Carriage, Handling and Storage of Dangerous Goods along

68 RECOMMENDATIONS
ACTIONS
Technical and Management
Pump Room
Ventilation: the use of mechanical ventilation by extraction is required to maintain the atmosphere
in a safe condition.
Gas detection system: should be provided to indicate the presence of explosive gases or lack of oxygen.
An audible and visual alarm should be installed.
Pump room entry procedures: should be in place to control pump room entry. Notices should be displayed
at the entrance, prohibiting entrance without permission, and after checking the oxygen level.
Cargo Pipes and Hoses
Cargo pipes and valves must be constructed following prescribed technical standards (steel thickness,
welding, pipe support) and regularly checked for corrosion or rust spots. They should be regularly
pressure tested (MAWP).
All piping such as cargo pipes, freshwater pipes, ventilation lines and steam lines should be marked
following a colour code to avoid error or confusion. For the same reason, valves should be properly
labelled.
Hoses should be in good condition and properly fitted and rigged to prevent strain and stress beyond
design limitations.
Unused cargo and bunker line connections should be closed and blanked. Blanked flanges should be
fully bolted.
Hoses and pipelines have to be built from a material suitable for the substance handled, including its
temperature and the maximum operating pressure.
Cargo hoses should be clearly marked to allow identification of the products for which they are suitable
or intended, maximum working pressure specified, test pressure and last date of (yearly) testing,
and maximum and minimum service temperature.
Spill Belt and Drip Tray
Spill belts should be constructed on every tanker barge. This is a very useful and simple part of
the vessel's construction, and a very cost-effective method to prevent pollution of he waterways.
Scuppers should be properly plugged during cargo operations and accumulations of water should be
drained off periodically.
The contents of drip trays, portable or fixed under each manifold connection, should be emptied in
slop tanks after cargo operations.
Tank Capacity Measurement
Tank-measurement devices and overfill alarms (audible and visual) should be installed for each cargo
tank, tested each time before cargo operations and marked in the safety checklist.