Guidelines for gas-fuelled ships

As regulations curbing atmospheric pollution and greenhouse gas emissions grow, stricter amid stronger calls for a greener shipping industry, attention is turning to the potential of natural gas as a cleaner alternative to liquid fuel oil. 
LNG is widely used on vessels designed to transport the commodity and has started to be introduced on other types of ships. Around 30 vessels, including many Norwegian ferries and offshore support ships in the North Sea, are powered by LNG with takeup of the fuel expected to increase in the near future.   
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has developed the International Code of Safety for ships, using gases or other low flash-point fuels (IGF Code) to govern safety aspects of the application of natural gas for propulsion and auxiliary purposes. 
In the new ClassNK guidelines, requirements for the design of natural gas-fuelled ships have been specified based on the current draft of the IGF Code. The guidelines provide comprehensive information on key design features including bunkering, hull structure, fire safety, and explosion prevention measures. 
The guidelines are currently available in Japanese only. The English version will be published in early March and will be available via the ClassNK website at the following URL.
www.classnk.or.jp/account/en/Rules_Guidance/ssl/guidelines.aspx