DSC-14 proposed an interpretation of “adjacent to hot areas”.
The IMSBC Code stipulates that brown coal briquettes and coal shall not be stowed adjacent to hot areas and that the master is to ensure that this cargo is not stowed adjacent to such areas.
This issue was discussed by the International Maritime Organisation’s subcommittee on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC) at their 14th meeting in London recently.
The DSC has proposed the following interpretation of “adjacent to hot areas”:
Boundary areas of the cargo hold in contact with the cargo having a temperature consistently greater than 55 degrees Celsius during carriage of the cargo, such as sometimes can be experienced when heated fuel oil service tanks and fuel oil settling tanks have a common boundary with the cargo hold.
And
Heated fuel oil tanks adjacent to cargo spaces carrying these cargoes should not normally be regarded as hot areas when the fuel oil temperature is controlled at less than 55 degrees Celsius; this temperature is not exceeded for periods greater than 12 hours in any 24-hour period; and the maximum temperature of the fuel oil does not exceed 65 degrees Celsius.
The above proposal has been forwarded to the Marine Safety Committee (MSC) to be discussed and possibly approved at MSC 87 from 12 to 21 May 2010.