Mandatory MSDS for bunkers

The provision of 'Material Safety Data Sheets' (MSDS) for bunker fuels becomes mandatory on July 1, 2009
The provision of 'Material Safety Data Sheets' (MSDS) for MARPOL Annex I type cargo in bulk and marine fuels becomes mandatory as of July 1, 2009.
MSDS are to be provided to any ship prior to bunkering fuel oil or gas oil, and to ships carrying MARPOL Annex I cargo in bulk prior to loading, in accordance with SOLAS Regulation V1/5-1.
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was the first major task for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) after its creation.
Chapter VI - Carriage of Cargoes, has to date covered all types of cargo except liquids and gases in bulk. This has been addressed in the new regulation 5-1 on MSDS.
The aim of the IMO regulation is to inform seafarers about the potential hazards associated with the particular type of cargo or fuel received by their ship, such as the effects it may have on health and the environment.
According to IMO recommendations, each MSDS should to provide identification of the substance or mixture, such as the name and trade name of the substances, and of the supplier.
It should also contain identification of hazards and composition of the substances, information on first aid measures, fire-fighting measures, accidental release measures and environmental precautions.
The IMO recommendations for MSDS also say there should be advice on safe handling and storage, including any incompatibilities, appropriate technical precautions and information on physical and technical precautions, stability and reactivity, and toxicological information.
"The original proposals would have required each and every batch of marine fuel to be tested prior to delivery"
Much of the hazards information can be covered under a Globally Harmonized System (GHS) classification of the substance/mixture.
IMO recommendations say the MSDS should contain "The chemical identity and concentration or concentration ranges of all ingredients which are hazardous within the meaning of GHS and are present above their cut-off levels."
Some hazards not covered by the GHS, such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S) require separate identification on the MSDS.
According to the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA), its intervention at the IMO during the process leading up to the regulation has prevented a regulatory regime that would have been impractical and unworkable for the bunker industry.
The original proposals would have required each and every batch of marine fuel to be tested prior to delivery, and a customised MSDS to be issued.
That has been avoided, and the MSDS does not need to be "batch specific" and can be of a more general nature, Ian Adams, IBIA's Chief Executive, explained to Bunkerworld.
Citing the example of a marine gas oil (MGO) or a 380 centistoke (cst) bunker fuel, Adams said there are certain characteristics of those types of fuel that the crew need to know about in order to handle the fuel safely.
He said it means the MSDS can be a generic document for most types of marine fuels, although there are some items which may still require specific tests.
IBIA recently informed its members about a clarification from the 13th meeting of the Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG) committee of the IMO.
It said that "testing of oils and oil fuels need not be carried out each time prior to loading as long as each MSDS reflects the properties and hazards of the product being carried, and that the physical and chemical properties in section 9 of the MSDS can be expressed in a range of values or a specific limit."
Adams said the purpose of the MSDS regulation was to ensure that crew members onboard ships received advise regarding the safe handling of oil cargo or fuel onboard the ship.
IBIA said the original proposals were in danger of making MSDS a "certificate of product quality", warning of potential commercial implications.
Adams stressed that MSDS are supplied to the crew on the receiving vessel, not sent to the office of the bunker buyer.
According to IBIA, providing MSDS at the point of delivery of bunkers to ship is "standard practice", meaning this aspect of the SOLAS convention "is already happening".