6.6 Recommendations for specific ship types

 During disembarkation at peak times, the highest average concentration of pollution (exhaust gases) in the vehicle deck will occur furthest away from the ramp, in the proximity of the exhaust air fans. Work on the car deck should therefore be organised to eliminate the need for personnel occupying the area of the car deck in which the pollution concentration is highest.

The embarkation and disembarkation should be organised so that no direct queues form inside the ship or in the ramp opening. The embarkation rate should be suited to the capacity of the fans and the flow of outdoor air supplied.

Embarkation should be organised so that ventilation openings, or air jets in an auxiliary system, are not unnecessarily obstructed.

Drivers should be given printed instructions for embarkation/disembarkation. A suitable leaflet could be given to drivers when the tickets are issued or notices posted for examples: Exhaust fumes constitute a health hazard. Don't start your engine before the signal is given and obey instructions.

On enclosed vehicle decks, instructions to start engines should not be given until doors leading to the ramps are open.

 Most of the cargo on ro-ro ships is handled by vehicles. Large trucks and tractors are used for cargo loading and unloading. Trucks of various sizes are used to stow the cargo in the ro-ro cargo spaces. On enclosed vehicle decks, instructions to start engines should not be given until doors leading to the ramps are open.

It is important to eliminate unnecessary exhaust emissions during cargo handling. The vehicles must be kept moving and queues should not be allowed to form. Avoid having vehicles standing with their engines idling. This applies particularly to any waiting during loading and unloading on board and to vehicles on lifts. At these times the ro-ro cargo spaces should be well ventilated.

It is also important to ensure that supply air and exhaust air openings are kept clear and are not obstructed unnecessarily. Failure to observe this can result in the ventilation system not performing effectively.

Attention should be drawn to the fact that exhaust gases can accumulate in poorly ventilated areas and in low-lying areas. A cold engine discharges twice as much pollution as a warm engine.

 Owing to the general uniformity of cargo on car carriers, effective organisation of embarkation/disembarkation should be possible, thereby avoiding the formation of queues and the resulting unnecessary exhaust emissions.

Drivers should be given printed instructions for driving techniques and should be informed of the importance of not running the engines more than necessary. A vehicle driven slowly and with slower acceleration will emit much less pollutant than a vehicle driven faster and with higher acceleration. Furthermore, a cold engine will often emit twice as much pollutant as a warm engine.

It is therefore recommended that engines be warmed up before the vehicles are driven on board. Vehicles with engines running should not be permitted in the vicinity of the "lashing gang".