Pipeline 101
Tanker Vapor Recovery

The Valdez Marine Terminal's Tanker Vapor Control System reduces the emission of crude oil vapor from tankers. It uses vapor compressors and special vapor recovery arms to collect these gases that accumulate in the empty spaces of shipboard oil tanks when they are displaced during the tanker loading process. The vapors must be kept in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere because they become explosive when mixed with oxygen. The vapor is stored on shore and then burned to generate power used to help operate the Valdez Marine Terminal. The Tanker Vapor Control System came online in 1998.