Cargo Handling

The content of the present handbook is providing the result of the cooperative work of the group of experts. Their intention was to create a book that would facilitate better understanding to be shared between the government officials and the companies of the various economic, commercial and technical aspects.

Note that the authors of the volume did not intend to deal with promotion of any particular business model; their idea was rather help stakeholders better understand their aims in developing the LNG projects and opening future LNG trade markets. The volume provides a good framework for evaluation of the LNG projects considered important, and this is applicable to both importers and exporters of the natural gas.

The authors hope that the information provided in this volume together with any following dialogues that this volume engenders, will eventually improve the existing flow of information and help erect the human capacity accelerating the development of the natural gas, make the generation of the power cleaner, and promote energy security and further economic growth. The publication will be interesting to the people involved in the development of the natural gas and any related projects.

This officially released SIGTTO publication is intended to provide required guidance to the cargo strainer installations on board tankers carrying LPG cargoes. For many years, these strainers have not been in use since until now they have not been considered necessary equipment.

The reason for that was that the LNG cargo used to be treated as the "clean" one with the filtration commonly limited to the strainers fitted in the loading line at the time of the new construction, i.e. at the shipyard. The contamination on board the vessel was provided by good housekeeping combined with the regular visual checks during the installation and commissioning of the line, together with the post-delivery inspections at regular intervals.

However, the installation of the strainers is now a requirement to be complied with, noting the significant role they can play in preventing the pollution and maintaining the clean transfer of cargo - this is one of the most important parts of the process that is a key element in preventing damage to the terminal equipment as well as any serious contamination.

This document will provide readers with the recommendations that have been developed on the basis of the practical experience related to the different types of strainers, their location and performance..

At the INTERTANKO meeting held back in 2015, the Council of the Organization made a decision to expand their services so that they cover the demands of the constantly growing involvement of the Members with the interest of the liquid gas industry. The first meeting of the newly founded Gas Tanker Committee was held in the following year.

At that time, the Members shared their concerns and ideas relating to the commingling/blending of the subject cargoes when carried on board their vessels, considering the information gap and lack of the proper guidance experienced today. The present publication contains the results for the working group activity, starting with the examination of the legality of conducting blending of the LPG on board ship, as per the applicable SOLAS regulation.

The main reasons for blending cargo has been addressed together with the identification of the principles of blending and hazards commonly involved with the process. The book provides valuable guidance which shall be referred to every time the blending/commingling is carried out. Moreover, the commercial implications have also been dealt with, taking into account their ever growing importance.

The LPG carriers are ships intended for marine transportation of the gases in the liquid form of substance which would otherwise be a gas, should the ambient conditions be normal (temperature and atmospheric pressure). The subject gases can be toxic, flammable or both toxic and flammable, so they shall be paid ultimate attention and dealt with caution.

In addition to their toxicity and flammability, the main hazards associated with the carriage of the liquid gases are normally the vapor release and the effect that the low temperatures have on the ship structure and personnel on board. This introductory document was prepared by the professional and experienced captain willing to share his practical experience. It is absolutely recommended to all crew members working on board vessels carrying such cargoes.

Starting with the general information about the characteristics of the liquid gases based on the API approach, the publication then tells you about the relevant regulatory framework, the IGC Code in the first turn. All classes of the liquid gas carriers have been covered in the document, with the attention paid to the advantages and disadvantages of each class of vessels. Numerous photographs supplement the text wherever it is required to provide visual aids.

The natural gas are there in the rock reservoirs deep below the surface of the Earth and therefore under high pressure. They can exist being dissolved in the water or hydrocarbons, or in the free state. Same is the way they are produced from the geological formations. There are three quantities of the gases, namely their temperature, pressure and temperatures, and three major rules governing their behavior, i.e. Charles’ Law, Boyle’s Law, and Gay-Lussac’s Law.

The liquid natural gas trade chain starts with the exploration and production, treatment and liquefaction process, followed by its transportation, and concluded with the storage at final location and regasification. This compact document provides all information that everyone involved in maritime transportation of the LNG should be aware of in order to perform his or her duties in a safe manner.

To do that, they are definitely in need of having a good knowledge of the nature of gases and their technical characteristics, since the failure to know and understand same will eventually result in the unsafe working practice on board, leading to the dangerous and often even catastrophic consequences to the humans on board, vessel and the environment.

The materials contained in the pages of this compact yet informative report were provided by the Department of Energy of United States in cooperation with the NARUC, standing for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. The publication gives some introductory information that shall be known by anyone engaged in the LNG industry in any way, including, of course, the maritime transportation of the liquefied gases.

Nowadays, the natural gas plays a critically important role in the energy supply, significantly contributing in the national environmental and economic plans. As we know, the liquefaction process has been developed and widely implemented in order to allow for easier transportation of the natural gas. Without it, the gas would never get delivered to the destination ports.

The main emphasis in the document has been placed on the United States; however the technical information can easily be applied elsewhere. The authors explain the growing demand of the country in the natural gas, current status of its imports, components making up the LNG chain, essentials of the natural gas production and liquefaction; of course, the safety and security aspects have also been covered in detail.

The documented is prepared in the form of presentation and will be good for people entering the industry. The author covers the important areas in detail, while keeping the amount of text to a minimum, concentrating on the visual aids such as the illustrations and schemes. First of all, the basic information is given about the hydrocarbon industry and the role played by LNG.

Then, we proceed to the LNG chain and plant overview, and the offshore industry. There are slides devoted to the gasification process, composition of the natural gas, schematics of the gas treatment plant, as well as the typical liquid petroleum gas recovery in the baseload LNG plant, cascade cooling and the associated hazards.

The cryogenics has been dealt with, together with the domestic and industrial refrigeration, properties of the refrigerants, together with the technical aspects such as the insulation used, low temperature embrittlement of the materials, thermal stress, piping and pressure profile. The storage and transportation of the LNG are handles within the separate slides, and there are so many other interesting and important areas covered. The document can be used as a ready-to-use presentation when explaining the basics of the LNG.

The present recommendations were written in order to provide industry with the single document containing the guidelines relating to the manifolds and strainers installed on board vessels carrying LNG and LPG cargoes, with the objective to promote the improvement of the safety of the operations and their efficiency. They are also aimed at providing assistance to the persons engaged in arranging the facilities in the jetties.

The content of the publication was thoroughly reviewed by the leading ship operators, professional naval architects, shipbuilders and manufacturers of the relevant shipboard equipment. The instructions and guidance provided here will be useful to the LNG/LPG ship owners, planners, operators and other parties involved. The document opens with the introduction where tits scope and purpose are defined, followed by the description of the categories of the LNG and LPG ships.

The cargo manifold position is covered in the following chapter together with the associated requirements. The strainers have been discussed in the separate section of the book. Apart from that, the authors have also dealt with the protection of the marine environment from the spills originating from the cargo manifolds, lighting of the cargo manifold area, service lines and many other topics, up to the safety requirements.