Skaugen PetroTrans Marine Services and Venturie team up to establish harmonized lightering and vapour balancing standards.
There is a need to revise the operational guidelines as given in the OCIMF handbook and other available guides/standards. The issues of conducting vs. insulating flanges, pressure control and vapour management need to be addressed, so that both safety and the environmental impact can be optimized.
As an example, vapour return to the ship being lightered is not sufficient to remove emissions, contrary to prevailing notion. There is vapour growth, and well considered procedures can reduce this while maintaining high safety levels. Venturie will add their process know-how to safeguard a minimum emission level throughout operations, and lead a workgroup.
Oil majors will join the workgroup to ensure harmony with other parts of the transport chain, so that their safety standards plus class requirements are being met.
SPT hope that this work will increase their visibility in the marketplace as the pacesetter in ship to ship transfer operations.