
 which does not comply with the requirements for protectively located segregated
ballast tanks (commonly known as Pre-MARPOL tankers);

 “Category 2 oil tanker” is defined as

 an oil tanker of 20,000 tonnes deadweight and above carrying crude oil, fuel oil,
heavy diesel oil or lubricating oil as cargo, and
 of 30,000 tonnes deadweight and above carrying oil other than the above,
 which complies with the requirements for protectively located segregated ballast
tank requirement (MARPOL tankers);

 “Category 3 oil tanker” is defined to mean

 an oil tanker of 5,000 tonnes deadweight and above but less than the tonnage
In December 2003, further revisions to the requirements were
made, accelerating further the phase-out schedule. These
amendments entered into force on 5 April 2005.
Carriage of heavy grade oil
 Regulation 21 of MARPOL Annex I on the prevention of oil
pollution from oil tankers when carrying heavy grade oil (HGO)
bans the carriage of HGO in single-hull tankers of 5,000 tons
deadweight (DWT) and above after the date of entry into force
of the regulation (5 April 2005), and in single-hull oil tankers of
600tons DWT and above but less than 5,000 tons DWT, not
later than the anniversary of their delivery date in 2008.
Under regulation 21, HGO means any of the following:
 crude oils having a density at 15ºC higher than 900 kg/m 3;
 oils, other than crude oils, having either a density at 15ºC
higher than 900 kg/ m3 or a kinematic viscosity at 50ºC higher
than 180 mm2/s; and bitumen, tar and their emulsions.
Double hull and double bottom requirements for oil tankers delivered on or after 6 July 1996
1. Applicable to oil tankers of 600 tonnes deadweight and above delivered on or after 6 July
1996, as follows:
2. Every oil tanker of 5000 tonnes deadweight and above shall:
3. The entire cargo tank length shall be protected by ballast tanks or spaces other than tanks
that carry oil as follows:
i. Wing tanks or spaces
– Wing tanks or spaces shall extend either for the full depth of the ship's side or from the top of
the double bottom to the uppermost deck. They shall be arranged such that the cargo tanks are
located inboard of the moulded line of the side shell plating nowhere less than the distance w,
which, as shown in figure 1, is measured at any cross-section at right angles to the side shell, as
specified below:
– w = 0.5 + DW/20,000 (m) or 2.0 m, whichever is the lesser.
– The minimum value of w = 1.0 m.
– ii. Double bottom tanks or spaces
– At any cross-section, the depth of each double bottom tank or space shall be such
that the distance h between the bottom of the cargo tanks and the moulded line of
the bottom shell plating measured at right angles to the bottom shell plating as
shown in figure 1 is not less than specified below:
– h = B/15 (m) or 2.0 m, whichever is the lesser.
– The minimum value of h = 1.0 m.

– iii. Turn of the bilge area or at locations without a clearly defined turn of the bilge
– When the distances h and w are different, the distance w shall have preference at
levels exceeding 1.5h above the baseline as shown in figure.
– iv. The aggregate capacity of ballast tanks
– On crude oil tankers of 20,000 tonnes deadweight and above and product
carriers of 30,000 tonnes deadweight and above, the aggregate capacity of
wing tanks, double bottom tanks, forepeak tanks and after peak tanks shall
not be less than the capacity of segregated ballast tanks.
– Wing tanks or spaces and double bottom tanks shall be located as uniformly
as practicable along the cargo tank length.
– Additional segregated ballast capacity provided for reducing longitudinal hull
girder bending stress, trim, etc. may be located anywhere within the ship.
– v. Suction wells in cargo tanks
– Suction wells in cargo tanks may protrude into the double bottom below the
boundary line defined by the distance h provided that such wells are as
small as practicable and the distance between the well bottom and bottom
shell plating is not less than 0.5h.
– vi. Ballast and cargo piping
– Ballast piping and other piping such as sounding and vent piping to ballast
tanks shall not pass through cargo tanks. Cargo piping and similar piping to
cargo tanks shall not pass through ballast tanks. Exemptions to this
requirement may be granted for short lengths of piping, provided that they
are completely welded or equivalent.
4. Every oil tanker of less than 5,000 tonnes deadweight shall comply with paragraphs iii and
iv of this regulation, or shall:

– .1 at least be fitted with double bottom tanks or spaces having such a depth that the distance h
complies with the following:
– h = B/15 (m)
– with a minimum value of h = 0.76 m;
– in the turn of the bilge area and at locations without a clearly defined turn of the bilge, the
cargo tank boundary line shall run parallel to the line of the midship flat bottom as shown in figure 3;
and

– .2 be provided with cargo tanks so arranged that the capacity of each cargo tank does not exceed 700
m3 unless wing tanks or spaces are arranged in accordance with paragraph, .1 complying with the
following:
– w = 0.4 + (2.4xDW)/20,000 (m)
– with a minimum value of w = 0.76 m.
o Bulkhead spacing throughout the cargo tank space is
determined by the permissible length of cargo tanks.

