Circular
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Pollution Prevention and Response - PPR.1/Circular.9 - Revised Carriage Requirements for Methyl Acrylate and Methyl Methacrylate – (24 July 2020) - Circular

Circular

 1 The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), at its seventy-fourth session (13 to 17 May 2019), adopted amendments to the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (the IBC Code) by resolution MEPC.318(74). The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), at its 101st session (5 to 14 June 2019), also adopted the amendments to the IBC Code by resolution MSC.460(101). The revised IBC Code adopted by these resolutions is hereafter referred to as the 2019 amendments to the IBC Code.

2 The Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR), at its seventh session (17 to 21 February 2020), noted that the carriage requirements for the products "Methyl acrylate" and "Methyl methacrylate" contained in the 2019 amendments to the IBC Code did not contain special requirements 16.6.1 and 16.6.2 in column "o" of chapter 17.

3 The Sub-Committee also noted that these products were liable to undergo polymerization under certain conditions and are therefore protected by additives in order to mitigate this tendency. Elevated temperatures can initiate or speed up the polymerization process, and such products should therefore not be exposed to excessive heat.

4 The Sub-Committee further noted that in the existing carriage requirements for these products (resolutions MEPC.250(66) and MSC.369(93)), special requirements 16.6.1 and 16.6.2 are assigned in column "o" of chapter 17 of the IBC Code, requiring segregation from heated cargo tanks and that heating coils shall be blanked off or secured.

5 The Sub-Committee therefore agreed, in order to mitigate the exposure to excessive heat and the possible initiation of the polymerization process, that the revised carriage requirements for "Methyl acrylate" and "Methyl methacrylate" in the annex to this circular should in this exceptional case be used in lieu of the carriage requirements contained in the 2019 amendments to the IBC Code.

6 The Sub-Committee further agreed that the revised carriage requirements should be included in List 1 of MEPC.2/Circ.26 (to be issued on 1 December 2020), with validity for all countries and no expiry date, and that ships carrying "Methyl acrylate" and "Methyl methacrylate" should therefore have the products listed in the addendum to the Certificate of Fitness, and not among the list of products in the Certificate of Fitness.

7 Member Governments and international organizations are invited to bring this information to the attention of all parties concerned.

Parent topic: PPR.1/Circular.9 - Revised Carriage Requirements for Methyl Acrylate and Methyl Methacrylate – (24 July 2020)
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