News bulletin – safety

NEWS BULLETIN

SAFETY

ISGOTT UDPATED

The sixth edition of the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT), the definitive reference for the safe operation of oil tankers and the marine terminals they visit, has been published and is available from Witherby Seamanship. This update comes 14 years after the publication of the fifth edition and has been reviewed by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), together with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and with the support of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko), the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminals Operators (SIGTTO) and the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF), as well as specialists in certain topic areas.

This new edition covers a range of topical issues including gas detection, the toxicity and the toxic effects of petroleum products (including benzene and hydrogen sulphide), the generation of static electricity and stray currents, fire protection and the growing use of mobile electronic technology. As the participation in the project might indicate, it also recognises the emergence of new bunker fuels, including LNG and other alternatives, as well as emerging technologies employed in tanker vessels and terminals.

The opportunity has also been taken to include new topics or to reappraise those previously covered where there has been a change of emphasis in recent years, such as enclosed space entry, human factors and safety management systems. The Ship/Shore Safety and Bunkering Operations Checklists have also been completely revised to reflect changes in the understanding of the impact of human factors in their effective use; both are available as free downloads from the OCIMF website.

The authors believe that ISGOTT continues to provide the best technical guidance on oil tanker and terminal operations. All operators are urged to ensure that the recommendations in this Sixth Edition are fully understood and are incorporated in safety management systems and procedures. It is available from Witherby Seamanship, priced at £385. www.ocimf.org www.witherbyseamanship.com

METHANOL SAFETY

OCIMF and the Maritime Safety Forum (MSF) have published a joint information paper on The Carriage of Methanol in Bulk Onboard Offshore Vessels. The document fills a gap in the library for technical information on the handling of methanol, which is becoming more common in the offshore oil and gas sector.

“This guidance, which was developed under the direction of the MSF and in partnership with OCIMF, outlines the best practices for the carriage of methanol onboard offshore vessels,” says OCIMF director Robert Drysdale. The paper is available as a free download from the OCIMF website at www.ocimf.org/publications/ information-papers.aspx.

DRYDOCKING GAS-FUELLED SHIPS

The Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) has published new guidance for the safe drydocking of vessels that use gas as fuel. The guidance covers work practices during maintenance and repair work, and notes that, while cargo is routinely removed during such operations, fuel is sometimes not.

“With 185 gas-fuelled ships in active service and with another 212 on order, the release of this publication is timely since it is important that prior to any docking both ship owner, operator or manager and shipyard fully understand the safety requirements of the gas fuel management during the drydocking period,” says SGMF. www.sgmf.info/shop

TAKE CHARGE ON SAFETY

The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has released a new guidance document highlighting the role that boards of directors and executives have in ensuring that there are effective safety management systems in place to properly managing risks in the offshore oil and gas sector. The document follows up on recommendations delivered to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), which felt it was not authorised to issue the guidance, following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout (opposite). It does, however, include BSEE’s safety culture policy and also refers to guidance issued by the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and other agencies.

CSB’s chair Dr Katherine Lemos notes that 20 April 2020 marked ten years since that catastrophic event. CSB’s final report on that incident determined that a robust process safety programme is important to a company’s overall success. “Companies operating offshore have the potential for major accidents that threaten the lives of workers and may result in catastrophic environmental damage,” she says.

The full document can be downloaded from the CSB website at www.csb.gov/assets/1/6/ csb_macondo_bod_guidance_05_(1).pdf.

KNOW YOUR RISKS

The UK P&I Club has begun publication of a series of Risk Awareness guides which, over the course of 2020, will cover a wide range of vessel

types. The first publication provides an aid to risk identification and loss reduction in bulk carriers, general cargo ships and reefers, identifying the common risks posed to such ships and the methods to avoid or minimise them.

The series of guides will provide the controls and key points that the Club’s risk assessors look for when inspecting a vessel, allowing its members to carry out similar checks. In this way, the guides aim to provide the controls that members can use to ensure that threats are contained and incidents do not happen.

More information is available in the ‘Knowledge’ section of the UK P&I Club website. www.ukpandi.com

SANDIA STUDY SCRAPS VAPOUR PRESSURE

Sandia National Laboratories has published the full report of its research study on the physical, chemical and combustion properties of crude oils, in particular the ‘tight oils’ that were involved in a number of rail incidents in 2013 and 2014. The study was commissioned by the US Department of Energy (DOE), the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and Transport Canada.

The results indicate that all the oils tested have comparable thermal hazard distances and the measured properties are consistent with other alkane-based hydrocarbon liquids. The similarity of pool fire and fireball burn characteristics pertinent to thermal hazard outcomes of the studied three oils indicate that vapour pressure is not a statistically significant factor in affecting these outcomes.

As a result of the study, DOE and DOT have determined that no further regulations or legislation is necessary; the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) therefore withdrew its proposed rulemaking regarding vapour pressure in unrefined petroleum products and other flammable liquids and no longer considers vapour pressure as a factor in the transport of crude oil by rail.

TRAINING FOR TANK STORAGE

Reynolds Training Services, the UK Tank Storage Association (TSA) and Cogent Skills have together developed the UK’s first apprenticeship programme for the bulk liquids storage sector. The two-year apprenticeship programme includes classroom-based training and learning, practical skill development and assessment, supported by onsite training and competency assessment against the Level 3 Diploma for a Bulk Storage Operator Technician at the apprentice’s workplace.

“The highly technical nature of our industry has created a demand for skilled and qualified specialists in the bulk liquid storage sector,” says Peter Davidson, executive director of TSA. “For that reason, we have developed this pioneering apprenticeship programme, now in its second year, to give valuable practical and classroom-based training to the next generation of talent and provide a clear route to careers in our sector.” reynoldstraining.com/apprenticeships/