{"operation":"document","citation":"10-0137","title":"National Oilwell Varco — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2010-08-26","effective_on":null,"summary":"10-0137 response to National Oilwell Varco concerning 178.274.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0137.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0137.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0137","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2010/100137.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nU.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\nAUG 26 2010\n1200 New Jersey Ave. SE\nWashington. D.C. 20590\nMr. Jianke Wang. PH D, PE\nSenior Project Engineer\nNational Oilwell Varco\n2800 N. Frazier Street\nConroe, TX 77303\nRef. No. 10-0137\nDear Mr. Wang:\nThis responds to your July 1,2010 request for clarification ofthe Hazardous Materials Regulations\n(HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). Specifically, you ask whether an intermediate bulk container (lBC)\nis authorized for repeated offshore use \"IN OPEN SEAS\".\nAccording to your letter, you have IBCs and UN/DOT Portable tanks that require certification for\noffshore transportation in open seas (dynamic lifting for offshore oil exploration). You state that\nthe transporting liquid is diesel. You further state that your !BCs are UN tanks, but, they are not\nUN Portable tanks which are also designed and constructed in accordance with the International\nMaritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code's \"Guidelines for the Approval of Containers Handled in\nOpen Seas\" (MSC/Circ.860).\nThe design, testing, and use ofoffshore containers are not addressed in the HMR. IBCs, portable\ntanks, or other container types designed for multi-modal transportation ofhazardous materials in\naccordance with the IMDG Code or the HMR are generally not considered suitable as offshore\ncontainers unless they are also specially designed to withstand dynamic lifting and impact forces\nlikely to be encountered during open sea operations. If your IBCs meet the additional requirements\nas contained in MSC/Circ.860, then they may also be suitable for open sea operations. If you have\nany additional questions regarding offshore containers or offshore operations, please contact the\nU.S. Coast Guard, Office of Operating and Environmental Standards (CG-522), 2100 2nd Street,\nSW, Washington, DC 20593-7126, Ph: (202) 372-1401, Fax: (202) 372-1926.\nI hope this answers your inquiry. If you need further assistance, please contact this office.\nSin~ ~\nBen Supko\nActing Chief, Standards Development\nOffice ofHazardous Materials Standards\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\nDrakeford, Carolyn (PHMSA)\nFrom: INFOCNTR (PHMSA)\nSent: Thursday, July 01, 20104:26 PM\nTo: Drakeford, Carolyn (PHMSA)\nCc: DerKinderen, Dirk (PHMSA)\nSubject: FW: Request for Formal interpretations to the Questions about UN IBC & Portable Tanks for\nOffshore Diesel Transportation in Open Seas.\nCarolyn,\nRob\nCould you assign this for a written interpretation of the regulations.\nFrom: Wang! Jianke [mailto:Jianke.Wang@nov.com]\nSent: Friday! February 12! 2010 11:41 AM\nTo: INFOCNTR (PHMSA)\nSubject: Request for Formal interpretations to the Questions about UN !BC & Portable Tanks for Offshore Diesel\nTransportation in Open Seas.\nCompleted via email by RB on 2/12 @ 1217 pm\nDear Sir/Madam,\nWe have some UN/DOT IBC tanks and some UN/DOT Portable tanks that need to be certified for offshore\ntransportation in open seas (dynamic lifting for offshore oil exploration). The transporting liquid is diesel.\nAs I am reading the Dot CFR 49 code, I have some questions about the UN/Dot Tanks going offshore IN OPEN\nSEAS.\nIBCs are UN tanks. But they are not UN Portable tanks. The UN Portable tanks, which are also designed and\nconstructed in accordance with the \"Guidelines for the Approval of Containers Handled in Open Seas\"\n(MSC/Circ.860) specified in the IMDG Code, are suitable for repeated offshore use. This is specified in Section\n178.274. It also says: for open seas operations, \"the words 'OFFSHORE PORTABLE TANK' must be marked\non the identification plate.\"\nHowever, in Dot CFR 49 code, I could not find any recommendations for the offshore application of IBC in\nopen seas.\nIs IBe (Intermediate Bulk Container) suitable for repeated of1:.,hore use IN OPEN SEAS? If yes, could you\nplease tell me which section of CFR 49 deals with this specific application?\nThanks in advance for your helps.\nBest regards,\n.Hanke Wang, Ph.D., P.E.\nSenior Project Engineer\nNational Oilwell Varco\n2800 N Frazier St\nConroe, TX 77303\nTel: 936-523-2634\n1\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nFax:936-523-2788","truncated":false,"body_characters":4073}