Nitrogen use in marine shipping
In shipping, nitrogen is vital for the safe transport of various goods, as it can prevent dangerous storage conditions as well as protect certain types of perishable goods.
Mass transfer on bulk carriers
For certain raw materials like oil, cement and combustible chemicals that are transported in very large cargo ships, there is an inherent risk of explosion and fire. Nitrogen, an inert gas, is introduced blown into the individual cargo tanks to reduce the air and oxygen content and thus create a non-flammable atmosphere in the tank. The nitrogen replaces the tank atmosphere either by dilution or by displacement of the original atmosphere.
Nitrogen as an inert gas for the use and transport of LNG
Nitrogen also plays another role in the marine industry when it comes to LNG (liquefied natural gas). Ships that run on liquefied natural gas need nitrogen to inert their fuel tanks. This avoids the risk of explosion. LNG can also be transported by ship. Here, too, nitrogen flushing is used for inerting during transport, as described above. Nitrogen is also used in the cleaning of tanks and to flush unused lines of gas residues that might create an explosive atmosphere.
