Cargo Containment & Handling Systems

Cargo oil pumps & drives

Large pumps inside the cargo pump room that discharge liquid cargo ashore. On crude carriers they are often driven by steam turbines; on product and chemical tankers each tank usually has its own electric or hydraulic pump.

Cargo pump turbines & condenser

Steam turbines that spin the main cargo pumps on crude tankers, plus the condenser that turns the used steam back into water. They exist because pumping a full crude cargo needs more power than electric motors traditionally supplied.

Cargo stripping, eductor, slop and drain management system

The small-capacity pumping equipment that removes the last remaining liquid from cargo tanks and lines after the main pumps lose suction, and collects washings and drainings into dedicated slop tanks for controlled disposal.

Cargo & ballast hydraulic valve remote control

A hydraulic system that lets the operator open and close cargo and ballast valves all over the ship from the cargo control room, instead of sending crew to turn each valve wheel by hand.

Cargo control console (CCR)

The central desk in the cargo control room where the operator watches tank levels, pressures and pump status and commands cargo operations. It is the cockpit of the loading and discharging process.

Cargo tank level gauging (radar)

Instruments, usually radar sensors on top of each tank, that continuously measure how much liquid is in every cargo tank so the operator can load accurately without opening the tanks.

Overfill / high-level alarms (independent)

A separate set of level sensors that trigger loud alarms when a tank gets dangerously full. They are deliberately independent of the normal gauging system so that one failure cannot silence both.

P/V valves & cargo venting

Pressure/vacuum valves on each cargo tank that let the tank breathe: they release excess vapour pressure and admit air when pressure drops, protecting the tank structure from bursting or collapsing.

Vapour emission control system (VECS)

Piping and safety devices that send cargo vapours back to the shore terminal during loading instead of releasing them to the air, as required at many oil and chemical terminals.

Inert gas system (flue gas / IGG + deck seal)

Equipment that fills the space above the cargo with low-oxygen gas so it cannot ignite. Crude carriers clean and use their boiler exhaust; other ships generate inert gas or nitrogen. The deck water seal blocks any flow back toward the engine room.

Oil discharge monitoring and control system (ODMC)

A system fitted on applicable oil tankers that monitors and controls discharges of oily mixtures from cargo-tank areas, including the discharge rate and total quantity or oil content. It is distinct from machinery-space 15 ppm bilge monitoring.

Crude oil washing (COW) system

Fixed rotating nozzles inside crude tanks that spray high-pressure crude oil itself onto the tank walls during discharge, dissolving clingy residues so more cargo is delivered and less sludge remains.

Tank cleaning machines & heater

Fixed or portable rotating water jets, plus a heater for the washing water, used to clean cargo tanks between different cargoes — essential on product and chemical tankers that switch grades.

Cargo heating (coils / heaters)

Steam coils laid inside the tanks, or external heaters, that keep viscous cargoes such as fuel oil or bitumen warm enough to remain liquid and pumpable.

Loading computer / instrument

An approved computer loaded with the ship's own hull data that calculates stability and structural stress for any planned cargo arrangement, telling officers whether a loading plan is safe before it is executed.

Cargo containment system (membrane / Type A/B/C)

The insulated tank structure that holds liquefied gas cargo. Membrane designs line the hull itself with thin metal and insulation; independent Type A/B/C tanks are self-supporting vessels. The choice shapes the entire ship design.

Deepwell / submerged cargo pumps

Cargo pumps installed inside each gas tank, with the pump at the bottom of the liquid. They are used because extremely cold liquefied gas cannot be lifted by suction from outside the tank.

Emergency cargo pump arrangement

A spare pump, or a dedicated well into which one can be lowered, that allows a gas cargo tank to be emptied even if its main installed pumps fail.

Spray pumps & cooldown line

Small pumps and nozzles that spray liquid cargo into a warm tank to cool it down gradually before loading. Loading -163 °C liquid into a warm tank without cooldown would shock and crack it.

Cargo compressors (HD / LD)

Compressors that move cargo vapour. High-duty (HD) machines return large vapour volumes during loading; low-duty (LD) machines handle the smaller boil-off flow at sea, typically sending it to the engines.

Reliquefaction plant

A refrigeration plant that captures the cargo vapour which continuously boils off, turns it back into liquid and returns it to the tanks, so cargo is not lost on the voyage.

Gas combustion unit (GCU)

A gas combustion unit thermally oxidizes excess cargo vapour when it is not used as fuel or reliquefied, as part of the cargo pressure- and temperature-control arrangement. Cargo-tank pressure relief is a separate system.

Cargo vaporizers / heaters

Heat exchangers that turn liquid cargo back into gas or warm cold vapour, used for purging, gassing-up tanks, supplying engines and conditioning cargo before discharge.

BOG-to-fuel management

The controls and equipment that route boil-off gas (BOG) — the vapour naturally produced by the warming cargo — to the ship's engines as fuel, the feature that couples cargo and propulsion on LNG carriers.

Cargo tank instrumentation (CTS: level / temp / pressure)

The permanent sensors in every gas tank — level gauges, temperature strings at several heights, and pressure transmitters — that give the crew a continuous picture of cargo condition.

