3.1 Segregation of the cargo area
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - International Codes - 1983 IGC Code - International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk - Chapter 3 Ship Arrangements - 3.1 Segregation of the cargo area

3.1 Segregation of the cargo area

  3.1.1 Hold spaces should be segregated from machinery and boiler spaces, accommodation spaces, service spaces and control stations, chain lockers, drinking and domestic water tanks and from stores. Hold spaces should be located forward of machinery spaces of category A, other than those deemed necessary by the Administration for the safety or navigation of the ship.

  3.1.2 Where cargo is carried in a cargo containment system not requiring a secondary barrier, segregation of hold spaces from spaces referred to in 3.1.1 or spaces either below or outboard of the hold spaces may be effected by cofferdams, fuel oil tanks or a single gastight bulkhead of all-welded construction forming an A-60 class division. A gastight A-0 class division is satisfactory if there is no source of ignition or fire hazard in the adjoining spaces.

  3.1.3 Where cargo is carried in a cargo containment system requiring a secondary barrier, segregation of hold spaces from spaces referred to in 3.1.1 or spaces either below or outboard of the hold spaces which contain a source of ignition or fire hazard should be effected by cofferdams or fuel oil tanks. If there is no source of ignition or fire hazard in the adjoining space, segregation may be by a single A-0 class division which is gastight.

  3.1.4 When cargo is carried in a cargo containment system requiring a secondary barrier:

  • .1 at temperatures below -10°C, hold spaces should be segregated from the sea by a double bottom; and

  • .2 at temperatures below -55°C, the ship should also have a longitudinal bulkhead forming side tanks.

  3.1.5 Any piping system which may contain cargo or cargo vapour should:

  • 3.1.5.1 be segregated from other piping systems, except where interconnections are required for cargo-related operations such as purging, gas-freeing or inerting. In such cases, precautions should be taken to ensure that cargo or cargo vapour cannot enter such other piping systems through the interconnections;

  • 3.1.5.2 except as provided in chapter 16, not pass through any accommodation space, service space or control station or through a machinery space other than a cargo pump-room or cargo compressor space;

  • 3.1.5.3 be connected into the cargo containment system directly from the open deck except that pipes installed in a vertical trunkway or equivalent may be used to traverse void spaces above a cargo containment system and except that pipes for drainage, venting or purging may traverse cofferdams;

  • 3.1.5.4 except for bow or stern loading and unloading arrangement in accordance with 3.8 and emergency cargo jettisoning piping systems in accordance with 3.1.6, and except in accordance with chapter 16, be located in the cargo area above the open deck; and

  • 3.1.5.5 except for thwartship shore connection piping not subject to internal pressure at sea or emergency cargo jettisoning piping systems, be located inboard of the transverse tank location requirements of 2.6.1.

  3.1.6 Any emergency cargo jettisoning piping system should comply with 3.1.5 as appropriate and may be led aft externally to accommodation spaces, service spaces or control stations or machinery spaces, but should not pass through them. If an emergency cargo jettisoning piping system is permanently installed a suitable means of isolation from the cargo piping should be provided within the cargo area.

  3.1.7 Arrangements should be made for sealing the weather decks in way of openings for cargo containment systems.


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