Waterfront Shipping Company Limited

Methanol

- What you need to know to be SAFE -

Methanol

So what is this stuff ???????

Firstly, methanol can also be known by several other names:

Methyl alcohol Methyl hydrate Methyl hydroxide Wood alcohol

Methanol

Chemically – this is what it looks like

and this is its chemical formula :- CH3OH

Methanol

The black is the carbon atom.

Attached to that are three hydrogen atoms – in white.

Also attached to the carbon atom is one oxygen atom, in red, which in turn has another hydrogen atom attached to it.

Methanol

In the real world, is this water or not – be careful !!!!!!

It might also be:-

Gin or Vodka or even

METHANOLVisually, you cannot tell the

difference

Methanol

So assuming that it is in fact methanol and therefore (unfortunately) not gin or vodka – can methanol harm me ????

And the answer is YES

Methanol has been around since the days of the early Egyptians and people have been using it incorrectly from that time, right up to the present day with quite often, fatal results.

Methanol – health effects

If you swallow it, inhale it or absorb it, (depending on the quantity) you run the risk of it being dangerous to your health.

The initial symptoms of methanol intoxication are indicated by the Central Nervous System being depressed, i.e:

Headache / dizziness / nausea / lack of coordination / confusion / drowsiness and with a sufficiently large dose, unconsciousness and death.

Methanol – health effects

So what do we mean by a “sufficiently large dose” ??

Generally, this is now accepted as being 100 to 125 ml or 4 fl oz – that’s all it takes.

Once the initial symptoms have subsided, a second set of symptoms will appear between 10 to 30 hrs after the initial exposure.

This is due to the build up of toxic material in the blood and may result in respiratory failure.

Methanol

So don’t even think of drinking it or else you will be very sick and most likely, will die.

Methanol – personal safety

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS

wear the appropriate personal protective equipment when handling methanol.

Methanol – first aid

Do not get it into your eyes or ears, or onto your face, hands and skin.

If that happens, especially with your eyes, you must rinse thoroughly with fresh water for at last 15 minutes and seek medical assistance.

Methanol – first aid

Methanol - fire

Lets talk about fire, does this stuff burn?

Yes it does, BUT in daylight you cannot see any flames at all – they are invisible !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At night, you may be able to see a faint blue flame.

Methanol - fire

Also there is no smoke, so the only indication you will have of methanol being on fire is possibly seeing the heat waves rising.

No smoke, hmm, where is the wind coming from ?

If you are at sea, maybe you need to alter course and speed to keep the fire away from crucial areas of the vessel.

Methanol - fire

Also make sure YOU STAY UPWIND of the fire

Methanol - fire

If you are going to fight the fire with a fire extinguisher, a dry powder one is probably the best choice.

Methanol - fire

But if you start to fight the fire with water, remember that it will continue to burn with at least 4 parts of water

to 1 part of methanol.

So you need to use lots of water.

Methanol - fire

OK, maybe more like this

Methanol - fire

Methanol - fire

Methanol – tank safety

Remember that a methanol concentration above 200 ppm will be harmful to you as an individual.

If the cargo tanks on your vessel are less than 3,000 CBM’s, then the current law states that you do not need to have the tanks inerted – they can be left full of methanol vapour.

Lets talk about this vapour stuff

Methanol - vapour

Remember you cannot see it and in all probability you may also not be able to smell it.

If there is zero wind over the decks when you are loading then the vapour that is ejected from the P/V valves will just hang around over the decks and not disperse.

You have to be safe and try to get yourself away from this vapour as continuously breathing it into your lungs is definitely not healthy.

Methanol tank entry

So do you really need to go into the tanks?

If yes, then how do you know the tank is safe to enter?

What precautions do you take before entry- have you taken ALL safety measures?

Have you completed a checklist?

Have you checked the tank atmosphere?

Do you have a man on stand-by at the tank access hatch?

Do you know that you can be overcome by fumes just by looking into the open tank access hatch without wearing breathing apparatus?

Methanol tank entry

CHECK

CHECK

CHECK

Methanol - safety

And do not go into the tank without this bit of safety gear

Methanol - safety

Or perhaps

this

Because of this

Health effect due to lack of oxygen

% Oxygen Effects & symptoms

23.5 Maximum ‘safe level’ (23.5% is often the high level alarm setting on most O2 detectors)

21 Typical O2 concentration in breathable air

19.5 Minimum ‘safe level’ (19% is often the low level setting on most O2 detectors)

15-19 First signs of hypoxia. Decreased ability for strenuous work. May induce early symptoms in persons with coronary, pulmonary or circulatory problems

12-14 Respiration increase with exertion, pulse rate increases, impaired muscular coordination, perception & judgement

10-12 Respiration further increases in rate and depth, poor judgement, lips turn blue

8-10 Mental failure, fainting, unconsciousness, ashen face, blueness of lips, nausea, vomiting, inability to move freely

6-8 6 minutes exposure – 50% probability of death

8 minutes exposure – 100% probability of death

4-6 Coma in 40 seconds, convulsions, respiration ceases, death

Methanol - Safety

So what else is there to be aware of?

You already know about this one, so smoke ONLY in designated places in the accommodation and NEVER on deck.

Methanol - Safety

Make sure that the tools you use on deck do NOT have the capability of producing a spark.

This is really, really bad !!

Methanol - Safety

Nobody but nobody should have a cell phone powered up on deck.

If you see ANYONE with a cell phone on deck, check to see if it is powered down, if not, tell them to turn it off.

Methanol - Safety

Your communications radios (VHF or UHF) MUST be “intrinsically” safe and should only be able to operate on 1 watt power setting.

Methanol - Safety

If you see anyone using a flash camera that is not intrinsically safe tell them that it is not allowed and do not take NO for an answer.

Methanol - Safety

Finally, no matter what:-

Make absolutely sure that all the PPE and safety equipment issued to you or supplied by the ship is ALWAYS in 100% operational condition.

If you find that something is wrong – TELL SOMEONE – PREFERABLY THE SAFETY OFFICER OR THE MASTER do not walk away and assume that someone else will fix it.

Remember that YOU are responsible for your own well being and safety.