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MODERN MARINE MARITIME • FOR THOSE IN THE DANGEROUS GOODS WORLD, MSC’S SESSION WAS NOTABLE FOR ITS ADOPTION OF THE LATEST IMDG CODE AMENDMENT, BUT THERE WAS PLENTY MORE
THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME Organisation’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) met in a virtual format this past 4 to 11 November, approving and adopting a range of measures put forward by its various sub-committees and working groups. Changes to the session’s arrangement were forced on IMO by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which also informed some of the discussions by MSC, including the approval of a circular endorsing
were adopted to the International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code), related to the fuel containment systems, fire safety, welding of metallic materials and nondestructive testing. Similarly, amendments were agreed to the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code), related to welding procedure tests for cargo tanks and process pressure vessels.
protocols developed by the shipping industry to ensure that crew changes can take place safely, albeit this seems to have had a limited effect thus far. MSC also responded to other changes, notably the growing use of alternative fuels for ships’ propulsion systems. Amendments
MSC also approved interim guidelines for the safety of ships using methanol or ethanol as fuel, with the aim of establishing an international standard. The guidelines include provisions for the arrangement, installation, control and monitoring of machinery, equipment and systems using
HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2021
alcohol fuels so as to minimise the risk to the ship, its crew and the environment, having regard to the nature of the fuels involved. MSC had already invited the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) to develop standards for the use of these fuels and for the necessary couplings for bunkering operations. The Sub-committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC) is, meanwhile, continuing to work on this topic, with the ongoing development of draft interim guidelines for the safety of ships using fuel cell power installations, and the development of draft amendments to the IGF Code to include safety provisions for ships using low-flashpoint oil fuels. OTHER AMENDMENTS ADOPTED Elsewhere, MSC approved recent work that will result in changes to a wide array of maritime operations, including goal-based ship construction standards, firefighting systems and other fire safety measures, lifeboats, second generation intact stability criteria, the safety of ships carrying industrial personnel, onboard lifting and anchor handling winches, vessel traffic services and vessel routeing measures, and the
