Tanker desludging system

In a marine vessel having at least one storage tank for holding and transporting liquid cargo, a closed manifold system communicated with said at least one storage tank for transferring said liquid cargo, said system including pumping means which is actuatable to establish a suction condition within the closed manifold system during a cargo offloading operation, and an intake pipe (28) forming an adjunct to said manifold system and being fixedly positioned within said at least one storage tank, said intake pipe (28) having a bell housing including a lip (54), disposed at a position above the tank floor to ingest a flow of liquid cargo during said cargo offloading operation, the improvement therein of

• portable tank cleaning means for removing sludge and other viscous residue from the floor of said tank subsequent to removal of liquid cargo therefrom, said tank cleaning means comprising;
• an elongated flexible conduit (47) having a first end including an eductor (36) which is disconnectably engaged to, and in communication with said intake pipe (28,) said flexible conduit (47) having a remote end which is movable to reach into accumulated sludge at remote sections of the storage tank,
• said eductor (36) including a clamping surface (53), which extends radially outward therefrom and adapted to engage said lip (54) to form a sealed connection therewith, and
• clamping means depending from said eductor (36) being actuatable to elevate the eductor (36) whereby to engage the bell housing lip (54) in a sealed tight joint, said clamping means being further adapted to support said eductor (36) above the floor of said storage tank,
• whereby a suction applied to said closed manifold when said pumping means is actuated, will cause said sludge to be ingested through said flexible conduit 47 and thence removed from the storage tank.