Who buys measuring tools on board, and why
The chief and second engineers raise most of this section, in practice. For fuel sampling the IMO guidelines name the role: the ship’s representative is the master or the officer in charge responsible for receiving bunkers and documentation.[1]
MARPOL Annex VI regulation 18.8.1 requires the bunker delivery note to be accompanied by a representative sample of the fuel delivered. The 2024 IMO sampling guidelines, which replace resolution MEPC.182(59), accept a manual valve-setting continuous-drip sampler or a time- or flow-proportional automatic sampler.[1]
The same guidelines are why sample bottles and seals are a repeat order. The retained sample should be not less than 600 ml, the container filled to 90% ± 5% and sealed with a tamper-proof seal carrying a unique identification, and kept for not less than 12 months after delivery. Sampling equipment must carry no traces of low-flashpoint cleaning solvents.[1]
Atmosphere testing instruments are carried under SOLAS regulation XI-1/7, in force since 1 July 2016: an instrument measuring oxygen, flammable gases or vapours, hydrogen sulphide and carbon monoxide before entry to enclosed spaces, with suitable means of calibrating it — calibration gas and service come back on requisitions.[2,3]
Gauges and torque tools are bought to standards. EN 837-1 covers Bourdon-tube pressure gauges, liquid-filled gauges included, and the tests applied at type approval and in production. ISO 6789-1 covers indicating and setting torque tools, and ISO 6789-2 their calibration.[5,6,7]
What requisitions ask for
Thermometers are the largest group in IMPA section 65, followed by pressure gauges, micrometers, edges and squares, vernier calipers and hand gauges, calipers, compasses and dividers, surface plates and levels, and hydrometers and salinometers. Rules and tapes, scales and balances, engine indicators and detecting instruments complete the list.
A gauge line gives the dial size, range and unit, connection thread and position, and whether it is glycerine-filled; a thermometer line the type, range and stem length. Engine indicators and their spares follow the make of the engine, so a quote that names the model it fits is easier to accept.
| Group | IMPA items |
|---|---|
| Thermometers | 632 |
| Pressure Gauges | 386 |
| Micrometers | 88 |
| Edges / Squares | 85 |
| Vernier Calipers / Hand Gauges | 82 |
| Calipers / Compasses / Dividers | 77 |
| Surface Plates / Levels | 63 |
| Hydrometers / Salinometers | 50 |
Counted from the IMPA-coded catalogue this site is built on. Every group is browsable in the section 65 catalogue.
Buying guides buyers read for this section
- Steel Compasses 75–1200 mm for Marking Out Steel Plate
- Marine Portable Water Test Kit — Drinking Water on Board
- Glycerine Filled Pressure Gauges 63/80/100 mm — IMPA 6531
Each guide tells buyers how to specify the item so bids compare — the same terms your quote will be read against.
Certificates and documents to have ready
- Sampler instructions and clean bottles
- The sampling guidelines expect samplers used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, and containers clean and dry. Ship the instructions with the sampler and seals with unique numbers with the bottles.[1]
- Gas detector manual and Ex certificate
- IMO’s selection guidelines ask for an intrinsically safe instrument, a battery life of at least 10 hours, remote sampling, clearly defined calibration requirements and a manual in the ship’s working language.[4]
- Torque tool declaration and calibration
- ISO 6789-1 sets the minimum content of a declaration of conformance; calibration certificates and measurement uncertainty are described in ISO 6789-2.[6,7]
- Pressure gauge test record
- EN 837-1 defines type-approval and production piece tests; offering the test record with gauges for critical service is reasonable, though no source we read makes it mandatory on board.[5]
Quoting measuring tools on GeoMarineHub
Repeat the range and connection on every gauge line — a 0–10 bar gauge offered for a 0–16 bar line is a different item — and say whether calibration certificates are included or charged.
Measuring lines travel with hand tools and valves. On GeoMarineHub, choose section 65 among your categories and activate your ports; lines from the section posted there reach you, sealed from rivals. Bunker buyers read our page on the bunker delivery note. Register as a supplier — free.
Sources
- [1] IMO — MSC-MEPC.2/Circ.18, Guidelines for the sampling of fuel oil for MARPOL Annex VI and SOLAS chapter II-2 (2024) — https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/Environment/Documents/annex/MSC-MEPC.2-Circ.18%20-%20Guidelines%20For%20The%20Sampling%20Of%20Fuel%20Oil%20For%20Determination%20Of%20Compliance%20With%20Marpol%20Annex...%20(Secretariat).pdf
- [2] BG Verkehr (German flag) — Circular 04/2015, Carriage of atmosphere testing instruments for entering enclosed spaces — https://www.deutsche-flagge.de/de/redaktion/dokumente/ism-rundschreiben/Circ2015_4_engl.pdf
- [3] IMO — Enclosed space ship safety rule enters into force (SOLAS XI-1/7) — https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/Pages/Enclosed-space-ship-safety-rule-enters-into-force.aspx
- [4] IMO — MSC.1/Circ.1477, Guidelines to facilitate the selection of portable atmosphere testing instruments (Vietnam Maritime Administration copy) — https://vimawa.gov.vn/f/circ%201477.PDF
- [5] BS EN 837-1 Pressure gauges — Bourdon tube pressure gauges (BSI Knowledge) — https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/pressure-gauges-bourdon-tube-pressure-gauges-dimensions-metrology-requirements-and-testing
- [6] ISO 6789-1:2017 Hand torque tools — Part 1 (EVS catalogue) — https://www.evs.ee/en/iso-6789-1-2017
- [7] ISO 6789-2:2017 Hand torque tools — Part 2: calibration (EVS catalogue) — https://www.evs.ee/en/iso-6789-2-2017
A practical page for suppliers, not legal or certification advice. Conventions, class rules and flag requirements change; the issuing body, the buyer's specification and your contract have the last word.