WSS warns product and chemical tanker operators on the dangers of non-standardised cleaning products
The leading global provider of products and services to the shipping industry Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) is imploring owners and operators to look beyond the label of tank cleaning products to ensure compliance with regulation 13.5.2 of MARPOL Annex II. "If you can’t trust your cleaning products, you can’t guarantee compliance," WSS says in its press release.
Knowledge of a product’s chemical composition and trust in the supplier is absolutely crucial, says Jan Fredrik Bjorge, WSS’ Product Marketing Manager (Cleaning Solutions).
“The cost of non-compliance can be tremendously high,” Bjorge states, “so it pays to know exactly what a product is made of, how it reacts with cargo residues and that every time you use it it is exactly what you expect it to be.
“That may sound like a daunting prospect, but an experienced tank cleaning specialist will be able to provide support - telling you everything you need to know to ensure a clean result, while staying in compliance with all relevant regulations.”
Equally as crucial as knowledge, Bjorge comments, is trust. He explains: “For global regulations you need standardised products. You need to be able to look at documented performance while knowing that every litre of product is exactly the same as the last – same strength, same composition, same volume, same dosage, same results.
“The danger in using multiple local suppliers is that uniformity of quality is not a given.”
Bjorge notes that all of WSS’ Tank Cleaning chemicals are highly concentrated and produced in one location – Tønsberg, Norway – and manufactured in accordance with ISO 9001 and 14001 standards. The products display all the necessary regulatory approvals, data sheets, approval certificates and user guides. Their availability, thanks to WSS’ global network, is second to none.
“Industry standards, in terms of regulation, are constantly climbing, as is the cleanliness that customers demand,” Bjorge concludes. “By partnering with firms with the right combination of expertise, supply and a high quality chemical portfolio, shipowners can avoid compliance headaches and get on with what they do best – providing quality transport services worldwide.”
WSS, which has offices in 75 countries around the world, servicing 2,200 port locations, owns its own high quality cleaning brand UNITORTM, which includes tank cleaning chemicals such as Unipol and Tankleen Advance.
Wilhelmsen Ships Service is part of Wilhelmsen Maritime Services, a Wilh. Wilhelmsen group company. It has the world’s largest maritime services network, with 4,500 marine professionals servicing 2,200 ports in 125 countries. Wilhelmsen Ships Service supplies safety products and services, Unitor products, Unicool refrigerants, Unitor and Nalfleet marine chemicals, maritime logistics and ships agency to the maritime industry. Last year the company made product deliveries to 25,000 vessels and handled 70, 000 port calls.