Modern chemical tankers of IMO ship type I, II and III are designed and equipped to handle a very wide range of liquid cargoes ranging from relatively innocuous materials such as vegetable oils to more aggressive types such as ethylene dichloride and caustic soda. Most vessels will have coated mild steel cargo tanks, stainless steel tanks or a combination of both. The most commonly used type of coating on mild steel tanks is epoxy phenolic, which provides broad cargo carriage capability but , can absorb and retain certain cargoes. This can create a difficult cleaning challenge to remove any absorbed cargo and thus minimise the risk of contaminating subsequent cargoes. A 'recovery period' may also be required. All of this can incur significant expense for a ship operator in terms of time and money.
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