NEW CLASS B, C AND D AND EXISTING CLASS B SHIPS:

The following limitations shall apply to the use of oil as fuel: Except as otherwise permitted by this paragraph, no oil fuel with a flashpoint of less than 60 °C shall be used. In emergency generators, oil fuel with a flashpoint of not less than 43 °C may be used. Subject to such additional precautions as it may consider necessary and on condition that the ambient temperature of the space in which such oil fuel is stored or used shall not be allowed to rise to within 10 °C below the flashpoint of the oil fuel, the Administration of the flag State may permit the general use of oil fuel having a flashpoint of less than 60 °C but not less than 43 °C. For ships constructed on or after 1 January 2003 oil fuel having a flashpoint of less than 60 °C but not less than 43 °C may be permitted subject to the following: fuel oil tanks except those arranged in double bottom compartments shall be located outside of machinery spaces of category A; provisions for the measurement of oil temperature are provided on the suction pipe of the fuel pump; stop valves and/or cocks are provided on the inlet side and outlet side of the oil fuel strainers; and pipe joints of welded construction or of circular cone type or spherical type union joint are applied as much as possible. The flashpoint of oils shall be determined by an approved closed cup method. In a ship in which oil fuel is used, the arrangements for the storage, distribution and utilisation of the oil fuel shall be such as to ensure the safety of the ship and persons on board and shall at least comply with the following provisions: As far as practicable, parts of the oil fuel system containing heated oil under pressure exceeding 0,18 N/mm^(2) shall not be placed in a concealed position such that defects and leakage cannot readily be observed. The machinery spaces in way of such parts of the oil fuel system shall be adequately illuminated. By heated oil is meant oil the temperature of which after heating is higher than 60 °C or higher than the current flashpoint of the oil, if this is lower than 60 °C. The ventilation of machinery spaces shall be sufficient under all normal conditions to prevent accumulation of oil vapour. As far as practicable, oil fuel tanks shall be part of the ship's structure and shall be located outside machinery spaces. Where oil fuel tanks, other than double bottom tanks, are necessarily located adjacent to or within machinery spaces, at least one of their vertical sides shall be contiguous to the machinery space boundaries, and shall preferably have a common boundary with the double bottom tanks, and the area of the tank boundary common with the machinery spaces shall be kept to a minimum. Where such tanks are situated within the boundaries of machinery spaces they shall not contain oil fuel having a flashpoint of less than 60 °C. The use of freestanding oil fuel tanks shall be avoided and shall be prohibited in machinery spaces. No oil fuel tank shall be situated where spillage or leakage therefrom can constitute a hazard by falling on heated surfaces. Precautions shall be taken to prevent any oil that may escape under pressure from any pump, filter or heater from coming into contact with heated surfaces. Every oil fuel pipe, which, if damaged, would allow oil to escape from a storage, settling or daily service tank, having a capacity of 500 litres or above, situated above the double bottom, shall be fitted with a cock or valve directly on the tank capable of being closed from a safe position outside the space concerned in the event of a fire occurring in the space in which such tanks are situated. In the special case of deep tanks situated in any shaft or pipe tunnel or similar space, valves on the tank shall be fitted but control in the event of fire may be effected by means of an additional valve on the pipe or pipes outside the tunnel or similar space. If such additional valve is fitted in the machinery space it shall be operated from a position outside this space. In ships constructed on or after 1 January 2003 the controls for remote operation of the valve for the emergency generator fuel tank shall be in a separate location from the controls for remote operation of other valves located in machinery spaces. Safe and efficient means of ascertaining the amount of oil fuel contained in any oil fuel tank shall be provided. Sounding pipes shall not terminate in any space where the risk of ignition of spillage from the sounding pipe might arise. In particular, they shall not terminate in passenger or crew spaces. As a general rule, sounding pipes shall not terminate in machinery spaces. However, where the Administration of the flag State considers that these latter requirements are impracticable, it may permit termination of sounding pipes in machinery spaces on condition that all the following requirements are met: in addition, an oil-level gauge is provided meeting the requirements of subparagraph .2.6.2; the sounding pipes terminate in locations remote