Implosion of chemical tank

What happened?

A chemical tank, partly filled with Monoethylene Glycol (MEG), imploded on the back deck of a vessel, resulting in a spillage of around two cubic metres of MEG to the back deck and to sea, and unrepairable damage to the tank itself. There were no injuries. The tank was a 26 cubic metre tank, containing 10 cubic metres of MEG.

What went wrong

The implosion happened due to a vacuum created in the tank because the MEG was pumped out into a storage reservoir on the vessel during a mobilisation.

• A 20 cubic metre tank had been planned for and agreed, but a different and larger type of tank, of 26 cubic metre capacity, was actually delivered;

• The supplier of the tank and of pre-commissioning services was new to the company;
  • Although the supplier had been audited before the work, the audit did not generate sufficient insight into the capabilities and experience of the supplier;
  • The possible risks arising from fact that the supplier was new were not recognised in the risk assessment;
  • Only a “standard” onboarding/scope familiarisation was done, there was no adaptation specific to new suppliers.
• The tank type and specification (it was a carbon fibre tank) were unknown to both the third-party operators and the suppliers;
• The suppliers’ personnel did not inform any company personnel that they were not familiar with this type of tank;
• The tank was operated without manuals/datasheet reviewed at the time.

Actions taken

• Increased focus and follow-up of new suppliers, with specific onboarding arrangements to offshore routines and in-depth familiarisation to scope of work;
• Ensure that operators of equipment are familiarised with equipment specifications and modes of use, including risk assessment and documentation requirements;
• Ensure that Management of Change (MoC) is properly applied when equipment is changed out, also when it involves third-party equipment.

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