Overview
EN ISO 16961:2024 - titled Oil and gas industries including lower carbon energy - Internal coating and lining of steel storage tanks (ISO 16961:2024) - is a CEN-adopted international standard that specifies requirements for the internal coating and lining of steel storage tanks used for crude oil, hydrocarbons and water. It applies to new construction, maintenance, rehabilitation and repair of tank internals, and includes requirements for surface preparation, materials, application, inspection, testing and shop performance approval.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and conformance: Defines applicability for oil, gas and lower-carbon energy storage tanks and sets conformance principles.
- Pre-work requirements: Safety precautions in flammable atmospheres, personnel qualification, positive isolation and ventilation.
- Coating/lining materials: Requirements for fibreglass laminates, glass-flake filled systems, thin-film epoxy systems, holding primers, caulks and fillers, plus material approval and prequalification procedures.
- Surface preparation: Tank pre-cleaning, residue removal, preparatory patching, dry abrasive blast cleaning, humidity control and post-blast cleaning.
- Application methods: Controls for primer, caulking, fibreglass laminate and thin-film application; specification of coating/lining thickness and environmental/weather limitations.
- Inspection and testing: On‑site and shop testing procedures including environmental condition checks, air and abrasive quality, film thickness measurement, holiday detection, curing/hardness and adhesion testing, plus defect repair criteria.
- Quality and documentation: Requirements for quality control, pre-production trials, shop performance testing and documentation deliverables for approval.
Practical applications and users
This standard is intended for organizations and professionals responsible for the integrity and corrosion protection of storage tanks, including:
- Tank owners/operators and asset integrity teams seeking standardized acceptance criteria for internal coatings and linings.
- Coating and lining manufacturers preparing system approvals and prequalification test data.
- Contractors and applicators performing surface preparation, lining installation and repairs.
- Inspection bodies and quality assurance personnel conducting field and shop tests, holiday detection and adhesion checks.
- Engineering consultants and specifiers writing procurement and maintenance specifications for crude, hydrocarbon and water storage tanks.
EN ISO 16961:2024 is particularly useful for tank rehabilitation projects, preventative maintenance programs and new-build tank specifications to ensure durable corrosion protection and consistent inspection criteria.
Related standards
The document contains normative references (Clause 2) and is intended to be used with other recognised surface‑preparation, testing and safety standards. Users should consult the referenced normative documents and national implementation notes for full compliance and integration into procurement and inspection procedures.