Proceedings Of The Marine

FALL 2015

Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.

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83 Fall 2015 Proceedings www.uscg.mil/proceedings (IMO) standards. As discussions expanded to include gases or low-fashpoint fuels as fuel sources, MERPAC amended its recommendations to encompass all fuels cited in the International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-fashpoint Fuels (IGF Code), and it continues to develop recommendations as the related domestic and international standards mature. It is worth noting that other Department of Homeland Secu- rity committees as well as the Coast Guard advisory com- mittees were also tasked to address issues related to vessels carrying natural gas or using natural gas as fuel. For exam- ple, the Coast Guard's Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee was tasked to identify gaps in current policy and Most ships today use a petroleum-based fuel. However, due to the environmental benefts and the abundance of alterna- tive fuels like liquefed natural gas (LNG), a new category of ships are being built. In some instances, operators retroft existing ships to use these fuels. Concurrent with the ves- sel design or retroft process, operators must ensure that mariners employed on these ships are properly trained with regard to these low-fashpoint fuels. In this case, there is currently a training and certifcation process that can serve as a resource for these new standards. This will help ensure that mariners who serve on LNG car- riers that use the boil-off from their cargo as a fuel source receive appropriate training. Of course, there are differences between ships that carry liq- uefed natural gas as cargo and vessels that only specifcally use gases or low-fashpoint fuels as a fuel source, so any new training standards must ensure mariners can safely handle and operate the specialized and modifed equipment involved with alternate fuels. Moreover, by applying the lessons learned from LNG cargo operations and assessing duties and the operational risk, we can develop training tailored to ensure safe and effcient LNG-as-fuel operations. Training Guidelines In 2012, the Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Com- mittee (MERPAC) developed recommendations for training mariners who would sail aboard these ships. Recognizing the similarities and differences between LNG cargo car- riers and vessels only using natural gas as a fuel source, MERPAC originally adapted the tankerman liquefed gas training requirements to develop recommended training guidelines to meet International Maritime Organization Mariner Training Alternative fuel competency. by Mr. dAvis J. brEyEr Marine Transportation Specialist Maritime Personnel Qualifcations Division U.S. Coast Guard Ms. MArgArEt doylE Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee Chair LNG Working Group Planning for the Renaissance Course Review To help schools develop their courses, Coast Guard personnel voluntarily review submitted courses designed to meet the training guidance found in CG-OES Policy Letter 01-15. Courses that meet this guidance are issued a letter attesting to conformance with the training. It is envi- sioned that if training regulations are published in the future, institutions that previously submitted courses will be required to re-submit their course materials for approval, in accordance with the appropriate regula- tions. For more information, please contact the Coast Guard's National Maritime Center at NMCCOURSES@uscg.mil.

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