Tank Cleaning
Tank cleaning is an important part of keeping your tanks working efficiently.
Our tank cleaning services are thorough and effective, helping to maximise your operational efficiency, ensure compliance with safety standards, and help to preserve the longevity of your existing tanks and associated equipment.
Planned tank cleaning also allows for essential tank inspections to take place, which highlight any maintenance required. This proactive approach reduces the likelihood of unexpected downtime and the risk of higher costs further down the line for remediation works or tank replacement.
At Merkland Tank, our tank cleaning services extend to:
- Wet and dry tank cleaning and vessel cleaning
- Above-ground and below-ground tank cleaning
- Non-entry / automated technology and manned entry tank cleaning
Fuel Tanks
Our fuel tank cleaning services ensure that your fuel tanks are free from contaminants that could affect fuel quality and machinery performance.
Regular cleaning and maintenance also prevent the build-up of potentially hazardous substances.
Common types of fuel tanks we can clean include:
- Diesel
- Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO)
- Gas Oil
- Kerosene
- Petrol
- Marine fuel
Bitumen Tanks
Cleaning bitumen tanks requires special expertise due to the sticky and dense nature of bitumen.
Our team often use powerful air breakers and manual cleaning techniques to successfully remove cooled bitumen, plus Ultra-High Pressure (UHP) Water Jetting to ensure complete removal of residual bitumen, maintain the tank’s integrity and prevent contamination of new materials.
Sewage & Effluent Treatment Plants
We provide cleaning services for sewage and effluent treatment plants, tackling the challenging task of managing waste and ensuring that tanks are free from obstructions and performing optimally to meet environmental discharge regulations.
- Tank Cleaning (PSTs, SSTs, Sedimentation, Buffer)
- Pipework Cleaning (Sludge Lines)
- Screens
- Sewer Line Cleaning
- Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR)
- Driers
- Digesters
- Grit Chambers
- Aeration Lanes
- ADR Works (Lime Tanks, Acid Tanks, Caustic Tanks)
- Emergency Rescue Teams (ERT)
Chemical Tanks
At Merkland Tank, we provide chemical tank cleaning services for a wide range of industrial environments.
The handling and cleaning of chemical tanks require a high level of expertise due to the hazardous nature of the contents.
Our team is trained to deal with various chemicals, ensuring that tanks are thoroughly cleaned and safe for ongoing or new processes.
Our highly-trained, confined space entry teams ensure the correct safety protocols are in place, particularly when the cleaning process involves man entry.
Common types of chemical tanks we can clean include:
- Acids and Alkalis
- Poly Aluminium Chloride (PAC)
- Solvents
- Resins
Food and Beverage Tanks
There are a huge variety of tanks in the food and beverage sector, as well as a huge range of residues and products that need to be cleaned.
Merkland Tank has the expertise and skilled teams to tackle tank cleaning across the food and beverage sector, including food production and distilleries, no matter what material needs removed.
Common types of tanks and vessels we can clean in the food and beverage sector include:
- Chocolate Tanks
- Fats & Grease Interceptors
- Fermentation Tanks
- Flour Silos
- Grain Silos
- Syrup Lines
- Vats & Stills
Non-Man Entry Tank Cleaning
Automated and Robotics
Here at Merkland Tank, we’re harnessing the power of automated technologies for non-man entry (robotic) tank cleaning projects.
The MagTrack robotic crawler for example, offers a smart, innovative solution for fast and effective waterblasting and surface preparation.
Fully remote-operated, it removes the need for confined space entry or work at height and reduces risk to personnel.
Confined Space Emergency Rescue
Working within a confined space can be high-risk and therefore requires an effective, planned approach to emergency rescue.
Our rescue cover is often a key support service to our own operatives when working within confined spaces on clients’ tank cleaning projects.
In addition to tank cleaning services, we provide Emergency Rescue Teams for high-risk environments. Our ERTs are specially trained for rapid response in confined spaces and challenging scenarios, ensuring the safety of operations and readiness to handle any emergencies during the cleaning process.
- Tripod & Winch
- Sked Stretcher
- Defibrillator
- Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
- Gas Meters
- Control Boards
- Comprehensive Advanced First Aid Kit
Tank Cleaning Expertise in
High-Risk Environments
Industrial tank cleaning is a high-risk confined space operation as standard, due to the presence of hazardous substances, toxic chemicals and flammable vapours.
But the risk increases even further when we need to operate on ‘live’ public-facing sites and complete the work while a business remains fully operational.
Our skilled team are fully trained to work in high-risk, ‘live’ environments such as petrol forecourts, which require careful planning and risk assessment, enhanced environmental awareness, strict exclusion zone safety measures and specialist training.
Our team are SPA Petrol Retail Contractors Passport certified – a mandatory training qualification when working on live forecourts – as well as being fully Confined Space Rescue trained.
Tank Cleaning Frequently Asked Questions
Regular cleaning prevents contamination, corrosion, and fuel degradation, ensuring system efficiency, compliance, and reduced maintenance costs.
Merkland Tank use high-pressure jetting, vacuum recovery, and chemical or no-man-entry cleaning methods tailored to each tank to ensure safe, thorough results.
Yes — every job from Merkland Tank includes RAMS, confined space permits, waste notes, and reports fully compliant with HSE and environmental regulations.
Merkland Tank are a licensed waste carrier and handle all residues through approved facilities, ensuring safe disposal and full traceability.
Yes — Merkland Tank provide fuel polishing, sampling, and lab testing to confirm fuel quality.
Absolutely — Merkland Tank can arrange with our trusted partners visual inspections, ultrasonic testing, and NDT to assess integrity and issue condition reports or certification.
All Merkland Tank operatives are confined-space and rescue trained, ATEX rated plant, and work under strict risk assessments and permit-to-work systems.
For most industrial and commercial sites, fuel storage tanks should be cleaned and inspected every 3 to 5 years as a general rule of thumb. However, the exact frequency depends on several key factors including type of fuel or product, tank usage, tank condition and location, and inspection findings.
We offer flexible scheduling, including out-of-hours and weekend work, to minimise downtime and keep operations running smoothly.
Merkland Tank deliver safe, compliant, and efficient tank cleaning with over 100 years of history, trusted expertise, nationwide coverage, and a complete turnkey service from cleaning to certification.