Title

MSC Circulars / MSC/Circ.285

IMO
INERT GAS SYSTEMS FOR CHEMICAL TANKERS
1 The Maritime Safety Committee at its forty-second session, bearing in mind the dates given in Regulation 1 of
Chapter II-2 of the 1978 SOLAS Protocol, agreed that as an interim solution revised requirements for inert gas
systems suitable for chemical tankers and gas carriers carrying flammable liquids should be developed as a
matter of urgency and agreed on the following course of action:
.1 that as an interim solution, revised requirements for inert gas systems suitable for chemical tankers be
developed as a matter of urgency;
.2 that a system designed to conform with the revised requirements be used only withpetroleum products".
The use of the system might be expanded to include chemicals as experience and further study allows;
.3 that as a long term goal, further investigations should be conducted into alternatives for achieving
equivalent protection against fire and explosion for all flammable products carried;
.4 as a result of the investigations referred to in .3, final requirements for chemical tankers should be
developed.

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2 The Committee reiterated the decision taken at its last session that chemical tankers or gas carriers are to be
fitted with a suitable inert gas system to be used in accordance with the intent of the SOLAS Protocol when
carrying petroleum (MARPOL, Annex I) products.

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3 The Committee agreed that the above system would be accepted for an interim period for chemical tankers
and gas carriers certified in accordance with the Bulk Chemical and Gas Carrier Codes, as providing an
equivalent protection against fire and explosion as that required by Regulation 60 of the 1978 SOLAS
Protocol, provided that the ships comply with a limitation of washing machine outputs to be identified by the
joint working group on inert gas systems for chemical tankers and with requirements concerning special fire
training of the crew, special fire watches and additional interim precautions which will be approved by the
Committee on the basis of specific proposals by the Sub-Committees on Fire Protection and on Bulk
Chemicals .
4 However, the Committee requires further investigation into equivalent protection for all flammable chemicals,
and eventually the introduction of final requirements for chemical tankers and gas carriers based on these
investigations.
5 Member Governments are invited to take note of the above decision by the Maritime Safety Committee.

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