INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Evolution of the tanker
IN RECENT ISSUES OF FUEL OIL NEWS , WE ’ VE EXPLORED THE VARIOUS CHANGES AND CHALLENGES FACING TANKER FLEETS , FROM INCREASING AUTOMATION TO ALTERNATIVE FUELS AND ELECTRIFICATION . HERE , WE SPEAK FURTHER WITH FLEET MANAGERS AND MANUFACTURERS TO SEE WHAT THE KEY CHANGES HAVE BEEN , WHAT IS YET TO COME , AND WHETHER THIS WILL BRING BENEFITS OR CHALLENGES ANEW .
Design developments Joby Clark , sales and project engineer , and Fernando Gomis , technical director , Cobo Tankers and Services Ltd , comment on how tankers have changed over time ;
“ The designs of tankers have evolved over the years . Many years ago , in the traditional tanker , we used to see a full chassis arrangement under the whole tanker , but then operators started focusing on weight . Going back to around 2005 , we were able to build a standard spec non-pumped trailer under 5 tonnes . This perhaps pushed the compromise between the longevity of the tankers and the weight to the limits and thankfully operators now accept a better engineered product in return for a slightly lower payload . Our standard non-pumped semi-trailer now comes in at about 5.3 tonnes , and a 19,000 litre rigid tanker with full metering and hose reel comes in at about 2.55 tonnes plus base vehicle tare weight .”
Speaking about the recent design changes to Cobo tankers , Joby continued ;
“ In the last 8 years the Cobo tanker has had the biggest modification to design yet , there has been the introduction of our patented SKD chassis and also the modification of the shape of the semi-trailer tanker to include a 6-metre-long rear section . Both these developments have been long-tested in the field and are now widely accepted .
“ The 6-metre-long rear section was developed to remove a circumferential weld of the tanker . This not only reduces the time it takes to build the tanker , thus ensuring a competitive price , but also removes the requirement for five welded T joints in the aluminium plate and therefore increases the structural integrity of the tanker as a whole . This benefit is passed onto the rigid barrels with tankers up to 22,000 litres now being manufactured out of a single “ tube ” arrangement , using 3 sheets of aluminium with no circumferential weld giving a more streamlined look to the tanker .”
Hoyer Group ’ s head of fleet , Peter Ellison , comments on how , whilst much of the overall construction of tankers has largely stayed the same in recent years , there have been many ‘ cosmetic ’ changes in order to benefit drivers ;
“ Recent developments have been very limited over the past few years other than trying to establish the optimum configuration given tare weight , wheelbase and payload . More development work seems to have been done around cosmetic changes to aerodynamics , hose trays and toolboxes in addition to providing the driver with the best technical solutions to prevent “ crossovers ”.
“ The product grade indicators now have the functionality to mount the visiwink and foot control valve in one combined unit which greatly assists the driver when following his loading and unloading procedures . More
recently we have seen the introduction of the new RTN short wheelbase ( SWB ) Maxivator trailer . This is a 40,200 litre , 6 compartment , 3 axle LGBF specification trailer for the purpose of transporting petroleum products with UN classification Numbers 1863 , 1202 , 1203 , 1223 , 1170 , 3475 , 1268 . The most significant change being the shape of the barrel which moves from an elliptical shape to the new max section type barrel . This specification enables Hoyer to replace some tandem axle trailers without significantly impacting on the manoeuvrability a tandem trailer brings , this at the same time as increasing payload .”
Discussing a potential reason why overall construction may not have changed much in recent years , Peter comments on the increasingly stringent certification process ;
“ Tanker production construction and design does not change too much . What has happened is that the tank Type Approval ( IAC or ECWVTA ) certification process has become much more stringent through the VCA . There are predominantly two forms of construction “ Banded ” tank design and “ Stuffed Head ” tank design . The banded design is where each of the
Fuel Oil News | December 2020 11