External Tank Visual Inspection Criteria

Offshore Technical Compliance offers an inside look at the steps involved in effective tank inspection as the final infographic in our corrosion series. Click to learn more about the external visual inspection criteria for pressure vessels and the visual inspection criteria for piping process systems.

Tank inspections are very similar to the inspection process for pressure vessels. 

Some of the smaller tanks (like sumps & flare tanks) for newer offshore process facilities are sometimes designed with stainless steel materials. From our inspection experience, an operator should be cautious of the stainless steel tanks due to aggressive external chloride pitting potential.  The salty, moist offshore atmospheric environment can cause very small and deep pin-hole pitting on these stainless steel tank surfaces that can easily go unnoticed.