Class society ABS has highlighted impending IMO rules giving pointers as to their progress.
Taking gas fuelled ships, ABS said that a new mandatory Code is being developed to establish standards, other than vessels covered by the IGC Code, operating with gas or low flashpoint liquids as fuel.
Mandatory criteria are provided for the arrangement, installation and operation of machinery, equipment and systems for such vessels to minimise the risk to the ship, its crew and the environment.
The types of fuels that are accounted for are:
- Natural gas – liquid and compressed.
- Propane – liquid and compressed.
- Butane (i and n) – liquid and compressed.
- Propane/Butane mixtures – liquid and compressed.
- Ethyl alcohol – liquid.
- Methyl alcohol – liquid.
- Hydrogen – liquid and compressed.
- Dimethyl-ether – liquid.
Fuel containment systems, including piping connections and secondary barriers, elimination of sources of ignition in hazardous areas and prevention of unintended accumulation of explosive, flammable, or toxic gas concentrations, are specified to provide for safe and suitable fuel supply, storage and bunkering arrangements of fuel in the required state without leakage or environmental emissions during all routine and unscheduled operations and situations including idle periods.
Safety requirements for single, dual and multi-fuelled engine arrangements, boilers, gas turbines and fuel cell installations are included. Consensus has not yet been reached on the need for permanently installed gas detectors in ventilation inlets to accommodation and machinery spaces versus setting limitations on the location of ventilation inlets in relation to hazardous areas.
Turning to the Polar Code, a new mandatory Code is being developed to establish standards for construction of new ships and operation of all ships in the Arctic and Antarctic aimed at safe ship operation and protection of the Polar environment by addressing risks specific for Polar waters that are not explicitly considered by other international conventions.
The IMO’s DE sub-committee is co-ordinating the efforts of several other sub-committees and has tentatively planned that the Code will be completed in 2014, after which it will be submitted to the MSC and MEPC for approval and adoption.
Accordingly, it is envisaged that an entry into force date would be sometime in 2017.
Noise levels on board ships are also being addressed.
In May 2012, the MSC approved in principle a draft Code to prevent the occurrence of potentially hazardous noise levels on board ships and to provide standards for an acceptable environment for seafarers together with relevant draft amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-1 to make relevant portions of the Code mandatory for new ships ≥ 1600 gt unless the administration deems that compliance with a particular provision is unreasonable or impractical.
Several sets of guidance notes address noise issues to be considered for inclusion in the ship’s Safety Management Systems, suggested methods of attenuating noise and simplified procedure of determining noise exposure.
The Code is scheduled to be adopted at MSC 91 in December 2012 and if adopted, it is expected to enter into force on July 2014.
A ship recycling convention is also on the agenda.
Upon entry into force, this Convention will apply to ships (new and existing) of 500 gt and above, except if the ship operates throughout its life in waters subject to the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the flag state.
Guidelines for developing the ‘Ship Recycling Plan’, survey and certification and the process of recycling, remain under development.
The problems concerning the Ballast Water Management Convention have been well highlighted.
Although 33 IMO member states representing 26.46% gt have ratified it, many are reluctant to sign because of uncertainties with respect to Port State Control sampling and analysis protocols currently being developed, the lack of approved technologies (currently 21 type-approved systems), limited shipyard capacity for retrofitting to existing ships, time availability and costs involved.
Last, ABS pointed out that the DE sub-committee had been tasked to develop SOLAS requirements and associated guidelines for the construction and installation of on board lifting appliances including winches.
It was recognised that while ILO C152 stipulates that on board lifting appliances be of good design and construction and of adequate strength, the sub-committee considered it necessary to develop specific standards for such appliances in light of the accidents reported over the years by a number of delegations.
In the event that an appliance does not satisfy the requirements, then its use may be prohibited. At this stage, it is not clear if the proposal applies to existing appliances, or only to newly installed appliances.
This task is scheduled to be completed by 2014 and therefore could impact new ships being built, and new appliances installed, from 2016 onward.
Source: ABS