✔ A typical illustration from the guidebook showing good practice for drum packing.


The training problem is compounded if shippers and packers operate hundreds of miles from the sea and have no natural contact with maritime affairs. The situation is even more difficult if the operation is located in a state or region where business culture is undeveloped, and regulatory compliance is not a priority.


The Club recognises the existence of these knowledge gaps, and seeks to address them by making the new IMDG Code guidebooks available through shipping lines to their customers.


The IMDG Code rules enable the carriage of dangerous goods to be acceptable under managed risk conditions. For example, the carriage of flammable liquid is never without a fire hazard, but provided the ship is fully aware of the hazard, the packaging is adequate and intact, and the stowage and segregation is done according to the IMDG Code rules, the ship should be able to deal with an unexpected incident. The risk is recognised, measurable, minimised and commercially acceptable.


Unplanned risk factors


The substances below are examples of commonly carried dangerous goods with a history of causing serious incidents on ships. Remember, it is not the product but the failure to comply with the IMDG Code that causes incidents.


● Calcium hypochlorite, widely used for water treatment, has a bad reputation for spontaneously igniting in a ferocious way.


● Barbeque charcoal has done the same in a less violent way, resulting in smouldering block stows on deck.


Hanjin Pennsylvania


Causes of dangerous goods incidents


Before looking in detail at how the guidebooks work, it may be useful to look at the nature of dangerous goods, and at the main factors that cause dangerous goods incidents. Then the relationship of compliance with the IMDG Code to risk reduction becomes apparent.


The hazard and risk factors


The IMDG Code requires shippers to identify cargo as dangerous goods if it possesses a known hazard such as flammability, toxicity etc.


4


● Thiourea dioxide, a substance widely used in the paper, leather and textile industries, was not listed as dangerous goods until a number of shipboard incidents caused the experts to classify it as a self- reactive substance.


Why do incidents onboard occur?


Events and circumstances far from the ship can sow the seeds of incidents arising from: 1 Mis-declaration or non-declaration by shippers. 2 Quality and selection of the packaging. 3 Provision and accuracy of documentation. 4 Professionalism of the container packing.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12