Custody transfer measurement (CTMS)

A certified, sealed measurement chain that determines exactly how much cargo is delivered, because on an LNG cargo worth tens of millions of dollars the invoice is settled on these readings.

Containment integrity monitoring (IBS/IS N2, cofferdam heating)

Systems that watch the health of the tank containment itself: nitrogen pressure in the insulation spaces reveals leaks, and heating of surrounding cofferdams protects the ship's steel from the extreme cargo cold.

N2 generator (membrane / PSA)

A plant that produces nitrogen gas from air on board, used to keep insulation spaces inert, purge cargo lines and blanket equipment wherever oxygen must be excluded.

Cargo machinery room ventilation

Explosion-protected fans that continuously ventilate the compartment housing cargo compressors and heaters, so any gas leak is diluted and removed before it can form an explosive mixture.

Cargo venting & mast risers

The tall vent masts and relief valves that release cargo vapour high above the deck in a controlled, safe manner when tank pressure must be relieved.

Self-unloading conveyor plant

A built-in discharge system on some bulk carriers: gates under the holds feed cargo onto belt conveyors and up to a swinging boom, letting the ship unload itself without shore cranes.

Hold washing system

Fixed or portable water-jet equipment for cleaning cargo holds between bulk cargoes, since residues of the previous cargo can contaminate or even react with the next one.

Cargo hold refrigeration plant

The large refrigeration machinery of a reefer ship that chills the insulated cargo holds themselves, keeping fruit, meat or fish at their required carriage temperature for the whole voyage.

Controlled atmosphere (CA) system

Equipment that adjusts the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels inside sealed reefer holds, slowing the ripening of fruit so it arrives in better condition than refrigeration alone allows.

Cargo ESD system

The emergency shutdown system of a gas or chemical carrier: one action closes cargo valves and stops pumps and compressors in a defined, safe sequence when something goes wrong during transfer.

Ship-shore ESD link (SSL)

The dedicated cable, fibre or pneumatic line connecting ship and terminal shutdown systems, so an emergency stop on either side instantly stops the transfer at both ends.

Bow loading and offshore loading system

The equipment at the bow of a shuttle tanker — coupler, hose handling and control gear — that connects to an offshore field and takes crude oil aboard directly at sea instead of at a jetty.

Cargo pump-room ventilation system

Powerful extraction fans that continuously change the air in the cargo pump room, preventing flammable vapour from accumulating in this enclosed, high-risk space.

Closed cargo-sampling system

Special sampling points that let crew draw a cargo sample through a sealed connection without opening the tank, so toxic or flammable vapours never escape around the person sampling.

Chemical-cargo nitrogen padding and distribution system

Piping that blankets sensitive chemical cargoes with nitrogen gas, keeping oxygen and moisture away from cargoes that would otherwise degrade, polymerise or become dangerous.

Gas-bunkering cargo transfer and vapour-return system

The manifolds, hoses, metering and vapour-return lines a bunkering vessel uses to deliver LNG as fuel into another ship's tanks while safely taking displaced vapour back.

CO2 cargo reconditioning / reliquefaction system

Equipment on a CO2 carrier that keeps the cargo within its narrow pressure and temperature window, re-compressing and re-cooling vapour so the CO2 stays liquid throughout the voyage.

Pneumatic cement / powder cargo handling system

Equipment that moves powder cargoes such as cement with compressed air: air fluidises the powder so it flows like a liquid through pipes into and out of sealed holds.

Dry-bulk dust collection and filtration system

Filters and extraction fans that capture the dust created when handling powder and grain cargoes, protecting people, machinery and the environment around the ship.

Hydrogen cargo boil-off and vacuum-insulation monitoring system

The specialised monitoring for liquid hydrogen at -253 °C: it watches the vacuum in the double-walled tank insulation and manages the unavoidable boil-off of the coldest cargo carried at sea.

Live-fish well containment, circulation and loading/unloading system

The heart of a wellboat: large seawater tanks with constant water exchange, plus the pumps and hoses that move live fish gently in and out without harming them.

Live-fish water treatment, oxygenation and welfare-monitoring system

Equipment that keeps the fish alive and healthy in the wells — adding oxygen, controlling temperature and CO2, filtering the water and continuously monitoring conditions.

Catch processing, freezing and cold-storage plant

The onboard factory of a factory trawler: machinery that guts, fillets, freezes and stores the catch at sea, letting the vessel fish for weeks without landing.

Oil tankers

Chemical tankers

LNG carriers

LPG, ethylene, ethane, ammonia, CO2, hydrogen and gas-bunkering carriers

Bulk carriers and specialised dry-bulk carriers

General and specialised break-bulk cargo ships

Multipurpose, open-hatch, deck, heavy-lift and heavy-transport ships

Container ships

Ro-ro cargo and vehicle carriers

Refrigerated cargo ships

Fishing vessels, factory trawlers and live-fish carriers

Cruise and passenger ships

Ro-ro passenger ferries

PSV, AHTS, OSV/SOV and CTV

Cable, pipe, diving, subsea construction, WTIV and intervention vessels

Drillship, FPSO, FSO, FSU, FLNG and FSRU

Dredgers and hopper dredgers

Tugs, ERRV/standby, pilot and search-and-rescue craft

Research, hydrographic, seismic and icebreaking vessels

Large yachts and superyachts

Patrol and government service vessels