Carriage, Handling and Storage of Dangerous Goods along

VESSELS 83
To deliver the required levels of safety, the Safety Management System will need to address all
activities undertaken in the operation of the tanker together with possible situations that may arise
which would affect the safety of the tanker or its operation. The end result should be a safe system for
work. ISM is not an obligation for inland waterway barges. If the owner or operator of the barge wants
to comply with the ISO 9001 requirements in European countries, however, they need a quality system.
Part of the requirements of the quality system is developing an instruction manual that deals with
procedures and instructions for good management of the barge and that should carefully be followed
by all crewmembers under supervision of the captain.
The oil, petrochemical and chemical industries use tank barges for the transport of products along
canals, rivers and estuaries. In general, these barges are not owned by the companies themselves
but by independent owners/operators which range in size from a few owning large fleets down to
individuals who own (and frequently master) a single barge.
In Europe, oil companies want to assure themselves that the barge being hired is fit for purpose,
conforms to all legislative requirements and is operated in a safe manner to ensure protection of
the environment and safety of both the crew and the general public. Representatives of the most
important oil companies have made up a questionnaire, a checklist to check the general condition of
the tanker barge and the competence of the crew. Known as the European Barge Inspection Scheme
(EBIS), the questionnaire is extensive and includes items such as barge certificates and statutory
records, barge manning certificates, training, health and safety, drug and alcohol policy, firefighting and
lifesaving equipment, environmental protection, cargo transfer operation, wheelhouse and navigation,
mooring, engine room, operational safety, barge appearance and cargo measurement and cargo
custody. In this way, barge owners and operators are forced to have a safety management system and
keep the barge in good working condition. If tanker barges do not comply with this checklist on one or
more items, they are not allowed at the terminal of the oil company that participates with EBIS until
the item is resolved. The questionnaire is filled in by an authorised inspector on a regular basis. The
interval of these inspections depends on the age of the barge (for barges older than 20 years, it is every
6 months).
References
• ISGINTT, Chapter 9;
• IMO Resolution A.741 (18); and
• European Barge Inspection Scheme (EBIS).
Technical and Management
Shipping companies should set up safety management systems (using the ISM Code for seagoing
vessels, for example) that take into account all relevant legal and other requirements. It should be
the company’s policy to ensure that all jobs are done as safely and environmentally-friendly as possible,
that high-risk dangerous situations are identified and preventive measures taken, that lessons
are learnt from past mistakes and that these do not recur, and that the approach of all personnel
towards safety and environmental protection is improved. The safety management system should be
reviewed at least once a year to identify areas for improvement.
Oil companies can make standards for barges before they are accepted at their terminals. Once
accepted, they should be controlled on a regular basis. A standard could be the European Barge
Inspection Scheme (EBIS) checklist carried out by EBIS inspectors at the request of one of the member
oil companies. The objective of the inspection report is to give an accurate assessment of the barge
and her crew covering its operations at the time of the inspection. If the inspection is negative on one
or more items, the tanker barge might be not allowed at the terminal.