The safe use of natural gas as marine fuel was in focus at the International Conference on Liquefied Natural Gas for Transport and Industry in Naples, Italy (10-11 May). IMO’s Loukas Kontogiannis gave an update on IMO regulations on the subject, specifically, the International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code), which entered into force on 1 January 2017.
Gas and other low-flashpoint fuels are cleaner for the atmosphere as they emit very low levels of air pollutants, such as sulphur oxides and particulates. However, these fuels pose their own safety challenges. Therefore, the Code aims to minimize the risk to ships, their crews and the environment.