Leading classification society (Chairman and President: Noboru Ueda) has released its second version of the Guidelines for Gas Fuelled Ships. This updated version reflects the requirements for the design of natural gas fuelled ships based on the outcome of discussions held at IMO regarding the International Code of Safety for ships using gases or other low flash-point fuels (IGF Code).

With regulations curbing atmospheric pollution and greenhouse gas emissions growing stricter amid stronger calls for a greener shipping industry, the industry is turning towards the use of natural gas as a potential cleaner alternative to liquid fuel oil. Expected reductions in gas prices due to the recent development of non-conventional energy resources such as shale gas has also led to an increase in gas fuelled ship newbuildings and projects.

For this reason, discussions on the IGF Code at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have been accelerated in order to extend safety regulations to this growing sector of the industry. The Code will govern safety aspects of the application of natural gas for propulsion and auxiliary purposes. A draft of the Code has been in place and regularly updated since 2009, and is set to be finalized by 2014.

ClassNK published the Guidelines for Gas Fuelled Ships to provide comprehensive information on key design features including bunkering, hull structure, fire safety, and explosion prevention measures in line with the results of IMO discussions on the IGF Code.

These guidelines are available free of charge via the ClassNK website for those who have registered for the ClassNK “My Page” service. To register for the “My Page” service free of charge, go to ClassNK’s website and click on the “My Page Login” button: www.classnk.com