Answer
“Sir, there is no separate mandatory Oil Tanker Code like the IBC or IGC Code because oil-tanker requirements were historically incorporated directly into SOLAS and MARPOL Annex I. SOLAS deals mainly with tanker construction and safety, including fire protection and inert gas, while MARPOL Annex I deals with oil-pollution prevention, double hull, ODME, slop tanks, SOPEP and related requirements. Chemical and gas cargoes have much more diverse cargo-specific properties, so dedicated IBC and IGC Codes were developed for them.”
The Nature of Hazards: Crude oil and refined petroleum products share standardized hazards: they are flammable, float on water, and pose a severe surface-pollution risk. They do not react chemically with each other or with the ship’s structure, nor do they require pressure/temperature management to remain liquid. Thus, they are adequately regulated by a single convention: MARPOL Annex I (for pollution) and SOLAS Chapter II-1 & II-2 (for standard construction and fire-fighting).
Chemical & Gas Carriers (The Codes): Gases (regulated by the IGC Code) and Chemicals (regulated by the IBC/BCH Code) pose distinct, highly variable hazards:
Extreme Cryogenics & High Pressures: Gas cargoes must be held under high pressure or cooled down to -163 C (LNG) or -42 C (Propane), requiring specific metallurgy (e.g., Nickel/Stainless steel) to prevent brittle hull fractures.
Chemical Reactivity & Toxicity: Chemical cargoes can be highly toxic, carcinogenic, violently self-reactive (requiring inhibitors), or violently reactive with water and air.
The Structural Solution: Because of these hazards, the IGC and IBC Codes enforce complex engineering design rules (Type 1G/2G/3G and Type 1/2/3 chemical ships) governing damage stability, cargo tank location (minimum distances from the hull side/bottom), maximum filling limits, and material compatibility matrices. Oil tankers simply do not require this level of chemical and thermodynamic containment engineering.