IMO Sub-Committee Agrees IGC Revision

The draft revised International Code for the Construction & Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (the IGC Code) agreed.

The IGC Code was agreed by the Sub-Committee on Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG) when it met recently for its 17th session.

The revised Code has been developed following a comprehensive five-year review and is intended to take into account the latest advances in science and technology. It will be submitted to the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 92) in June, for approval, with a view to adoption at MSC 93 in 2014.

The IGC Code was first adopted in 1983, to provide an international standard for the safe carriage by sea of liquefied gases (and other substances listed in the Code) in bulk, by prescribing the design and construction standards of ships carrying such cargoes, and the equipment they should carry. The IGC Code was made mandatory under the SOLAS convention for new ships built after 1986.  Various amendments have been adopted since then, but the new draft represents the first major revision of the IGC Code. Provisions of the revised IGC Code will apply to new ships, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Parallel work continued during the session to develop the new international code of safety for ships using gases or other low-flash point fuels (IGF Code), which included preparation of draft amendments to SOLAS to make the IGF Code mandatory. Once finalized, both the draft IGF Code and SOLAS amendments will be put forward to the MSC for approval and adoption as a package. The draft IGF Code focuses on liquid natural gas as fuel but is also intended to cover other low flashpoint fuels.