Loading arms are increasingly being purchased for special applications requiring accurate and thorough specifications and considerable engineering assessment. Consequently they should not be considered merely as prefabricated hardware. The uniqueness of each loading arm application is reflected in the variability and complexity of operating envelopes, products transferred, simultaneous service requirements, manifold spacing, jetty and piping layouts, arm styles, environmental loadings, auxiliary hardware etc. All these variables need to be considered during the design basis stage and be accurately presented in the final loading arm specification.