Major Vulnerabilities in Designing FSA for an LNG Tanker - Essay Example

Today, LNG carriers are normally known to be the safest carriers or vessels in merchant fleet. LNG vessels are reputable in the industry for various reasons. For instance, they are well designed, constructed, operated, and maintained with a high safety focus on all aspects. The aspects observe various elements of security and safety that are specific to LNG carriers and maritime safety (Vanem et al., 2007). Thus, this paper discusses the essential elements in developing a Formal Safety Assessment for a Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Tanker.

The risk-based regulatory framework, as well as risk-based design processes concepts, will be observed in developing Formal Safety Assessment for an LNG tanker. For instance, this allows that approval of fresh solutions in the design of a tanker. The designs which could guarantee equal or improved safety performance compared to conventional designs although they might violate the existing prescriptive requirements (Chae & Jung, 2017). The FSA on a LNG tanker will look at the various types of tankers initiated. The LNG tankers include container vessels among others.

The main characteristics or elements of the reference LNG tanker include length overall, molded breadth, molded draft design under keel, double bottom depth, double side width, total cargo tank capacity, service speed at design molded draft, and the accommodation capacity (Vanem et al., 2007). These elements are important because the LNG chains shipping phase is the one considered. These elements cover the loading process at the export terminal, the actual voyage as well as unloading process at the end/receiving terminal.

Risks related to exploration of the natural gas, production, and liquefaction, storage as well as regasification of the gas are well thought-out to be out of the scope of the FSAs. Additionally, only the LNG tankers operational phase is considered. The risks connected to the construction, repairs, and scrapping of tanker are also out of scope. Moreover, security matters are considered to be absent in the FSA scope. Additionally, the environmental risks connected to Liquid Natural Gas shipping are considered to be minimal irrelevant because the gas is non-persistent and non-toxic. Thus, the vulnerabilities of most concerns in the FSA are the risks that concern human lives (Vanem et al., 2008). However, risks of third-party people who are on shore do not form part of the scope of vulnerabilities of major concern in this FSA.

The risks are examined investigated in particular risk analyses that concern specific LNG trades or LNG terminals. The issues are related to the LNG terminals placement more than they are on International Maritime Organization regulations on maritime safety (Eleftheria, Apostolos, & Markos, 2016). Therefore, it is more important to design an FSA that shows more or only considerations to the risks to crew and passengers in other vessels and the LNG crew. Lastly, the focus on the FSA should be on accidents of high frequency, and certain scale (Vanem et al., 2007). Accidents classified under small-scale occupational accidents should not be emphasized.

In sum, vulnerabilities that are most emphasized are the ones that involve areas of high-risk of contact, collision, and grounding. However, acknowledging the LNGs physical properties is the best approach to mitigating the risk of arising from a possibility of severe consequences like spill accident as well as the challenge of assuring the LNG tanks will withstand high-energy grounding and collision impacts and stop the accidents from happening. These vulnerabilities are easier to concentrate on and also cost-effective.

References

Chae, C. J., & Jung, Y. C. (2017). A Study on FSA Application to PRS for Safe Operation of Dynamic Positioning Vessel. Journal of Korean Navigation and Port Research, 41(5), 287-296.

Eleftheria, E., Apostolos, P., & Markos, V. (2016). Statistical analysis of ship accidents and review of safety level. Safety science, 85, 282-292.

Vanem, E., Antao, P., de Comas, F., & Skjong, R. (2007). Formal safety assessment of LNG tankers. In Proc 10th International Symposium on Practical Design of Ships and Other Floating Structures, PRADS.

Vanem, E., Antao, P., Ostvik, I., & de Comas, F. D. C. (2008). Analysing the risk of LNG carrier operations. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 93(9), 1328-1344.