Terminals should issue appropriate instructions to the operators of authorised craft on the use of engines and other apparatus and equipment so as to avoid sources of ignition when going alongside a tanker or a jetty. These will include advice on spark arresters for engine exhausts, where applicable, and on proper fendering. Terminals should also ask for suitable notices to be prominently posted on the craft informing personnel and passengers of the safety precautions to be observed.

If any unauthorised craft come alongside or secure in a position which may endanger the operations, they should be reported to the port authority and, if necessary, operations should cease.

24.10NOTICES

24.10.1.NOTICES ON THE TANKER

On arrival at a terminal, a tanker should display notices at the gangway in appropriate languages stating:

WARNING

No Naked Lights

No Smoking No Unauthorised Persons

No Use of Mobile Phones without Master’s Permission

Alternative wording containing the same warnings may also be used.

Shore personnel should also observe these requirements when on board the tanker.

Photoluminescent notices stating ‘EMERGENCY ESCAPE ROUTE’ together with directional signs, should also be displayed at appropriate locations.

24.10.2NOTICES ON THE TERMINAL

Permanent notices and signs indicating that smoking and naked lights are prohibited should be conspicuously displayed on a jetty in appropriate languages. Similar permanent notices and signs should be displayed at the entrance to the terminal area or the shore approaches to a jetty.

In buildings and other shore locations where smoking is allowed, appropriate notices should be conspicuously displayed.

Emergency escape routes from the tanker berth to the shore should be clearly indicated.

24.11MANNING REQUIREMENTS

A sufficient number of personnel to deal with an emergency should be present on board the ship and in the shore installation at all times during the ship’s stay at a terminal.

Those personnel involved with the operations should be familiar with the risks associated with handling petroleum.

24.12CONTROL OF NAKED FLAMES AND OTHER POTENTIAL IGNITION SOURCES

The hazards associated with smoking, galleys, electrical equipment and other potential sources of ignition, are discussed in Chapter 4.

24.13HELICOPTER OPERATIONS

Helicopter operations must not be permitted over the tank deck unless all other operations have been suspended and all cargo tank openings have been closed.

Helicopter operations should only be conducted in accordance with the ICS ‘Guide to Helicopter/Ship Operations’.

Chapter 25

BUNKERING OPERATIONS

Oil spillages and leakages during bunkering operations are a primary source of operational spills pollution from ships. Experience has shown that many of the bunker overflows and spillages that do occur can be attributed to human error.

This Chapter provides guidance on the planning and execution of bunkering operations and includes an example of a pre-transfer safety check list.

25.1GENERAL

It is essential that all bunkering operations are carefully planned and executed. It should be borne in mind that the pollution caused when heavy fuel oil is spilt is particularly damaging and difficult to clean up.

Personnel involved in the bunkering operation onboard must have no other tasks and must remain at their workstations during topping off. This is particularly important when bunkers are being loaded concurrent with cargo operations, in order that conflicts of interest between operational personnel are avoided.

Reference should also be made to Section 1.6 with regard to the flammability hazards associated with residual fuel oils.

25.2BUNKERING PROCEDURES

Ship operators should require all bunkering operations to be controlled under a procedure forming part of the vessel’s Safety Management System.

The procedure should ensure that the risks associated with the operation have been assessed and that controls are put in place to mitigate these risks. The procedure should also address contingency arrangements in the event of a loss of containment. The operator should consider the following items when producing the procedure:

•Determining that there is adequate space for the volume of bunkers to be loaded.

•Controls for the setting of bunker system valves.

•Determining loading rates for the start of loading, bulk loading and topping off.

•Arrangements of bunker tank ventilation.

•Internal tank overflow arrangements.

•Alarm settings on overfill alarm units.

•Communication with the terminal to establish when bunkering can be undertaken.

•Communications with the bunker supplier prior to commencement to establish and record the loading procedure to be followed and to determine how quantity and quality checks may be carried out, particularly if safe access is needed between the ship and a barge.

•Methods of managing the handling of bunkers which have or may have an H2S content.

