Real Life Incident: A Small Oil Spill Gives Important Lessons

An oil tanker, fully loaded with crude oil, was berthed and ready for discharge. Prior to discharge operations a safety meeting was conducted, and the ship-shore safety checklist completed between the vessel and the terminal. Discharge commenced with three cargo arms. The deck, manifold and pump room were closely observed for any leaks. Discharging pressure was then increased without any signs of abnormalities. As discharge continued, a deck watchman became aware of a black stain on the top of one of the shore cargo arms, although he did not see any actual […]