Answer
Regulated under SOLAS Chapter VII and MARPOL Annex II (governed under the IBC Code and enforced domestically in India via the MS Act, 2025), chemical tankers are classified into three types based on the degree of hazard of the cargoes they are certified to carry:
- Type 1 Ship: Designed to transport Chapter 17 cargoes presenting very severe environmental and safety hazards requiring maximum preventive measures to preclude cargo leakage (e.g., Organic Lead Compounds, Phosphorus). Requires maximum double-hull distance (B/5 or 11.5 m laterally, B/15 or 2 m bottom) and highest damage stability survival standard.
- Type 2 Ship: Designed to transport Chapter 17 cargoes presenting appreciably severe hazards requiring significant preventive measures (e.g., Nitric Acid, Phenol, Acrylonitrile, Isocyanates). Requires double-bottom (B/15 or 2 m) and double-side (760 mm) protection.
- Type 3 Ship: Designed to transport Chapter 17 cargoes presenting sufficiently severe hazards to require a moderate degree of containment (e.g., Toluene, Benzene, Vegetable oils, Lube oil additives). Standard cargo protection without mandatory double-hull buffer limits applied to individual tanks.