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Tankers
Longitudinal
Strength
Upon
completion of renewal surveys on/after 1 July 2002 on oil tankers
more than 10 years of age (Special Survey No.3) and >130m
in length, the condition of the longitudinal strength is to be evaluated
and reported in the ship’s Condition Evaluation Report. This
new amendment to resolution A.744(18) was approved at MSC 72. Scheduled
for adoption at MSC 73 in November 2000, the amendment will require
that the minimum diminution of the hull girder longitudinal strength
is not to exceed either 10% of the as built area or 10% of the minimum
required section modulus for three girth belt areas gauged during
the renewal survey.
The
minimum required section modulus is not to be less than the value
specified in IACS Unified Requirement (UR) S7 for existing oil tankers
built before 1 July 2002, or less than the value accepted by the
Administration (taking into account IACS UR’s S7 and S11) for
new oil tankers built on/after 1 July 2002. Both UR S7 and S11 require
the section modulus to be greater than an empirically developed
minimum value, but UR S11 also weighs the required section modulus
against material strength, deadweight and lightship distribution
and still water and wave bending moment. 13.21
The
MSC held in abeyance extending this provision to bulk carriers pending
the completion of the Bulk Carrier FSA Study. 13.25
Cargo
Pump Room Provisions
Amendments
to SOLAS regulation II-2/63 were approved by the MSC and will be
contained in the new Chapter II-2 of SOLAS which will be open for
adoption at MSC 73 in November 2000.
New
ships built on/after 1 July 2002
New
oil, gas and chemical carriers will be required to be fitted with
temperature sensors (with audible and visual alarms) on the bulkhead
shaft glands, bearings and casings of cargo, ballast and stripping
pumps driven by shafts passing through the pump room bulkhead.
Continuous
monitoring of the pump room’s atmosphere shall be provided
and automatically setoff a continuous audible and visual alarm locally
and in the engine control room, cargo control room and navigation
bridge when the hydrocarbon gas concentration exceeds a pre-set
level which is not to be more than 10% of the lower flammability
limit.
Bilge
level monitoring with alarms shall also be provided for all pump
rooms.
Additionally,
pump room lighting, except emergency lighting, shall be interlocked
with the ventilation such that the ventilation is in operation prior
to lighting the room and that failure of the ventilation does not
cause the lighting to go out.
IMO
did not agree with an IACS proposal which provided for an alternative
arrangement to the interlocking requirement in order to discourage
personnel from entering the cargo pump room when ventilation is
not in operation. It may be desirable to extinguish certain fires
by a fire fighting team rather than manually releasing the fire
extinguishing medium of the required fixed fire extinguishing system
from outside the pump room in order to minimize damage to the pumps
and their controllers. To facilitate entry and movement of the fire
fighting team, IACS considered it desirable to have the lighting
energized.
Existing
ships built before 1 July 2002
Existing
oil, gas and chemical carriers will be required to meet the requirements
for new ships with respect to the temperature sensors, bilge level
alarms and continuous monitoring of the pump room’s atmosphere
(with alarms) at the first scheduled dry docking after 1 July 2002,
but not later than 1 July 2005.
Existing
monitoring systems already fitted may be accepted with a pre-set
level which does not exceed more than 30% of the lower flammability
limit. 8.3
Emergency
Towing Arrangements
The
MSC approved amendments to SOLAS which make mandatory certain provisions
of the previously voluntary guidelines used for approval of emergency
towing systems fitted at both ends of all tankers of 20k deadweight
and above.
The
revised regulation explicitly requires both ends of tankers built
on/after 1 January 1996 to be fitted with dedicated systems, one
of which must be pre-rigged and ready for rapid deployment in the
absence of the ship’s main power. 13.4
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