When a barge arrives at a refinery or chemical plant for loading or offloading liquid products, a U.S. Coast Guard certified tankerman is required to serve as the "person in charge" of the transfer. These tankermen play a critical role in the petroleum and chemical shipping industry, keeping products moving safely through the supply chain while also protecting the environment.
For more than 65 years, Petroleum Service Corp. (PSC) has been providing tankermen to meet those needs while also training new tankermen to keep up with industry demands. The company's tankermen work at more than 200 facilities throughout the nation's inland waterways, handling every type of refined product, hazardous chemical and liquefied gas. They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in every kind of weather, river stage and tidal condition.
"As the oldest and largest shoreside tankerman service in the U.S., PSC has led the effort through the years to professionalize the role of tankermen, improve training and working conditions, and raise the bar on safety and spill prevention," said Josh Dixon, director of marine operations for PSC. "Our first tankermen were the pioneers who laid the foundation for the industry, and the tankermen working for us today are continuing to lead the way in the finest maritime traditions of safety, quality and reliability."
In 2017, PSC's tankermen groups worked throughout the year without any recordable injuries or spills to the water as a result of tankermen error. "This is the third time in the past six years that our tankermen have completed 365 consecutive days of operation with no spills -- a remarkable achievement that just 10 years ago no one thought was possible," Dixon said.
Dixon credits the company's success to a number of factors, starting with its training and leadership development programs. "PSC was one of the first companies to develop detailed written procedures and training programs for tankermen, years before these were required by regulations," he said.
In 2003, PSC launched the Tankerman Career Academy (TCA), a tuition-based, on-the-job training program. "It takes four months and includes one-on-one field training taught by some of the best tankermen in the business," Dixon said. "We offer the training two to three times a year, depending on industry demands for more tankermen."
Dixon is particularly proud of the role PSC has played in helping to improve the quality of life for tankermen. "PSC has long served as an advocate for tankermen, introducing some of the benefits now considered standard in the industry, such as scheduled off-days and limits on excessive work hours. We've also implemented technology improvements, including custom-designed software for dispatching and a smartphone app to make it easier for our tankermen on the go to access information about specific products, barges or work locations," he said.
To learn more about PSC's tankerman operations and other product handling services, or for more information about the Tankerman Career Academy, visit www.petroleumservice.com or call (281) 991-3500