Industry · Marine & Tanker

A Vessel at Anchor Doesn't Pay Charter Hire. Neither Do Shore-Side Tank Farms.

Cargo prep, grade changes, drydock prep, and MARPOL-required slop tank operations all compete for the same vessel hours. ACS all-electric robotics cut that time — and keep crew out of the single most hazardous space on any tanker.

MARPOL Annex I sets the rules for slop tanks and tank washings. ACS gives you the tools to meet them with far fewer confined-space entries, a fraction of the flammable-atmosphere exposure, and without the schedule slippage that still defines traditional shipboard tank cleaning.

What We Clean

Shipboard & Shore-Side Assets We Service

ACS tools work shipboard on crude carriers, product tankers, and chemical vessels — and on the shore-side terminals, bunker tanks, and slop collection assets that surround them.

Crude Oil Cargo Tanks

Product Tanker Cargo Tanks

Chemical Cargo Tanks

Slop Tanks (MARPOL Annex I)

Dirty Ballast Tanks

Segregated Ballast Tanks

Bunker / HFO Tanks

Diesel & MGO Tanks

Lube Oil Tanks

Shore-Side Crude Storage

Terminal Slop & Residue Tanks

FSO / FPSO Cargo & Slop Tanks

Barge Cargo Holds

Drydock Prep for Inspections

Industry Challenges

Why Operators & Terminals Partner With ACS

Grade Changes Cost Hours

Switching cargo — crude to clean product, chemical to chemical — is a hard stop. Faster, documented tank prep means the ship loads sooner and the charter earns sooner.

Enclosed-Space Fatalities

Cargo tanks are the deadliest space on a tanker — low oxygen, inert gas, residual hydrocarbons. ACS is engineered so no sailor ever has to enter one to get it clean.

MARPOL Annex I Compliance

Slop tanks, tank washings, and oily-water discharge rules are strict and scrutinized. Overseer creates the audit trail Port State Control, class societies, and charterers increasingly expect.

Inert-Gas & IBC Atmospheres

Electric actuation with ATEX Zone 0/20 ratings works inside IG-blanketed cargo spaces and IBC-governed chemical tanks where hot work and human entry aren’t options.

Slop Handling & ROB Recovery

Every ton of cargo that leaves the ship as slop is a ton the charterer didn’t pay for. Targeted Cyclone circulation and Orbiter washdown mobilize stubborn ROB so it goes ashore as product, not residue.

Drydock & Inspection Windows

Special survey, hot work, and coating inspections all need a gas-free, cargo-free tank. ACS gets you there faster so yard days go into steel and paint, not cleaning.

The Stack

Marine-Duty Robotics for Cargo, Slop & Shore

A typical crude-to-clean grade change combines all three tools: the Cyclone circulates wash water and suspends residue, the Eliminator blasts down structural members and bulkheads, and the Orbiter provides high-pressure coverage from top-entry Butterworth openings — all tracked live in Overseer.

Cargo-Grade

The Orbiter™

Rotating Cleaning Tool

ROB Removal

The Eliminator™

High-Impact Water Cannon

Circulation

The Cyclone™

High-Flow Tank Sweep

Overseer™ Software

Bridge-to-Manifold Visibility. Charter-Grade Records.

Overseer 3D gives the chief officer and the cleaning contractor the same view — a digital twin of the ship’s tanks with live pressure, flow, and position data. Overseer Mobile lets the OOW verify progress from the CCR, so any Final Clean inspection is a quick confirmation rather than a long hot entry. Every wash cycle is recorded to charter-grade standards.

Vessel

MT Horizon Star

Tank

COT 4P — Crude → Gasoil

Tool

Orbiter · Butterworth 2

Cycle

Hot Wash · 80°C

Pressure

9,200 psi

Coverage

88%

Atmosphere

IG · 3.1% O₂

ORB Entry

Drafting

Outcomes

What Marine Operators See

0 %

Fewer Enclosed-Space Entries

Faster

Grade-Change Turnaround

Lower

ROB & Slop Volumes

MARPOL

-Ready Documentation

Planning a grade change, drydock, or terminal cleanout?

Share the vessel or tank particulars, the cargo history, and the window. We’ll come back with a tool mix, an Overseer pattern plan, and a realistic schedule for bridge, charterer, and surveyor.