Following its investigations into fires and explosions on chemical tankers and smaller product tankers, the Inter-industry Working Group (IIG) suggested that the IMO should give consideration to the application of inert gas to NEW product tankers of less than 20,000 DWT and new chemical tankers. The IIG report suggested that if the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) wished to consider the application of inert gas to existing vessels, this should only be on the basis of a full Formal Safety Assessment (FSA), including a cost/benefit analysis.
Following on from this, Norway submitted a paper to the 82nd session of the MSC, in December 2006, claiming that the existing SOLAS regulations are too complex and that industry guidance (i.e. ISGOTT and the ICS Chemical tanker Safety Guide) is inadequate. On this basis the submission proposed a new work programme item for the BLG Sub-Committee regarding the application of Inert Gas to both both new and existing vessels. After lengthy discussions, during which it was pointed out that no justification had been offered for the assertions in the Norwegian paper, the Maritime Safety Committee decided not to accept the proposal and to ask the Sub-Committees on Fire Protection (FP) and Design and Equipment (DE) to look into the issue and report back.
The FP Sub-Committee decided in January 2007 to recommend that "consideration" be given to both the disadvantages and potential benefits of fitting Inert Gas to new ships. With regard to the existing fleet it was decided that any discussion should be put in abeyance until the outcome of deliberations on the requirements for new ships. In March 2007 the DE Sub-Committee agreed to follow the line taken by FP. The Maritime Safety Committee took the views of the Sub-Committees on board and agreed that new item should be added to the agenda of the FP Sub-Committee, to look into this issue, on the basis first of new ships and depending on the outcome of discussions, the possibility of the MSC then later looking into the issue of whether there would be any appropriate measures for existing ships taking into account RES A900(21).
In its discussions the FP Sub -Committee is to look into the pros and cons of inert gas for such vessels and take into account the different operational demands on chemical tankers and the difficulties inherent in fitting such equipment to smaller chemical tankers. The MSC also made clear the need for essential data to be submitted and discussed prior to further consideration being given to extending IG requirements.