Dangerous goods

Drewry Shipping Consultants identified a trend back in 2006, saying that at that point, up to 10% of the world's containerised cargoes comprise declared dangerous goods: allowing for the port industry handling at both ends of the sea journey, this would put it at around 20 million teu last year. However, Drewry also made the point that a higher percentage may now be involved given the increasing volume of chemicals now moving globally.

Due to the fact that such cargoes have inherent dangers associated with them, both for people and the environment, there is an international system for developing and publishing rules aimed at ensuring safety in the transport chain.

For the maritime mode, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code deals with all aspects of the movement of packaged dangerous goods by sea: its Amendment 35 is about to come into effect in January.

However, there is considerable concern regarding the degree of non-compliance with the Code by shippers, despite the many millions of tonnes carried perfectly safely around the world every year.

There have been major accidents, particularly at sea, and problems can be caused if, for example due to misdeclaration, a container carrying heat sensitive cargo is stowed right up against a bunker tank that needs pre-heating before use... it is a recipe for disaster. Further, dangerous goods cargoes can cause storage and handling problems within the ports as well.

In 1991 an explosion caused by unidentified chemical substances occurred in the Dangerous Goods warehouse of Bangkok Port, with consequent loss of life and damages amounting to around US$8 million.

There are nine classes of dangerous goods in the UN system of classification and many are incompatible with other classes or even within the same class. For example, you should not put flammables and oxides together – because if one causes a fire the other will make it rage. So the only answer in the transport chain is to put aside space to segregate them and the IMDG Code has clearly defined rules for achieving this.

In the case of bulk, it is IMO’s International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code that is relevant - and even apparently innocuous cargoes can cause problems when shipped in bulk. Coal can self combust given the right conditions, say, large amounts in a hold or stockpile and a high sulphur content.

Both the Codes are crucial to the safe transport of dangerous cargoes and from January both will be mandatory and both are on a bi-yearly review cycle, with a transitional year before coming into force. There are those who may wonder why it is necessary to have such regular and repeated reviews and why such large-scale efforts are made to ensure that the Codes are up to date.

In fact, there are a number of reasons: these include changes in the knowledge of articles and substances, experience of incidents and the question of shippers wishing to carry varying cargoes. There are some 4 million chemicals known in the world, whilst only some 60,000 are said to have been transported by sea at one time or another.

A further motive for the ongoing review system is the Holy Grail of harmonisation. Whilst there are only two truly international Codes (air and sea), there are European road (ADR) and rail (RID) regional Codes and also an inland waterways (ADN) Code. RID was first published in 1897 and ADR in 1957. All now come under the umbrella of the UN Committee of Experts Recommendations on the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods (known at the Orange Book and which pertains to all modes of transport). This was first published in 1956.

Such a diversity of Codes can mean that a shipper can find it very difficult if, for example, a total multimodal journey includes road, sea and air, because this means three separate Codes are involved. Difficult but not impossible – but it would be much simpler if the regulations could be fully harmonised and this is a goal toward which great strides have been made in recent, successive reviews.

One of the more recent mandatory provisions, which applied from the beginning of this year, is training shore side employees involved with packaged dangerous goods anywhere from the factory to the shipside. Given the level of lack of compliance with the IMDG Code this is clearly crucial – who will want untrained persons making declarations or deciding on packaging, packing or marking?

However, nearly one year on there is evidence that this has yet to be fully taken up and means that there is a need for cargo interests to sit up and take notice. After all, it is their cargo.

Mike Compton is chairman of the International Safety Panel, ICHCA International.