from ignition hazards unless precautions are taken, such as the fitting of effective screens, to prevent the oil fuel in the case of spillage through the terminations of the sounding pipes from coming into contact with a source of ignition; the termination of sounding pipes are fitted with self-closing blanking devices and with a small-diameter self-closing control cock located below the blanking device for the purpose of ascertaining before the blanking device is opened that oil fuel is not present. Provision shall be made as to ensure that any spillage of oil fuel through the control cock involves no ignition hazard. Other means of ascertaining the amount of oil fuel contained in any oil fuel tank may be permitted if such means, like the means provided in subparagraph .2.6.1.1, do not require penetration below the top of the tank, and providing their failure or overfilling of the tanks will not permit release of fuel. Means prescribed in subparagraph .2.6.2 shall be maintained in the proper condition to ensure their continued accurate functioning in service. Provision shall be made to prevent overpressure in any oil tank or in any part of the oil fuel system, including the filling pipes served by pumps on board. Any relief valves and air or overflow pipes shall discharge to a position where there is no risk of fire or explosion from the emergence of oils and vapour and shall not lead into crew spaces, passenger spaces nor into special category spaces, closed ro-ro spaces, machinery spaces or similar spaces, situated in ships constructed on or after 1 January 2003. Oil fuel pipes and their valves and fittings shall be of steel or other approved material, except that restricted use of flexible pipes may be permitted. Such flexible pipes and end attachments shall be of approved fire-resisting materials of adequate strength. For valves, fitted to oil fuel tanks and which are under static pressure, steel or spheroidal-graphite cast iron may be accepted. However, ordinary cast iron valves may be used in piping systems, where the design pressure is lower than 7 bar and the design temperature is below 60 °C. All external high pressure fuel delivery lines between the high pressure fuel pumps and fuel injectors shall be protected with a jacketed piping system capable of containing fuel from a high pressure line failure. A jacketed pipe incorporates an outer pipe into which the high-pressure fuel pipe is placed forming a permanent assembly. The jacketed piping system shall include a means for collection of leakages and arrangements shall be provided for an alarm to be given of a fuel line failure. All surfaces with temperatures above 220 °C which may be impinged as a result of a fuel system failure shall be properly insulated. Oil fuel lines shall be screened or otherwise suitably protected to avoid as far as practicable oil spray or oil leakages onto hot surfaces, into machinery air intakes, or other sources of ignition. The number of joints in such piping systems shall be kept to a minimum. Oil fuel lines shall not be located immediately above or near units of high temperature including boilers, steam pipelines, exhaust manifolds, silencers or other equipment required to be insulated. As far as practicable, oil fuel lines shall be arranged far apart from hot surfaces, electrical installations or other sources of ignition and shall be screened or otherwise suitably protected to avoid oil spray or oil leakage onto the sources of ignition. The number of joints in such piping systems shall be kept to a minimum. Components of a diesel engine fuel system shall be designed considering the maximum peak pressure which will be experienced in service, including any high pressure pulses which are generated and transmitted back into fuel supply and spill lines by the action of fuel injection pumps. Connections within the fuel supply and spill lines shall be constructed having regard to their ability to prevent pressurised oil fuel leaks while in service and after maintenance. In multi-engine installations which are supplied from the same fuel source, means of isolating the fuel supply and spill piping to individual engines, shall be provided. The means of isolation shall not affect the operation of the other engines and shall be operable from a position not rendered inaccessible by a fire on any of the engines. Where the Administration of the flag State may permit the conveying of oil and combustible liquids through accommodation and service spaces, the pipes conveying oil or combustible liquids shall be of a material approved by the Administration having regarded of the fire risk. Existing class B ships shall comply with the requirements of paragraphs .2.9 to .2.11, except that a suitable enclosure of engines having an output of 375 kW or less having fuel injection pumps serving more than one injector may be used as an alternative to the jacketed piping system in paragraph .2.9.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-10 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.