Who buys packing and jointing on board, and why
Engine-room jointing and gland packing are usually raised by the second or chief engineer, door and hatch packings through the chief officer or bosun — practice, not a written rule. The rule is SOLAS regulation II-1/3-5: installing materials that contain asbestos has been prohibited since 1 July 2002 with a few exceptions, and on all ships without exception since 1 January 2011.[1]
IMO’s circular on the ban notes that asbestos keeps being found in joints, insulation and sealants on ships that started free of it, because of shipyard repairs and spare parts bought later — and that the principal remedy rests with shipyards and ship suppliers buying and installing asbestos-free material. Where a contravention is found, removal is expected within three years.[1]
The inventory of hazardous materials adds a second reason. The Hong Kong Convention entered into force on 26 June 2025, and IMO’s guidelines treat gaskets as fixed items; their indicative asbestos list names gaskets for manholes and hand holes, gland packing, valve gland packing and flange packing on steam, exhaust and fuel lines. The EU Ship Recycling Regulation applies its asbestos prohibition to all ships, and non-EU-flag ships calling at EU ports come within its inventory rules.[3,2,4]
What requisitions ask for
Gaskets and joint sheets are the largest group in IMPA section 81 — spiral-wound, flange and non-asbestos fibre sheet — followed by V-belts, gland packings, sealing and bonding items, heat-insulation pipe covers, PTFE products, gauge-glass materials and resin-based repair products. PTFE rings, door packings, emergency repair patches and porthole glasses complete it.
A gasket line gives the flange standard and rating, size, material and thickness; a sheet line the material, size and thickness; a packing line the material, cross-section and service — rotating or static, steam, oil or water. Engineers often name the brand already in use for sealants and repair compounds; say whether yours is that product or an equivalent.
| Group | IMPA items |
|---|---|
| Gaskets / Joint Sheets | 822 |
| V-Belts | 424 |
| Packings | 351 |
| Sealing & Bonding Items | 239 |
| Heat Insulation Pipe Covers | 184 |
| Teflon Products | 101 |
| Gauge Glass Materials | 82 |
| Resin Based Maintenance Products - Weicon Products | 73 |
Counted from the IMPA-coded catalogue this site is built on. Every group is browsable in the section 81 catalogue.
Buying guides buyers read for this section
- Watertight Door Packing EPDM Rubber — Sizes & How to Order
- STOPIT Flat Patch Leak Sealant Kit 4" & 6": Ship Repair
- Compressed Non-Asbestos Fibre Gasket Sheet (CNAF) — Ships
- Spiral Wound Gaskets JIS, DIN, ASME: R, IR, OR, IOR Types
- Gland Packing for Pumps — Braided Non-Asbestos, by Section
- PTFE Flange Gasket Rings PN16 & Class 150, 2 or 3 mm
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
- Asbestos-free declaration
- IMO asks that every item installed comes with a statement of compliance with SOLAS, which may be an asbestos-free declaration — and recommends random confirmation, so expect the buyer to test.[1]
- IHM Material Declaration (MD)
- The MD carries the date, an identification number, supplier, product name and number, whether the Table A and B materials are present above threshold, and the mass of each constituent. Asbestos (A-1) has no threshold. IMO’s definition of supplier includes traders and agencies, not only manufacturers.[2]
- Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC)
- The SDoC assures that the MD conforms and names the responsible entity; it stays valid as long as the product is on board, and the supplier is expected to have a company policy on chemical substances in its products.[2]
- EU-call extras
- EMSA’s guidance asks suppliers to provide MD and SDoC even when nothing is above threshold, with a supplement covering PFOS and HBCDD for the EU regulation. Norway accepts purchase-order procedures that require suppliers to send both in the applicable format.[5,6]
Quoting packing and jointing on GeoMarineHub
Attach the asbestos-free declaration and the MD/SDoC pair to the quote, or say they ship with the goods. Give sheet size and thickness, ring dimensions and the temperature and pressure limits of the material — the engineer chooses packing by service, and a cheaper sheet that will not hold steam loses on the first inspection.
Packing lines travel with valves and electrical stores on the engine-room requisition. On GeoMarineHub, choose section 81 among your categories and activate your ports; lines from the section posted there reach you, and bids are sealed. Register as a supplier — free.
Sources
- [1] IMO — MSC.1/Circ.1374/Rev.1, Information on prohibiting the use of asbestos on board ships (IRI copy) — https://www.register-iri.com/wp-content/uploads/MSC.1-Circ.1374-Rev.1.pdf
- [2] IMO — Resolution MEPC.379(80), 2023 Guidelines for the development of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials — https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/Environment/Documents/RES.MEPC.379(80)%20IHM.pdf
- [3] IMO — Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships — https://www.imo.org/en/about/Conventions/Pages/The-Hong-Kong-International-Convention-for-the-Safe-and-Environmentally-Sound-Recycling-of-Ships.aspx
- [4] EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) No 1257/2013 on ship recycling — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32013R1257
- [5] EMSA — Best Practice Guidance on the Inventory of Hazardous Materials — https://emsa.europa.eu/tags/download/4476/2874/23.html
- [6] Norwegian Maritime Authority — Circular IC 5-2020, IHM certification and the use of SDoC and MD — https://www.sdir.no/en/regelverk/circulars/ihm-certification-and-the-use-of-supplier-declaration-of-conformity-sdoc-and-material-declaration-md/
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.