Stability Instrument 07.05.2018 14:25In order to help ship owners and operators to deal with new requirements for stability instruments on tankers our company IBICON suggest You the present information.
The new requirements have been introduced to MARPOL Annex I and the IBC, IGC, BCH and GC Codes by IMO Resolutions MEPC.248(66), MSC.369(93), MSC.370(93), MSC.376(93) and MSC.377(93)), respectively, to make the provision of a stability instrument mandatory on board all oil tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers.
New stability instrument requirements will apply to all tankers constructed (keel laid) on or after January 1, 2016. These ships will be required to fit an approved stability instrument, capable of verifying compliance with intact and damage stability requirements.
Tankers constructed (keel laid) before January 1, 2016 must also comply with the requirements (by confirming or upgrading existing equipment, or installing new equipment) at the first applicable scheduled renewal survey of the ship after January 1, 2016, but not later than January 1, 2021.
Owners and operators can apply to their flag administration for a waiver if their vessel is loaded in accordance with approved conditions and falls into one of the following categories:
- tankers that are on a dedicated service, with a limited number of permutations of loading so that all anticipated conditions have been approved in the stability information provided to the master in accordance with the relevant regulations;
- tankers where stability verification is made remotely by a means approved by the administration;
- tankers that are loaded within an approved range of loading conditions;
- tankers constructed before July 1, 2016, provided with approved limiting KG/GM curves covering all applicable intact and damage stability requirements.
