Ad Hoc Panel #11

Evaluation of Accidental Oil Spills from Bunker Tanks

Last revised: April 1, 2005 (IMO developments)

Previous revisions: June 27, 2003 (IMO paper & Panel status)
December 3, 2002 (Interim report to IMO)
October 4, 2000 (Panel created)

Latest Information on the Activities and Working Papers Page

Introduction

This panel is the eleventh in a series of ad hoc panels formed under the T&R Steering Committee banner. Bunker oil spills have been attracting increasing public and industry attention due to recent collision and grounding casualties in environmentally sensitive areas. An initial study, "Evaluation of Accidental Oil Spills from Bunker Tanks (Phase I)", was sponsored by the Ship Structure Committee and SNAME. This Ad Hoc Panel has been formed to continue work on the bunker spill problem from a vessel design perspective. The arrangement and protective location of bunker tanks can have significant ramifications for different types of vessels. The intention of this Panel is to establish the relative risk of bunker spills, review current bunker tank design practices, perform cost-benefit analyses of varying bunker tank arrangements, and assess the impact of potential bunker tank/spill performance standards. The current status of the Panel's activities will be reported on the Activities and Working Papers page.

Ad Hoc Panel Charter  Activities and Working Papers - Summary of current status and activities.  Members of Ad Hoc Panel #11 - Listing of all the Panel members.  Background Information

Contacts - Arthur Haskell, Chairman Ad Hoc Panel #11 (arthur.haskell@alum.mit.edu) or Jim Person (jperson@comdt.uscg.mil)

WHAT'S NEW

1. New draft MARPOL regulation for the protection of bunker tanks developed at IMO - At the 48th session of the International Maritime Organization’s Ship Design and Equipment Sub-Committee (February 2005) an agreement was reached on a new draft MARPOL regulation for the protection of fuel tanks. The Ad Hoc Panel's technical input on a performance based methodology to assess oil outflow from bunker tanks has been incorportated into the draft regulation. See the Activities and Working Papers page for details.