Damage to storage tanks in coastal area due to tsunamis can cause extensive fires. In order to prevent damage to storage tanks, tsunami wave loads acting on a storage tank have to be investigated. This study aims at investigating the features of the tsunami wave loads and the method for estimating them. In a wave basin, the tsunami wave load acting on a storage tank is measured under both conditions of the presence of the surrounding tanks and of no surrounding tanks. Inundation depth and horizontal velocity on the storage site are also measured under the condition of no surrounding tanks, which are used for estimating the tsunami wave load. The vertical component of the tsunami wave load is estimated by buoyancy based on the static pressure calculated from the inundation depth. The horizontal component of the tsunami wave load is estimated by Morison equation. The analysis shows that Morison equation estimates the measured impulsive force at the beginning of the inundation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.