SIRE 2.0 · LNG and LPG carriers
Gas carrier inspection guide: LNG and LPG under SIRE 2.0
On a gas carrier the inspector keeps coming back to one thing: does the crew stay in control of the cargo’s pressure and temperature — and can they stop everything in seconds if it goes wrong? Here is what is checked and how to prepare, written in our own words.
Updated 11 October 2026 · Written by SeaReady in our own words. Not affiliated with OCIMF, RightShip, CDI, any MoU or any administration — always check the current official documents.
Gas carriers at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Vetting scheme | OCIMF SIRE 2.0 — chapter 8 sections for LPG, LNG and all gas carriers |
| Code | IGC Code — Certificate of Fitness with the list of cargoes the ship may carry |
| Containment | Membrane · Moss spheres · type C pressure tanks · prismatic (type A / SPB) |
| Photo repository | Gas photo template positions (LPG pressurised / refrigerated, LNG membrane / Moss) |
| Key references | SIGTTO Liquefied Gas Handling Principles; SIGTTO ESD Systems (2nd ed., 2021) |
What every gas carrier is checked on
- Emergency shutdown tested before each transfer from ship and shore, with valve closure times measured and written down.
- Overfill alarms on every tank proved before loading; officers know the setpoints and what the alarm shuts.
- Fixed gas detection calibrated with the right span gas; sampling points clear; portable meters bump-tested.
- Relief valve settings match the Certificate of Fitness, and any harbour / sea settings are logged.
- Hold and inter-barrier spaces kept inerted or dry as designed, with gas readings trended and acted on.
- Filling limits worked out for each cargo and temperature, kept with the cargo plan.
- Compressor and motor rooms: airlocks, bulkhead seals, ventilation and detection all working.
- Manifold: certified spool pieces and reducers, water curtain, drip trays and cryogenic PPE at hand.
LNG carriers
- Boil-off handling on this passage — burning as fuel, reliquefaction or the gas combustion unit — and what happens if one trips.
- Custody transfer measurement system calibrated and cross-checked against the back-up gauges.
- Membrane ships: barrier space nitrogen and methane trends, barrier test results, sloshing (part-filling) limits.
- Moss ships: hold space monitoring and how a small leak would be found.
- Cold spots and cofferdam heating watched and maintained; heel and arrival temperature planned for the ballast voyage.
LPG carriers
- Reliquefaction plant performance against the tank pressure trend, loaded and in ballast.
- Inhibitor certificates for cargoes that need them, and incompatible cargoes and refrigerants physically separated.
- Toxic cargoes such as ammonia: detection, escape sets, showers that work in cold weather, and briefed crew.
- Grade changes, sampling and purging done to a written plan with readings to prove it.
- Type C tanks: test dates, vacuum protection and insulation; prismatic tanks: the hold spaces around them.
The crew questions
Expect short scenarios: “liquid is spraying from the manifold — what do you do first?”, “the reliquefaction plant has tripped — what now?”, “which relief valve setting are you on?”. Good answers are specific to this ship and this cargo, said without reaching for the manual.
The rest of SIRE 2.0 applies to gas carriers too — see the SIRE 2.0 checklist, the questions by rank and the photo repository guide.
Questions seafarers ask
Which inspection do gas carriers get?
LNG and LPG carriers are vetted under OCIMF SIRE 2.0, like oil and chemical tankers. Chapter 8 has its own LPG, LNG and common gas sections, and a few gas items sit in other chapters (hull survey file, release drills, deck water spray, dry powder, gas detection, compressor rooms). Port State Control applies at every port as usual.
What do inspectors test hardest on a gas carrier?
The emergency shutdown (including the ship–shore link and valve closure times), the overfill alarms, gas detection, relief valve settings, the atmosphere in hold and inter-barrier spaces, and whether the officer on watch can explain tank pressure and boil-off handling on this passage.
Does the containment type matter?
Yes. Membrane ships are asked about barrier spaces, nitrogen use and sloshing limits; Moss ships about hold spaces and small-leak protection; type C (pressurised) LPG ships about pressure vessel tests and insulation; fully refrigerated prismatic tanks about the hold spaces around them.
Is SIGTTO guidance part of the inspection?
SIRE 2.0 gas questions lean on SIGTTO publications such as Liquefied Gas Handling Principles and ESD Systems (2nd edition, 2021). Inspectors expect practice on board to match that guidance and the ship’s own cargo operation manual.
Work through the gas items on board
SeaReady puts every gas item inside the SIRE 2.0 chapters (mostly chapter 8): about 50 questions split LNG / LPG and by containment type, each with what good looks like, the evidence, the inspector’s view and the OCIMF number — plus a gas interview set in the mock inspector.
Free toolkit, no card. Works offline at sea once installed.
Related guides
- SIRE 2.0 inspection checklistChapter by chapter: what the inspector looks at and the evidence to have ready.
- SIRE 2.0 questions by rankSample interview questions for every rank and how inspectors judge the answer.
- SIRE 2.0 photo repositoryThe 36-photo template, the extra tanker positions and keeping photos current.
- CDI inspection guideThe 10th edition report, gradings, the 14-day window and AEPS chapters.