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In case any pests of concern noticed, the master of the vessel shall be suitably
advised to arrange for fumigation/disinfestation of vessel through an approved pest
control operator under the supervision of PQ officer. The shipping agent shall submit
an undertaking in
Appendix-6 to the officer-in-charge of concerned PQ station along
with payment of supervision charges, if any. The approved pest control operator
in consultation with PQ officer and the master of the vessel draw a gas distribution
plan and accordingly lay the PVC hose pipes through the man holes of each hold and
seal all the openings viz., bilges, natural vents, hatch cover joints with a suitable
adhesive tape and also securely close all common connections with cabin rooms and
engine room and finally seal the manhole covers. He shall check for gas-tightness
of the hatches through pressure test before introducing the gas.
Alternatively in case of modern vessels, which are equipped with forced air injection
and re-circulation system, the gas introduction is done through the air-injection
system.
The approved pest control operator is responsible for taking all kind of safety
measures while introducing the gas, stocking sufficient quantity of respiratory
masks fitted with appropriate canisters at the site of fumigation, adopting first
aid measures, displaying danger signs, cordoning-off the area so as to prevent trespass
by unauthorized persons and closely monitoring the gas concentration during the
introducing of gas into each hatch and thereafter at regular intervals till degassing.
Immediately upon gas introduction, he shall check for gas leakages, if any, with
the help of gas leak detector and seal all the leakage points.
The master of the vessel is responsible for the safety of the crew on board and
posting security person to prevent any trespass into cordoned area and extend necessary
facilities for the pest control operator to stay on board to monitor gas concentration.
At the end of fumigation, the pest control operator shall first remove the seals
of manhole covers and natural vents to facilitate aeration and thereafter the hatch
covers are allowed to open slowly in a phased manner. Alternatively he may open
the seals of exhaust vents and advise the crew to switch-on forced air injection
system to quickly expel the gas from the hatches. The PQ officer shall re-inspect
the hatches and issue a gas-free certificate to facilitate loading of the grain.
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