A tank-cleaning enquiry should identify the actual tank, what is known about its contents and condition, and the boundary of the work being requested. Access, execution and waste-handling responsibilities need their own questions rather than being assumed from a general cleaning heading.

Gisan Shipyard’s surface preparation and coating page lists sludge, sewage and bilge tank cleaning. Those are the published tank-cleaning categories used as context here; the list does not establish service coverage for every tank type.

Identify the tank using the vessel records

Give each tank its own reference using the ship’s tank name, number and location. Connect it to an available tank or arrangement drawing and distinguish tanks that have similar labels. State the known function from the vessel records.

  • Vessel identity and the specific tank name or number.
  • Tank location and an available drawing or system reference.
  • Recorded function and the information source for that description.
  • Known dimensions or capacity, with units and the document behind them, where relevant.
  • Any identity or drawing difference that still needs clarification.

The tank label is the starting point for the enquiry, not proof of its present contents or condition. Identify the specific tank even when it falls within a published cleaning category.

Describe known contents and available condition information

Provide the contents and residue information already recorded by the owner or vessel team, identifying its date and source. Separate confirmed information from estimates, older records and unknown conditions.

Attach existing condition reports, relevant operating records and photographs already available. State what they show and which tank they concern. Keep tank capacity separate from an estimate of the material currently present; one figure should not stand in for the other.

Flag information requiring further assessment rather than assigning a cleaning method or drawing a safety conclusion from the records. This preparation guide does not instruct the owner to enter a tank to obtain information.

Define the requested cleaning boundary

State whether the owner is requesting a defined cleaning item or a discussion of scope that remains uncertain. Identify the areas or items included in the request, the known condition behind it and the questions that may affect the boundary.

Distinguish tank cleaning from coating repair, structural work and service on connected equipment. Identify any adjacent pump, pipe, valve or other equipment item as a separate scope question. A cleaning request should not silently include equipment maintenance or a new coating specification.

Ask the yard which requested items can be considered, what additional information is needed and which activities are excluded. Do not infer a particular chemical-cleaning process from a general service heading.

Record access information without declaring entry readiness

Identify the known access points and physical constraints from the existing drawings, reports and available images. Note adjacent work or operating constraints that may affect the discussion. This describes the information available; it does not authorize access or prescribe how to make it safe.

IMO's enclosed-space recommendations address risk assessment and authorization of entry. An empty or cleaned tank is not evidence that it is safe to enter. Vessel-specific competent assessment and authorized procedures remain separate from the cleaning enquiry.

Ask which responsible parties will establish the access and working arrangements for the actual vessel and job. Keep that confirmation separate from a quotation, a photograph or a requested completion record. No entry, gas-testing, ventilation or isolation procedure is supplied here.

Clarify execution and waste-handling responsibilities

Ask who is expected to undertake the proposed work and how the owner, yard and any contractor roles will be defined. Identify which activities are included in the scope being discussed instead of assuming they are all performed by the same team.

Treat residue collection, removal and onward waste handling as separate responsibility questions. Identify any provider already proposed by the owner and ask who will confirm the applicable requirements, scope and provider documentation. A tank-cleaning listing does not establish a waste-disposal service or authorization.

  • Who will confirm the cleaning boundary and any excluded contents or activities?
  • Which party is expected to undertake the work and coordinate the other parties?
  • Who will establish the vessel-specific access and execution arrangements?
  • Who is responsible for residue removal and the proposed waste-handling interfaces?
  • What provider or completion documents are being requested, and who would supply them?

Identify the requested completion and handover records

State the records the owner wants for the agreed item and reference any existing requirement. Clarify whether the request concerns a work-item completion record, condition information, photographs or documentation associated with a separately agreed waste-handling activity.

Ask who will provide and review each record and what part of the scope it covers. Keep cleaning completion, any later coating or equipment work, and authorization for access distinct. A record describing completed cleaning does not itself declare the space safe to enter.

Assemble a focused tank-cleaning enquiry

Bring together the tank references, known function and contents, available condition records and requested cleaning boundary. Add access constraints, adjacent-work items, proposed responsibilities and the documents being requested. Keep missing information and estimates visible in the same dated enquiry.

Share the tank identity, known contents and condition records, requested scope and open responsibility questions through Gisan Shipyard's contact page. Include the preferred work period without treating it as a confirmed arrangement or a promise of completion time.