The joint petroleum office is the area coordinator for the quality surveillance program within its command
area.
The military service within each command is responsible for establishing and maintaining a quality
surveillance program, as well as for maintaining and operating laboratories required to perform their tests.
AR 700-36 (Overseas Laboratory for Support of Quality Surveillance on Petroleum Products) assigns
responsibility for test facilities and for quality surveillance programs for the Army overseas.
Types of Operations.
Storage operations--for minimum procedures refer to FM 10-70,
FM 10-67-1 (Concepts of Petroleum Operations) and Section II, Quality Surveillance.
Tanker and barge loading & unloading operations refer to FM 10-70,
AR 715-27 (Petroleum Contract Quality Assurance Manual), Section II, Quality Surveillance.
Tank car and tank vehicle loading & unloading operations refer to
FM 10-70, AR 715-27, Section II, Quality Surveillance.
Pipeline operations--refer to FM 10-70, AR 715-27, Section II, Quality Surveillance.
PART C - INSPECTING TANKERS AND BARGES PRIOR TO LOADING
This inspection is in addition to the contractor's inspection, who ultimately has the responsibility to inspect all
shipping conveyances prior to loading to determine that they are suitable for intended use. A barge is any vessel
with less than 30,000-barrel capacity. Any vessel with 30,000-barrel capacity or more will be treated as a tanker.
As the senior petroleum laboratory technician, you must ensure that the inspection is conducted according to the
following:
Tankers.
Verify that tanks are prepared for loading.
Physically enter and inspect each tank to verify suitability to load. A fresh air pack should be on hand for
use.
WARNING: ENSURE THAT EACH TANK HAS BEEN PROPERLY GAS-FREED, TESTED, AND
CERTIFIED BY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
Review vessel loading plans to determine their suitability. Verify that all bulkheads are secure and the
vessel has double valve separation or line blanks.
Request a sample of rust, when considered necessary (and under safe conditions) be taken from
selected cargo tanks and tested with the product to be loaded or a similar solvent to determine the effect
upon the corrosiveness and gum characteristics.
Tankers scheduled for multiple port loading will have all cargo tanks inspected at the first loading point, if
practicable, to determine their suitability for the scheduled products.
Barges.
Inspection procedures for handling tankers will be applied to barges with the exception as stated in AR
715-27.
Physical entry is not required.
Inspecting Loading Procedures for Tankers.
Preloading Inspection Procedures for Tanker.
Verify that sampling, testing, and approval of shore tank is completed prior to loading the vessel.
Check loading lines to determine if they are properly isolated and contain no product detrimental to the
cargo.
Verify that loading lines are full. Obtain opening and closing shore tank gauges (or meter readings where
necessary).
Determine the position of the swing line in the shore tank (where applicable) and setting to prevent
loading any free water or sludge from the tank bottom.
Verify that sea suction and overboard discharge valves are closed and sealed. In the case of split cargo,
those values essential to cargo isolation should be sealed with serially numbered seals and their
numbers recorded on shipping documents.
Check cargo first-in and line samples analysis to verify quality of product moving to the vessel.
Verify that sampling and testing of vessel's cargo tanks during and after loading are done.
Loading Inspection Procedure.
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QM 5184
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