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Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore> Port of Singapore> Operations> Gas Free Information> Preparing Tankers for Gas Free Inspection

Preparing Tankers for Gas Free Inspection

Detailed information for preparation of vessel prior Gas Free Inspection with pursuant to MPA
Regulations is stated below. Port of Singapore
Guidelines for Preparing Vessel for Gas Free Inspection Operations
Vessel Traffic Information
1. Pursuant to Regulation 11 of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (Dangerous Goods,
System
Petroleum and Explosives) Regulations, 2005, any vessel which has carried Class “A” petroleum
Gas Free Information
or Class “B” petroleum as a whole or part of her last cargo has to anchor at a designated
petroleum Anchorage, and she is not allowed to proceed to any place within the port (except Preparing Tankers
proceeding to a special anchorage or an oil terminal) or into the shipyards for repairs unless such for Gas Free
vessel has been certified free from flammable vapour by an Inspector of Petroleum. Inspection
Applying for Gas
2. To enable the vessel to enter port or shipyard for repair without delay, the Master, when preparing Free Inspection
the vessel for certifying free from flammable vapour (gas free inspection), is required to ensure
Applying for
that the following important requirements are complied with:
Anchorage Space to
(a) Prior to the inspection of a vessel, which has carried Class A or Class B petroleum in bulk, the
Conduct Hot-Work
master is required to certify that all empty cofferdams and all the compartments, pumps and
Repair
pipelines which contained petroleum have since the last discharge of such petroleum been
Applying for Berthing
thoroughly cleansed (to state the method of washing) and that the vessel is to the best of his
of Vessels with Bulk
knowledge and belief free from flammable vapour.
Liquid Cargo
(b) All compartments (including cargo tanks, pump-rooms, cofferdams, and void spaces) to be
opened and freed from liquid petroleum and petroleum vapour. As far as possible they must also Hazardous Cargo
be freed from water, sediment, scale and rust or anything which might retain petroleum or its Information
vapour. Port Infrastructure
(c) All valves on cargo lines (including vapour lines if available), both in the tanks and on deck Marine Projects
should be opened and blank flanges removed.
Crew Change
(d) Consistent with docking requirements, permanent segregated ballast tanks are allowed to be in
ballast before issuing the gas free certificate. Services
(e) All slops on board have been discharged and that the slop tanks and any available residue Security
tank onboard are thoroughly cleaned, ventilated and free from flammable vapour. Safety
(f) The bunker tanks must not be contaminated with low flash-point petroleum such as Class “A” or
Craft Licensing and Port
Class “B” petroleum.
Clearance

3. The following points are often overlooked by the Master of the vessel and the cause of gas free Circulars and Notices
certification not being issued: Visiting Seafarers
(a) Gas freeing of cofferdams (the fact that a cofferdam is normally kept full of water does not Tariffs and Charges
mean that it is gas free).
Maritime Legislation of Singapore
(b) Available vapour line openings on deck were not opened at the time of inspection.
(c) Washing of pipelines, including crossovers and other possible ‘dead ends’ and complete
draining thereof.
(d) Removal of sediment, sludge and scale (especially on stringers and similar places).
(e) Cleaning of heating-coils.
(f) Cleaning of manifold lines (including the drip trays).
(g) Emptying of pump-room bilges.

4. The Inspector of Petroleum will inspect the following parts of the vessel with a combustible gas
indicator to determine the presence of flammable vapour:
(i) Pipeline including vapour line openings on deck;
(ii) All empty cargo tanks;
(iii) Cofferdams or void spaces;
(iv) Pump-rooms;
(v) Ballast tanks (if not fully filled with water);
(vi) Slop tanks, residue tank; and
(vii) Bunker tanks (if the vessel is to enter a shipyard).

5. A Gas Free Certificate will be issued to the Master of the vessel only if the Inspector of Petroleum
is completely satisfied that items (i) to (vi) mentioned in para 4 above are free from flammable
vapour. This certificate will only permit the vessel to proceed to other anchorages within the port. If
a Gas Free Certificate for entering a shipyard is required, in addition to being satisfied that items
(i) to (vi) are free from flammable vapour, the gas reading of the bunker tanks (item vii) must also
be 50 % of the lower explosive limit or less. In either case, no hot work is permitted unless the
vessel is further certified pursuant to Workplace Safety & Health (Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing)
Regulations 2008 by qualified safety assessor appointed under MOM.

6. The Gas Free Certificate is valid for a period of 7 days from the date of issue. Notwithstanding the
7-day validity period, any change in the conditions or state of the examined parts of the vessel due
to activities taken place subsequent to the examination, including but not limited to re-ballasting of
tanks, pumping of bunkers, and steaming of pipelines or valves, shall invalidate the Certificate.
Should the Certificate expire or any change in the condition occurred, it is necessary for the
Inspector of Petroleum to re-inspect the vessel and a new Certificate issued thereupon. It is the
responsibility of the Master of the vessel to monitor the expiry date and the condition and should
the Certificate expire or any change occur. It is the responsibility of the Master of the vessel to
inform the Inspector of Petroleum through the vessel's agent in order that a further inspection be
carried out.

7. For further information on Gas Free Inspection, please contact our officer-in-charge at telephone
no. 63252421 or fax no. 63252400.

Footnote
1. Regulation 11 of the MPA of Singapore (Dangerous Goods, Petroleum and Explosives)
Regulations, 2005:
No person shall cause or permit a vessel that is carrying Class ‘A’ or Class
“B’petroleum as the whole or part of the vessel’s cargo or that carried such petroleum
as the whole or part of the vessel’s last cargo to proceed to –
any place within the port unless the following parts of the vessel have been
certified free from flammable vapour by an Inspector of Petroleum:
(i) all cargo compartments and systems connected with the carriage of Class
‘A’ petroleum or Class ‘B’ petroleum; and
(ii) such other parts of the vessel as an Inspector thinks necessary; or
any local shipyards or repair facility, unless an Inspector has inspected the fuel
oil tanks of the vessel and is satisfied that the petroleum vapour in the tanks is
50% of the lower explosive limit or below 50% of the lower explosive limit.
Paragraph (1) (a) shall not apply to a vessel proceeding to a petroleum anchorage
anchorage, a special anchorage or an oil terminal.

2. Class “A” petroleum means any petroleum the flash-point of which is less than 23 degrees Celsius
and includes liquefied petroleum gas.

3. Class “B” petroleum means any petroleum the flash-point of which is 23 degrees Celsius or more
but less than 60 degrees Celsius.

FAQ
Q1: Can the cargo tanks remain in ballast conditions when arranging for gas free inspection with
the MPA’s Port Chemist?

A1: No. The cargo tanks must be emptied and gas freed before arranging for gas free inspection.

Q2: Can tank cleaning be conducted in Singapore Port Waters?

A2: No, tank-cleaning operation can only be carried out when written permission had been obtained from
Port Master, MPA. Further information can be referred to Maritime And Port Authority of Singapore
(Dangerous Goods, Petroleum And Explosives) Regulations 2005, Regulation 13.

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