Trade name/synonym name
Crude fish oil; Herring oil; Hydrogenated fish oil; Interesterified fish oil; Menhaden oil.
(Please also see MEPC.2/Circ. Annex 6 "Synonyms for vegetable oils")
Main properties/hazards:
Turbid, yellow to amber oil having an unpleasant fishy odour.
Fish oil is a drying oil obtained chiefly from menhaden, pilchard, sardine, and herring. Extracted from the entire body of the fish by cooking and compressing.
Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant, permeator), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation.
Pour point around 10 - 15 deg C depending on origin and grade
Viscosity @ 20°C 60 - 90 mPa.s
(Visc. = 50 mPa.s @ 25 deg. C)
Vapour pressure @ 20°C < 5 kPa
Density 920 - 930 kg/m3 @ 20 deg. C
IBC carriage requirements:
IBC chapter 17
Ship Type 2(k)
Tank Type 2G
Relevant additional IBC requirements:
15.19.6 high-level alarm
16.2.6 cargo's viscosity at 20 deg. C, or the temperature at which the cargo has a viscosity of 50 mPa.s shall be specified in the shipping document
16.2.7 the cargo is subject to the prewash requirements in regulation 13.7.1.4 of Annex II of MARPOL. (Persistent floater unloaded inside “certain regional areas”)
16.2.9 cargo's melting point shall be indicated in the shipping document
MARPOL Requirements:
Annex II
Pollution Category Y
Special information to be added to Shipping Document
Cargo's viscosity at 20 deg. C, or the temperature at which the cargo has a viscosity of 50 mPa.s shall be specified in the shipping document Cargo's melting point shall be indicated in the shipping document.
Cargo tank material:
Stainless steel Yes
Epoxy Yes - but carefully check paint manufacturer's instructions - typical limits for Acid Value, water content. Unnecessary heating should be avoided
Zinc Yes - but carefully check paint manufacturer's instructions - typical limits for Acid Value, water content. Unnecessary heating should be avoided
Stowage:
Heat adjacent 45 deg. C. Please observe heating instruction
Stow adjacent to fuel oil tanks Yes - but not adjacent to heated oil fuel tanks
Carriage requirements:
Heating during voyage 20 - 25 - but get specifications and heating instructions!
Heating during unloading 30 to 35 deg. C
Tanks inerted or padded Not required by IBC. Check with shipper
Prewash:
Prewash required when cargo's viscosity at unloading temperature is more than 50 mPa.s. Prewash required when unloading temperature is less than 5 deg. C higher than cargo's melting point
Prewash also required when vessel's stripping system is not used during unloading
Tank cleaning:
As Fish oil is considered a drying oil, cargo tanks should be preliminary washed with ambient temperature water immediately after unloading is completed - if port regulations allow. If product is allowed to dry on the bulkheads or if the tanks are adjacent to heated cargo, cleaning will be very difficult. A cargo of fish oil may leave a thick layer of sediments after unloading
Ambient temperature water wash
Continue cleaning for another one - two hours - increasing temperature to hot
If needed, re-circulate alkaline cleaner solution for one - two hours. Make a short freshwater rinse before re-circulation of alkaline cleaner. (Carefully select suitable cleaning additive if zinc cargo tank coating)
Ambient temperature freshwater rinse tank and lines. It can be very difficult to remove odour
Emergency Response:
Fire: Use foam or water spray - not water jet
Spillage: Collect small spills with absorbent material. Larger spills: Try to collect and transfer to spill tank or wash away with water. When in port, - inform Port Authority
First aid: Remove victim to fresh air. Follow first aid instructions in MSDS. Consider obtaining advice from Radio Medical
Hazards (Occupational safety etc):
Hot surface of heating coils could, if relevant, cause decomposition under formation of Carbon Monoxide (CO) during unloading operations
Attention: Always monitor CO concentration before and during tank entry. (TLV for Carbon Monoxide, CO is 25 ppm)
Precautions:
Crude grades of fish oil may contain considerable amounts of sediments which will require recirculation of cargo during sea voyage to maintain the sediments in suspension. Check sediments in each grade and recirculate as necessary.
Before loading any white petroleum oil cargo after the carriage of vegetable/animal/fish oils, clarification of cleaning procedures should be obtained from the charterer/receiver.
Remarks:
Ship Type 2(k): Fish oil can be carried in Ship Type 3 tankers according to MARPOL Annex II regulation 4.1.3. (Typical larger tankers where each cargo tank has higher capacity than 3000 m3 per tank).
Use: Chemically modified fish oil is used in soaps, detergents, protective coatings and alkyd resins. The hydrogenated product is used as a base for margarines and shortenings and as an industrial dispersing agent.
The BIMCO Liquid Cargo Database contains information for more than 330 cargoes, all updated to the IBC Code 2021 amended requirements, but in order to ensure that the BIMCO Liquid Cargo Database information is kept updated, we highly welcome any feedback in the form of comments, response, information or data regarding a specific cargo.