o MARPOL requires that the length of each cargo tank

shall not exceed greater than 10 meters or a length
expressed as a percentage of the ship’s length that is
dependent on the number of longitudinal bulkheads
fitted and the minimum distance from the ship’s side
of the outer longitudinal bulkhead.

o Tankers with two or more longitudinal bulkheads

may have wing and centre tank lengths up to 20% of
the ship’s length.
5. Oil shall not be carried in any space extending
forward of a collision bulkhead.
An oil tanker that is not required to have a collision
bulkhead shall not carry oil in any space extending
forward of the transverse plane perpendicular to
the centreline that is located as if it were a collision
bulkhead located in accordance with that
regulation.
Limitation of Size and Arrangement of Cargo Tanks
The length of each cargo tank shall not exceed 10 m or one of the following values for
l, whichever is the greater:
1. where no longitudinal bulkhead is provided inside the cargo tanks,
– l = [(0.5 x b1/B) +0.1] L ; but l is not to exceed 0.2L; or
2. where a centreline longitudinal bulkhead is provided inside the cargo tanks,
l = [(0.25 x b1/B) +0.15] L; or
3. where two or more longitudinal bulkheads are provided inside the cargo tanks,
a. for wing cargo tanks, l = 0.2L, and
b. for centre cargo tanks,
i. If b1/B is equal to or greater than one fifth, then l = 0.2L, or
ii. If b1/B is less than one fifth, then, where no centreline longitudinal bulkhead is
provided, [(0.5 x b1/B) +0.1] L , or
where a centreline longitudinal bulkhead is provided inside the cargo tanks
• l = [(0.25 x b1/B) +0.15] L
where:
• "bi" means the minimum distance from the vessel’s side to the outer longitudinal bulkhead
of the tank in question at the level corresponding to the assigned summer freeboard:
• "B" means "breadth" : and
• “L," means "length".
Slop tanks
 Oil tankers of 150 gross tonnage and above shall be provided with
slop tank arrangements in accordance with the requirements of
paragraphs 2.1 to 2.3 of this regulation.
 In oil tankers delivered on or before 31 December 1979, any cargo
tank may be as a slop tank.
2.1 Adequate means shall be provided for cleaning the cargo tanks and
transferring the dirty ballast residue and tank washings from the
cargo tanks into a slop tank approved by the Administration.
2.2 In this system arrangements shall be provided to transfer the oily
waste into a slop tank or combination of slop tanks in such a way
that any effluent discharged into the sea will be such as to comply
with the regulations.
2.3 The arrangements of the slop tank or combination of slop tanks
shall have a capacity necessary to retain the slop generated by tank
washings, oil residues and dirty ballast residues. The total capacity of
the slop tank or tanks shall not be less than 3% of the oil-carrying
Pump-room bottom protection: A pumproom houses all the pumps
connected to a tanker’s cargo lines. Some larger tankers have two
pumprooms. A pumproom generally spans the total breadth of the ship.
1. This regulation applies to oil tankers of 5,000 tonnes deadweight and
above constructed on or after 1 January 2007.
2. The pump-room shall be provided with a double bottom such that at any
cross-section the depth of each double bottom tank or space shall be such
that the distance h between the bottom of the pump-room and the ship's
baseline measured at right angles to the ship's baseline is not less than
specified below:

– h = B/15 (m) or
– h = 2 m, whichever is the lesser.
– The minimum value of h = 1 m.

3. In case of pump-rooms whose bottom plate is located above the baseline

by at least the minimum height required in paragraph 2 above (e.g.
gondola stern designs), there will be no need for a double bottom
construction in way of the pump-room.
4. Ballast pumps shall be provided with suitable arrangements to ensure
efficient suction from double bottom tanks.
5. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 above, where the
flooding of the pump-room would not render the ballast or cargo pumping
DEEP TANK:
Is a tank rising on the floor of the double bottom of a
vessel. Ballast in deep tanks are provided to improve
the equilibrium of a ship when it is proceeding on
ballast passage. Fuel deep tanks are used to store
liquid fuel required by vessels. In some dry cargo
vessels, a deep tank is installed for liquid cargo (such
as vegetable oil or latex).

The deep tank is bounded by water-tight bulkheads

and is provided with hatches and covers in case the
vessel wants to load dry cargo.
Cofferdam
 A cofferdam is a small space left
open between two bulkheads, to
give protection from heat, fire, or
collision.
 Tankers generally have cofferdams
forward and aft of the cargo tanks,
and sometimes between individual
tanks to avoid inter-mixing of cargo.
 The cofferdam avoids intermixing of
two different liquid when there is a
leak from the boundary separating
the two liquid.
 It is also provided with sounding
pipe to check leakage from any of
the subordinate tanks
 It is always maintained dry to detect