In 2010, the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) published the International Safety Guide for Inland Tank-barges and Terminals – or ISGINTT, as it is known within the industry. This Guide provides best-known safety practices on the operation of tank-barges and terminals. It is meant not to replace legal requirements, but to supplement them. Now the Guide is undergoing its first revision with the expectation that the updated Guide will be published 2017. Everybody interested and being familiar with the Guide is invited to contribute to this revision via the ISGINTT’s website (www.isgintt.org) Feedback button.
The Guide was developed by experts from various companies. The European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), the European Barge Union (EBU), the European Skippers Organization (ESO), the European petroleum refining industry (FuelsEurope), the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), the Federation of European Tank Storage (FETSA), the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), and the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) guided and supported the development. The OCIMF “International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals” (ISGOTT), 5th Edition and, for certain chapters dealing with gaseous products, the SIGTTO “Liquefied Gas Handling Principles on Ships and In Terminals” were used as templates to avoid gaps and assure compatibility in ship/barge interfaces. The Guide was published initially in English language. In order to ensure widespread use, the Guide was also published in the working languages of the CCNR, i.e. Dutch, French and German. The CCNR as well as organisations and companies, with their financial contributions, made the translations possible.
In recent years, it became apparent, that the Guide is not entirely fit for its purpose. It contains a number of mistakes, some purely linguistic, others possibly also factual. The Guide also contains, to a significant extent, maritime content and wording. This was difficult to avoid, as two guides developed for maritime navigation served as templates for the ISGINTT Guide. As legal requirements have developed since the publication of the Guide, certain content needs to be adapted. The Guide should also become attractive by shedding unnecessary and outdated content.
Experts, mainly from shipping companies and terminal operators, undertake the revision. The work is split between thematic subgroups, coordinated under the umbrella of the ISGINTT Working Group. The ISGINTT Steering Committee provides guidance and structure for the Working Group and decides on matters of policy. The Steering Committee is open to representatives of the participating organisations.
The Working Group has received valuable feedback via the ISGINTT website, be it proposals for adding new text or a modification of an already existing text. The Working Group hopes to receive even more in order to develop a revised version of the ISGINTT Safety Guide that is as up-to-date and as close to best practices of inland navigation tank barges and terminals as possible.
Strasbourg, 13 February 2023