Protank Tank Cleaning

Fuel Tank Cleaning is critical to keep the vessel’s engines and generator fuel systems functioning efficiently and free of unscheduled downtime. If not already, marine tank cleaning and inspection should be part of your vessel’s scheduled maintenance plan.

There are many tanks aboard a vessel but Diesel Fuel Tank Cleaning is the most critical tank on your vessel to keep clean. For those vessels traveling outside of the United States there is an increased concern since fuel quality in the Caribbean and South/Central America is not as tightly regulated as here in the United States. Contaminant build up resulting from excessive microbial growth and bio-degradation of fuel can cause filter plugging. Micro-organisms, bacteria and enzyme activity, fungus, yeast and mold cause fuel degradation and the formation of waste products. Blocked filters will cause loss of RPM’s, poor engine performance, lower fuel economy and the worst possible scenario an engine shutdown at sea. Routine fuel tank cleaning will ensure owners are not greeted with an engine repair bill and unscheduled downtime at port.

It is also important to regularly clean, inspect and disinfect the potable water tanks aboard your vessel. We often find that the original Tank Linings installed by the yacht manufacturer only lasts about 2 years. This can be attributed to a number of factors such as inadequate surface cleanliness, surface profile or improper lining application. It is important to catch these tank lining failures early to eliminate the possibility of rust scale and corrosion contaminating the potable water supply, piping and water filters.

Another critical tank to keep clean is the black water tanks or sewage holding tanks due the highly corrosive tank atmosphere created by the release of Hydrogen Sulfide from accumulated waste. The upper portion of the tank lining exposed to the atmosphere experiences an accelerated rate of declining lifespan. Once the epoxy tank lining begins to fail the underlying steel or aluminum tank surface will erode at a rapid rate. It is important to catch this early on through regular cleaning and inspections before the tank walls are too thin requiring mandatory replacement by Lloyds & ABS for insurance coverage.

We also have developed a circulatory systematic method for de-scaling black water piping systems to remove built up calcium and mineral deposits. It is crucial to keep your black water piping system clean to ensure all toilets function properly and solid objects do not become trapped in constricted plumbing that is not flowing as it was designed. Regular pipe cleaning will also eliminate the chance for unpleasant odors coming from heads.

Confined Space Tank Cleaning requires specialized equipment and should be left to trained and experienced professionals. All of our tank cleaning technicians are Hazardous Confined Space Certified and foreman are OSHA 30-hour trained. We have state of the art Vacuum Trucks for tank pump outs which are equipped with high pressure steam cleaners and air compressors for supplied filtered breathing air to get the job completed safely and to OSHA Standards. We also gas free tanks for gas free certification by marine chemists for hot work.

Whatever type of tank you have, we can get it clean for you.
Below are pictures of some past jobs.