CDI inspection guide: preparing a chemical or gas tanker for the CDI-M scheme

• Vessel Particulars Questionnaire (VPQ) current, cross-checked against the certificates on board.
• Ship Information Document (SID) sent to the inspector several days ahead — around 15% are audited against the ship, so it must be exact.
• Crew experience matrix with real ranks, time in rank and chemical cargo experience.
• Electronic certificates verifiable from outside the ship at least 2 days before — test the links from a shore connection.

Documents

• Every cargo on board, and booked next, listed on the Certificate of Fitness.
• P&A Manual approved and matching how tanks are really stripped and prewashed.
• Safety data sheets for every grade, current, at the CCR and the manifold.

Cargo operations

• Compatibility checked between neighbouring tanks, lines and previous cargoes.
• P/V valves on the maintenance plan, with test records and clean flame screens.
• Closed gauging and sampling used where the product requires it.
• Tank entry permits with real gas readings for the last cargo and a rescue plan.

Health and safety

• A PPE matrix per cargo, and the right PPE at the manifold.
• Toxic exposure monitoring with detector tubes or meters in date — and crew who can use them.
• Decontamination showers and eyewash stations tested; MFAG available.

Pollution prevention

• Cargo Record Book entries complete and countersigned where a surveyor attended.
• Overboard valves sealed and the seal log matching the valves.
• Manifold spill kit complete; drip trays clean and plugged.

People and machinery

• Officers can explain the hazards of each cargo on board — flammability, toxicity, reactivity, inhibitors — in their own words.
• An AB at the manifold knows the emergency stop and what to do for a spill or exposure.
• Cargo pump trips, high-level and overfill alarms tested; gas detection calibrated with span gas in date.

A self-inspection where every answer is “yes” is a warning sign. Raise findings yourselves, note where the evidence is for each answer, and close them with dates. If the inspector checks an answer on the spot, it should stand up.

Most chemical tankers also face SIRE 2.0 — see the SIRE 2.0 checklist and the photo repository guide.