History

IGC CODES
History
Realising a massive increase in transporting liquified gases in bulk has raise the verge of the
safety matters. This was to ensure the safe carriage with minimal risk for the crew and for the
environment. Since it was adopted to Resolution A.212(VII) the Code for the Construction
and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (Bulk Chemical Code),
MSC has ordered for a code to cover the carriage of liquified gases in bulk. During the
International Conference on Marine Pollution, 1973, adopted with Resolution 16 the
amendments related to the prevention of pollution by liquefied gases carried in bulk was
being taken into consideration at its thirty second’s session of MSC. Since the designs of the
ship are evolving too soon adopt Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying
Liquefied Gases in Bulk (Gas Carrier Code).Hence the government were to provide to take
proper actions and preventions in order for the Codes to be implemented and notify the
organisation.
Since 1 July 1986, the International Code of the Construction and Equipment of Ships
Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code) has been mandatory under SOLAS chapter
VII, as adopted by resolution MSC.5(48). The IGC Code applies to all ships, even those with
less than 500 gross tonnage, that are transporting liquefied gases with a vapour pressure
greater than 2.8 bar absolute at 37.8°C, as well as certain additional substances listed in
Chapter 19 of the Code.
Objective
The aim of this goal is to establish an international standard for the safe carriage of liquefied
gases and the substances listed in Chapter 19 by prescribing the design and construction
standards of ships involved in such carriage, as well as the equipment they should carry, in
accordance to reduce the risks, while taking into account the nature of the products involved.
This code is mainly deliberated to reduce the risk as much as possible according to the
advancement of technology and applicable knowledges.
Improvement and Impact of FSS Code
The International Code of the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied
Gases in Bulk (IGC Code), adopted by resolution MSC.5(48), has been mandatory under
SOLAS chapter VII since 1 July 1986 (Canton, 2021). In accordance with the 102nd session,
the following amendments to the IGC Code have been made.
The old IGC Code prohibited anything other than methane vapour / boil off gas from being
burned in the main propulsion plant of gas carriers; however, the new IGC Code expressly
permits, subject to acceptance by the Flag State and ensuring the same level of safety as for
LNG, the use of other non-toxic gas cargoes as fuel (Grdinic, 2016). This is a beneficial
development for the LPG and ethane carrier sector since it will provide them more freedom.
The revised IGC Code provides the opportunity for unique confinement system
configurations to be developed. This is accomplished by defining functional criteria and
safety principles for containment systems, and it departs from most of the previous IGC
Code's approach to containment system design, which was criticised by some as being
unnecessarily restrictive.
Furthermore,The previous IGC Code allows for a maximum level fill of 98%, although an
owner may ask permission from their Flag State to surpass that restriction (Christodoulou &
Fernandez, 2021). The revised IGC Code, no likely in response to an increasing number of
petitions from owners to Flag States to enable additional filling limits, lays out the parameters
that must be met to raise the filling limit above the basic limit of 98 percent, up to an absolute
maximum of 99.5 percent. Although an absolute limitation is now defined, the new IGC
Code rules should provide gas carrier owners more leeway to design gas carriers with higher
loading limits without seeking consent from their Flag States.
By adopting the international standard, the regulations are brought up to date and more
contemporary. The Swedish Transport Agency, via the revision, guarantees that we have a
contemporary regulatory framework that is continuously updated to reflect technological
advancements in the shipping industry,the new standards impose more stricter criteria on the
design and construction of ships that transport liquid gas over water. In the long run, the
implementation of the new IGC Code will result in safer navigation for liquefied gas tankers
because of the criteria set on the building of such vessels. Because of this, it is possible that
the frequency of incidents involving liquefied gas tankers may reduce or at the very least stay
stable. This may also result in an upgraded infrastructure to satisfy the demands of the sector
in terms of LNG and related fuels in general (Maritime, 2016).
At various stages of the Code's development, it was determined that it required to be based on
the principles of audio marine architects and engineers (Dodds, 2016). The most up-to-date
understanding of the dangers associated with the many goods encapsulated; similarly, fuel
carrier design is intricate and constantly evolving, and the Code cannot remain static.
Consequently, the Switching control Code is updated on a regular basis to include new
information and technological improvements. The most recent comprehensive revisions to
the IGC Code were approved by a vote of the membership.
Gas carriers constructed prior to the implementation of the Code for the Construction
Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (GC Code) shall be compliant with the
Code for Existing Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (COSCLGB). “The Code for
Existing Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk, on the other hand, should be followed
by gas carriers who had already begun trading prior to the implementation of the GC
Code” (Byun et al., 2019).
Following major accidents or stranding’s, cargo tanks may sustain damage and uncontrolled
product spills (Joseph & Dalaklis, 2021). In certain instances, this kind of discharge may
result in product evaporation and dispersion, as well as brittle fracture of the ship's hull. The
criteria in the codes are intended to mitigate these risks or hazards based on current
knowledge and technology.
Reference

Dodds, M. (2016). International code for the construction and equipment of ships carrying
liquefied gases in bulk – IGC code 2016 - transport - UK.
https://www.mondaq.com/uk/marine-shipping/508698/international-code-for-the-
construction-and-equipment-of-ships-carrying-liquefied-gases-in-bulk-igc-code-2016
Grdinic, J. N. (2016). Improving Safety at Sea Through the Compliance with the
International Maritime Safety Codes. Journal of maritime research, 13(1), 5-14.

Joseph, A., & Dalaklis, D. (2021). The international convention for the safety of life at sea:
https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Safety/Pages/IGC-Code.aspx.
International Maritime Organisations.(2016). IGC Code: International Code for the

Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (2016 Edition)

History

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

History

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

History

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

IGC CODES

Improvement and Impact of FSS Code

International Maritime Organisations.(2016). IGC Code: International Code for the

You might also like