F44F44(June(cont)2020)(Rev.1Aug 2008)(Rev.2Oct 2010)(Rev.3
Sep 2024)

Fore peak ballast tanks and spacearrangements on oil & chemical tankers
Definitions
The following definitions apply in this UR.
Hazardous area means an area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is present, or may be
expected to be present, in quantities such as to require special precautions for theconstruction, installation and use of equipment.
Non-hazardous area means an area that is not a hazardous area.
Cargo area of tankers are defined in:- for tankers to which regulation 1.6.1 of SOLAS Chapter II-2 as amended by IMO
resolutions up to MSC.421(98) (hereinafter the same) applies, regulation 3.6 ofSOLAS Chapter II-2:- for chemical tankers, Paragraph 1.3.6 of the IBC Code as amended by IMO
resolutions up to MSC.460(101):
1 Fore peak ballast tanks and space arrangements on tankers for oil and/or chemicals
1.1 The fore peak tank can be ballasted with the system serving other ballast tanks within thecargo area, provided:a) The vent pipe openings are located on open deck at a distance from sources ofignition as required by IEC 60092-502:1999 Electrical installations in ships –Tankers – Special features; This requirement does not apply to sounding
arrangements.

Note:
1. Rev.2 of this UR is to be uniformly implemented by IACS Societies on ships contracted forconstruction on or after 1 January 2012.
2. Rev.3 of this Unified Requirement is to be uniformly implemented by IACS Societies on
ships contracted for construction on or after 1 January 2026.
3. The “contracted for construction” date means the date on which the contract to build thevessel is signed between the prospective owner and the shipbuilder. For further details
regarding the date of “contract for construction”, refer to IACS Procedural Requirement(PR) No. 29.

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F44F44(cont)b) Access to the fore peak tank is direct from open deck. Alternatively, indirectaccess from the open deck to the forepeak tank may be from a pump-room, deep
cofferdam, pipe tunnel, cargo hold, double hull space, bosun’s store or similar
compartment not intended for the carriage of oil or hazardous cargoes,
conforming to the requirements of SOLAS II-1/3-6.3.1. Electrical equipment insuch indirect access shall be of the certified safe type suitable for use in thehazardous area it opens into or shall be isolated before entry.
c) Continuous ventilation is maintained while accessing the forepeak tank.
d) The sounding arrangement to the fore peak tank is direct from open deck.
e) The forepeak tank is gas freed direct from open deck, or through a dedicatedtrunk to open deck. Before the manhole and the entrance of the dedicated trunk
are opened, the trunk and the forepeak tank shall be confirmed as made gas free.
Means are to be provided to free the space of gas without opening manholes orthe entrance to a dedicated trunk. Manholes on the open deck and away fromsources of ignition at the top of the dedicated trunk which are used to gas-free thespace are allowed to be opened.
f)

The fore peak ballast tank is considered as a hazardous zone 2 if segregated fromcargo area with a cofferdam, or as a hazardous zone 1 if located adjacent to acargo tank. For tankers where a bow thruster space is provided, the piping
passing through the non-hazardous bow thruster room shall be fully welded and it
is required to have the collision bulkhead valve located within the forepeak tank.

g) Means are to be provided on the open deck by a suitable portable instrument, toallow detection of toxic and flammable vapours within the FPT (based on thecargoes carried in current voyage, and since last de-ballasting of FPT was carriedout), in order to ensure the FPT is fully gas freed. In the case that sounding
arrangements can be used as the means for the portable instrument additional
means for the purpose is not required.
2 Additional requirements for forward spaces not being defined as a ballast tank
2.1 Any spaces, voids and/or indirect accesses from the open deck or intermediate space
being located adjacent to cargo tanks, and/or are defined as hazardous area zone 1 or 2,
shall follow the same requirements to openings and access as reflected for fore peak ballast
tanks in section 1.
2.2 In case any spaces or voids are defined as non-hazardous spaces and have access toother non-hazardous spaces (such as bosun store), the following applies:a) For any non-hazardous space with access to a hazardous space (example: fore peakballast tank), the non-hazardous space must have access directly to open deck andshall be gas freed directly from open deck, and not through the non-hazardous space(example: bosun store).
b) Access from bosun store to a non-hazardous space (example: void) having access tohazardous space (example: fore peak ballast tank) may be accepted through a gas
tight bolted manhole, with signboard stating that the non-hazardous space cannot beentered until the space is confirmed gas free. Separation of such spaces aredescribed in IEC 60092-502:1999 section 4.1.4 and 4.1.5 as applicable.
The following figures illustrate the above points:

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F44F44

Arrangements shown in samples 1, 2, 5 and 6 are applicable to both oil tankers and chemicaltankers(cont)

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F44

F44(cont)

Arrangements shown in samples 3 and 4 are applicable to oil tankers only.
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F44F44(cont)End ofDocument

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