2.1 These Guidelines apply to the assessment of
alternative designs of oil tankers to be constructed of steel or other
equivalent material, as required by SOLAS regulation II-2/11. Designs for tankers intended to be constructed
of other materials or incorporating novel features (e.g. non-metallic
materials) or designs which use impact-absorbing devices should be
specially considered.
2.2 The approval procedure of these Guidelines
applies to oil tankers of sizes up to 350,000 dwt. For larger sizes
the approval procedure should be specially considered.