Tanker Operations

The handling and carriage of liquid cargoes is highly complex and provides operators and charterers with a unique set of challenges. With years of operational and consultancy experience, Brookes Bell’s team of tanker Master Mariners are well placed to meet those challenges.

Whether you require assistance with oil, chemical or gas tanker operations, support to carry out incident investigations or expert help in a commercial dispute, Brookes Bell’s global team of tanker Master Mariners can help, providing detailed reports for litigation or evidence in arbitration or court.

Operational experience

Our specialist tanker Master Mariners attend and advise on all aspects of tanker operation including navigation, cargo operations, cargo quality, cargo quantity, tank preparation, port safety, vetting, charter parties and tanker surveys.

Their tanker experience doesn’t end at operational concerns however. Our tanker masters and supporting teams have considerable experience tackling the challenges associated with the transport of both common and rare oils, chemicals and gases.

Their experience and capabilities cover the carriage of and/or investigations into:

• Tanker piloting and navigation
• Cargo tank over/under pressurisation (with associated potential tank rupture)
• Cargo tank rupture/bulkhead failure
• High-heat cargoes
• Inhibited products
• Reactive and self-reactive products
• Fire prevention and investigation
• Quality and quantity disputes
• Cargo operations, such as:
  • Voyage orders
  • Cargo care on voyage; heating, padding etc
  • Loading and unloading and the ship/shore interface
  • Ship to ship (STS) transfer
• Demurrage/dispatch calculations

At Brookes Bell we recognise that individual tanker cargoes have distinct characteristics and properties which need to be accounted for during loading, transport and unloading. As such, we employ tanker masters who have experience dealing with a broad range of cargoes:

Note - the above table is not an exhaustive list of Brookes Bell’s oil, chemical and gas cargo experience.   

Our tanker expertise

Located in strategic locations across the UK, Europe, Asia and the Americas, our tanker Master Mariners possess unrivalled experience dealing with all types of oil, chemical and gas tanker issues.  

But they don’t work in isolation. 

When tanker issues arise, they can often be highly demanding and dangerous and include damage to electrical or mechanical machinery. And with volatile and often dangerous chemicals and cargoes, the risk of fire is a real and pressing concern.

Our team of cargo scientists, naval architects, fire investigators and engineers support our tanker masters with advice on the safe loading of cargo, mitigating fire risks and inspection of mechanical parts if and when they fail.

With years of practical experience, whether it’s a contaminated cargo, cargo polymerisation, failed equipment or a navigation issue, we have the leading experts to provide the impartial and independent advice you need - a one-stop-shop for all your tanker operations.

Forensic investigation expertise

Experience and intuition matter. But so does the ability to forensically and scientifically investigate incidents on tankers.

Thanks to The Lab at Brookes Bell, an industry-leading laboratory facility based near Liverpool, UK, we are able to provide a range of in-depth services including:

• Failure investigations and materials testing
• Fuel testing and analysis
• Non-destructive testing (NDT)

With this forensic expertise and leading technologies at our disposal, we are able to provide the answers you need regardless of the tanker cargo or scenario, anywhere in the world.

Global tanker support

No matter where you require tanker support, Brookes Bell is on hand to help.

Not only are our tanker Master Mariners situated in strategic locations across the globe, with our scientists and engineers able to support in-situ or remotely, but Brookes Bell maintains offices and operations in the world’s most important maritime hubs:

• Liverpool
• London
• Glasgow
• Norway
• Shanghai
• Hong Kong
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Houston
• Miami
• San Francisco 
• New York
• South Africa

Find out more about Brookes Bell’s tanker services today, and contact us now.