•Testing procedures for determining the presence of hydrocarbon or H2S vapours.

Although this Check List is primarily structured for loading bunkers from a barge, it is also considered suitable for use when taking bunkers from a jetty or when loading bulk lubricating oil or gas oil from a road tanker.

25.4.2GUIDELINES FOR USE

The following guidelines have been produced to assist ship and barge operators in their joint use of the Bunkering Safety Check List.

The Bunkering Safety Check List uses statements assigning responsibility and accountability. The acceptance of such is confirmed by ticking or initialling the appropriate box and finally signing the declaration. Once signed, this details the minimum basis for safe operations that has been agreed through a mutual exchange of critical information.

Some of the Check List statements are directed to considerations for which the ship has sole responsibility and accountability, some where the barge has sole responsibility and accountability and others which assign joint responsibility and accountability. Greyed-out boxes are used to identify statements that generally may not be applicable to one party, although the ship or barge may tick or initial such sections if they so wish.

The assignment of responsibility and accountability does not mean that the other party is excluded from carrying out checks in order to confirm compliance. The assignment of responsibility and accountability ensures clear identification of the party responsible for initial and continued compliance throughout the transfer activity.

The responsible persons completing the checklist should be the people carrying out the bunkering operation.

The tanker’s representative should personally check all considerations lying within the responsibility of the tanker. Similarly, all considerations which are the barge’s responsibility should be personally checked by the barge representative. In fulfilling their responsibilities, representatives should assure themselves that the standards of safety on both sides of the operation are fully acceptable. This can be achieved by means such as:

•Confirming that a competent person has satisfactorily completed the checklist.

•Sighting appropriate records.

•By joint inspection, where deemed appropriate.

Before the start of operations, and from time to time thereafter for mutual safety, a members of the barge staff and where appropriate, a responsible officer should conduct an inspections of the barge and the ship to ensure that their obligations, as accepted in the Check List, are being effectively managed.

The Bunkering Safety Check List contains the following sections:

1.Bunkers to be Transferred

A joint agreement on the quantity and grades of bunkers to be transferred, together with agreed transfer rates and the maximum line back pressures.

2.Bunker Tanks to be Loaded

An identification of the tanks to be loaded with the aim of ensuring that there is sufficient space to safely accommodate the bunkers to be transferred. Space is provided to record the each tank’s maximum filling capacity and the available volume.

3.Checks by Barge Prior to Berthing

This section provides the checks to be carried out before the barge goes alongside the ship.

4.Checks Prior to Transfer

This section provides the checks to be jointly undertaken before transfer activities commence.

The numbers in brackets after each of the questions in Sections 3 and 4 relate to the guidance notes for completing the Ship/Shore Safety Check List in Section 26.4, which should be referred to for additional information

The safety of operations requires that all relevant statements are considered and the associated responsibility and accountability for compliance accepted. Where either party is not prepared to accept an assigned accountability, a comment must be made in the ‘Remarks’ column and due consideration given to whether operations should proceed.

Where an item is agreed to be not applicable to the ship, to the barge or to the operation envisaged, a note to that effect should be entered in the “Remarks” column.

The presence of the letters ‘A’’ or ‘R’ in the column entitled ‘Code’ indicates the following:

A(‘Agreement’). This indicates that the referenced consideration should be addressed by an agreement or procedure that should be identified in the ‘Remarks’ column of the Check List or communicated in some other mutually acceptable form.

R(‘Re-check’). This indicates items to be re-checked at appropriate intervals, as agreed between both parties and stated in the declaration.

The joint declaration should not be signed until all parties have checked and accepted their assigned responsibilities and accountabilities.

3. CHECKS PRIOR TO TRANSFER

DECLARATION

We have checked, where appropriate jointly, the items of the checklist in accordance with the instructions and have satisfied ourselves that the entries we have made are correct to the best of our knowledge.

We have also made arrangements to carry out repetitive checks as necessary and agreed that those items coded ‘R’ in the Check List should be re-checked at intervals not exceeding _____ hours.

If to our knowledge the status of any item changes, we will immediately inform the other party.