Volatile organic compound (VOC) abatement regulations in Southern California have driven the development of a vapor processing plant that is suitable for the bunkering barges it serves. A system was required that could be mounted on board existing bunker barges, could be operated by existing tankerman crews and had no need for additional pumps and blowers, which would require additional power generation capacity. Foss Maritime Long Beach teamed with The Glosten Associates, Inc., to develop and deploy a system that allows the existing fleet to practice VOC abatement at any of the active tank terminals in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

This paper discusses: VOC environmental impact, the costs and benefits of practicing VOC abatement for bunkering products in terms of dollars per ton of abated VOCs, benefits to tankermen’s health and welfare, an overview of available VOC abatement technologies, and specifics of the Foss-Glosten system, including system installation and operating costs.

Full paper: ICMES SoCal Bunkering Operations Get On Board with Volatile Organic Compound Abatement

Authors: Kevin J. Reynolds, PE (Glosten); Wendell Koi (Foss Maritime)