IMO Set to Adopt Mandatory Gas-Fuel Ship Code

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Thursday June 4, 2015

A new mandatory code for gas-fueled ships is set to be adopted by the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), the IMO has announced.

The organization said that as ships increasingly adopt gas fuel such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), the need for broader regulation and standard practices has become more important.

The new International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code) will reportedly have an initial focus on LNG, and will "provide mandatory provisions for the arrangement, installation, control and monitoring of machinery, equipment and systems using low-flashpoint fuels."

Amendments are also planned to make the code mandatory under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

The IMO said that the MSC would also be invited to propose amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), which would cover the training of all personnel who may be involved with low-flashpoint fuels.

Last month, the IMO also adopted the second phase of the Polar Code, though it met with some criticism from environmental groups.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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