Liquefied Gas Carrier

Home page||| LNG handling ||| LPG handling||| Other Gas products||| Fire & Safety||| Emergency response |||

Engine and boiler room precaution for liquefied gas carriers

Care should be taken to ensure that cargo vapour does not enter the engine or boiler room from any source. Special attention should be paid to engine room equipment connected to the cargo plant e.g. the inert gas plant, with its cooling water system. Particular care is necessary if LNG cargo vapour is used as fuel.Cargo vapour, whether toxic or flammable, should be vented to atmosphere with extreme caution, taking account of regulations and weather conditions.



Combustion Equipment

Boiler tubes, uptakes, exhaust manifolds and combustion equipment are to be maintained in good condition as a precaution against funnel fires and sparks. In the event of a funnel fire, or if sparks are emitted from the funnel, cargo operations are to be stopped and, at sea, the course is to be altered as soon as possible to prevent sparks falling onto the deck. When flashing a boiler or starting to burn gas all purging operation to be carried out as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

At Finished with Engines the propeller shaft is to be stopped, Main Stop Valves closed, Auto Spin or Steam Blasting to be switched off and M.E. Turning Gear engaged. The action of engaging the Turning Gear will trip the Main Turbine but it is good practice to manually trip the Main Turbine before attempting to engage the Turning Gear.

At completion of discharge or loading the M.E. Turning Gear is not to be disengaged until the hard arms are disconnected from the vessel. It is the responsibility of the deck OOW to ensure this has been carried out before giving the engine room one hours notice of departure from the berth. This is to ensure no rotation of the propeller occurs with subsequent movement along the berth with the hard arms still connected.

Prior to manoeuvring or operation in restricted waters both boilers should be coupled and two turbo alternators should be running and in parallel on the Main Switchboard. All plant affecting propulsion, steering, power generation and safety should be in good order. Where appropriate stand bye machinery should be in the stand by condition.

Blowing Boiler Tubes

Funnel uptakes and boiler tubes should not be blown in port. At sea they should only be blown in condition where soot will be blown clear of the tank deck. If anybody finds that sparks are falling on the upper deck from the funnel, he shall report it to the officer on watch, and shall keep watching it carefully. Soot blowing at sea shall be carried out after consultation with the Officer of the watch. Do not let black smoke and sparks go out of the funnel. Soot blowing is prohibited.

Flammable liquids

Flammable liquids or other volatile liquids for cleaning or other purpose are to be kept in closed, unbreakable and correctly labelled containers and in a suitable compartment when not in use. Direct skin contact with cleaning liquids is to be avoided. Cleaning liquids should preferably by non-flammable and non-toxic.

Oil spillage and leakage

Oil spillage and leakage are to be avoided and the floor plates are to be kept clean.

Fuel and lubrication oil

Fuel or lubricating oils can be ignited by contact with hot surface even in the absence of the external flame or spark. Care is to be taken to ensure that fuel or lubricating oil does not touch hot surfaces; if leakage causes oil to spray or fall on to a hot surface, the source of oil is to be isolated immediately.


Cargo Vapour

Care should be taken to ensure that cargo vapour does not enter the engine or boiler room from any source. Special attention should be paid to engine room equipment connected to the cargo plant e.g. the inert gas plant, with its cooling water system. Particular care is necessary if LNG cargo vapour is used as fuel.

If malfunction of equipment, explosion, collision or grounding damage should give rise to a situation where cargo vapour is likely to enter the machinery space, immediate consideration should be given to its possible effect on the operation of equipment. Any necessary action should be taken; e.g. isolating the source, closing access doors, hatches and skylights, shutting down mechanical ventilation system, auxiliary and main machinery, or evacuation.

Apart from the obvious hazards, diesel engines are liable to over-speed and destroy themselves if flammable vapour is present in the air supply, even at concentrations well below the lower flammable limit (LFL). It is recommended that diesel engines are fitted with a valve on the air intake to stop the engine in these circumstances.




If the cargo vapour is heavier than air it may accumulate on deck and enter accommodation spaces. Standard precautions should therefore be observed. In some cases it may be possible to heat vapour before venting to reduce its density and assist dispersion. If such facilities are provided they should be used.



Related Information:



Potential sources of ignition and safety precautions for gas carrier

Fire hazards and precautions against statistic electricity in liquefied gas carrier

Cargo Information - physical and chemical properties necessary for the safe containment of the cargo

Mooring requirements for gas carrier

Emergency Towing-Off Wires (Fire Wires) for gas carrier

Means of access to ship - gas carrier guideline

Access control in gas carrier - Precautions against Visitors

Standards for use of Mobile-phone in gas carrier

Precautions against abnormal weather or other conditions

Dispersal of Vented Cargo Vapours

Openings in Deckhouses and Superstructures

Engine and Boiler Room Precautions

Ship’s Readiness to Move

Indicating Regulation Signals

Lashing of Movable Articles










Related article:

Benifits of compressed gas technology









// Home page/// LNG handling /// LPG handling/// Sea transport /// Gas products///

Cargo work ///Fire precautions ///Health hazards ///Safety Precautions

///Emergency response ///




Copyright © Liquefied Gas Carrie.com All rights reserved.


The content published in this website are for general reference only. We have endeavoured to make the information as accurate as possible but cannot take responsibility for any errors. For latest information please visit www.imo.org . Any suggestions, please Contact us !

///Links &Resources // Terms of use/// Privacy policy///Home page///