Butterworthing.

We got the drum money from the scrap man in Ecuador , paint was gash but the drums were good

Hi All.
On Tank cleaning with BP always volunteered to do the wheel; spent eight hours a day on the wheel still got the overtime but clean.
In Antwerp we were cleaning tanks and pumping the sludge ashore when three blokes were gassed down the tank, had a hell of a job getting them out I went down and tied a rope around two of them then had to get out, someone else did the other one, they were rushed to hospital and were lucky to live.
Cheers Des

Not having experienced anything like that, it sounds horrific to some extent and one wonders why there was not a better system than sending men down there to clean up.
Sounds a bit like Dickens, sending four year olds up chimneys to remove the soot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Des Taff Jenkins

Hi All.
On Tank cleaning with BP always volunteered to do the wheel; spent eight hours a day on the wheel still got the overtime but clean.
In Antwerp we were cleaning tanks and pumping the sludge ashore when three blokes were gassed down the tank, had a hell of a job getting them out I went down and tied a rope around two of them then had to get out, someone else did the other one, they were rushed to hospital and were lucky to live.
Cheers Des

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###morning des .....glad to see you aboard again .....welcome old buddy regards and respects to you cappy

It was a stupid system,
Go down a gas filled tank digging out sludge which releases more gas, climb up a 50 foot ladder wobbly and dazed, then the Mate gives you a large tot of rum then go down again. ,only another 27 tanks to do,


Today on VLCCs there is a branch line from the main discharge line. that leads into the Butterworth machine. that rotates at a high angle and slowly as the tank level of the crude goes down the angle changes, it blasts all the tank side removing the crude and scales of rust. all th way down to the bottom and all the tank bottom is blasted with the outgoing crude, leaving the tank all nice and clean.
At the same time the Tank is full of inert gas, so no risk of explosion. All the sludge and scales are discharged with the cargo.
Brian.

Another strange thing irecall from tank cleaning on my first trip to sea was that after tank washing we had a fitment that was placed in the deck opening where the Butterworth machine had been and live steam was injected into the tank to assist in gas freeing. After a certain period of time this would be removed and a water driven fan would be used in its place to remove the steam and gas free the tank. Using this injection of steam caused a hue and cry from the engineers as it rapidly went through the boiler water content.
Rgds
J.A.

As far as I am concerned all of you who worked on Tankers were heroes. I was on General Cargo all my seafaring time and deep tanks were enough for me. We carried linseed oil, palm oil, vegetable oils and some stuff called ' Iso -octinal ', something to do with Aircraft Jet Fuel. How you went through all you did, tank cleaning and living with the ever present risk of gas and explosion I don't know. All I can say is ' thank you ', thank you very much.

I did it solely to get my steam time in for my seconds ticket I had all the general time in that I could handle which I think was 9 months as a junior watchkeeper and I then needed something like 9 months of steam time as a junior watchkeeper to do that on the Union castle mail ships could take 5 or 6 years at least took two trips on a tanker .

I did 12 years with ESSO and also on several Shell tankers.

I found that ESSO was the best ever company to work for, Good wages, excellent accommodation and leave ratio, Excellent catering
All my college fees and exam fees paid whilst on full pay all the time. Stayed in the very best Hotels world wide, usually a Hilton, good none contributory Pension scheme, and early retirement with a very LARGE Golden Handshake, with excellent financial advisers, I am still spending the results 30 years later. Best move I ever made.

Cheers
Brian.

As said I am not a tanker man at heart. The two clean products carriers I was on , on the NZ coast running from Whangerie as far as Bluff we did about 4 or 5 runs we never tank cleaned between between cargoes as was petrol on top of petrol. After 3 months coming off the coast went up to Newcastle NSW to tank clean alongside away from the town cum city. On the other tanker running between Bangor Mashur and Japan carrying mainly jet A1 and Jet A2, Naptha, and all sorts had to tank clean after every cargo. We were not inerted . In fact on doing my year on tankers went as a previous post on a seller of the Inert systems products in Southampton and may have been responsible for a bomb cell being discovered in that fair city. Anyone looking for me for retaliation purposes my name is Cappy and I sometimes can be contacted in South Shields. JS....