A tank that survives the factory but not the ocean is a total loss. Export packing is not shrink-wrap and a prayer-it is engineered protection against salt spray, shock, condensation and improper lifting.
Welded-complete tanks (up to 80 m³)
Loaded on flat-rack containers or break-bulk
Tank shell protected with VCI (vapor corrosion inhibitor) film
Nozzles capped, flanges covered with plywood discs
Lifting lugs welded at balance points, marked with SWL
Sea-fastening: steel wire lashing to D-rings, wooden chocks at saddle contact
Tarpaulin over the top for UV protection, not waterproofing-condensation needs to breathe
Shell kits (field-erected vertical tanks)
Shell courses nested, match-marked, separated by wooden spacers
Roof panels stacked flat, bolted to a pallet frame
Nozzles, stiffeners and hardware in wooden crates
All steel protected with shop primer + VCI film
Containerized: 40 ft HC holds a 2,000 m³ tank kit typically
Break-bulk for large vertical tanks
Shell courses shipped as individual rolled cylinders
Lifted with spreader beams, not single-point slings
Sea-fastening on the vessel deck with welded padeyes
Insurance requires a pre-loading survey and a lashing plan signed by the master
Lifting plan essentials
Lifting lugs designed for the actual tank weight plus a 2× safety factor
Spreader beam length ≥ tank diameter to avoid shell edge loading
Four-point lifting with adjustable slings to keep the tank level
No lifting by nozzles, manholes or ladder attachments-ever
Documentation
Packing list with heat numbers mapped to crates
Cargo insurance: Institute Cargo Clauses (A) recommended
Pre-shipment inspection certificate from a third-party surveyor
Lashing certificate from the vessel's chief officer
FAQ snippet
"Should I buy welded-complete or flat-pack for export?" If the destination has a crane and a flatbed road, welded-complete saves site welding time. If the road is narrow or the port has no heavy crane, flat-pack is safer. The cost crossover is roughly 80 m³-above that, field erection is usually unavoidable.
A tank that arrives damaged is not a shipping problem-it is a specification problem. The packing list, lifting plan and sea-fastening drawing are part of the tank design, not an afterthought.
