IMDG CODE

Development of the IMDG Code

The development of the IMDG Code dates back to the 1960 Safety of Life at Sea Conference, which recommended
that Governments should adopt a uniform international code for the transport of dangerous goods by sea to
supplement the regulations contained in the 1960 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
A resolution adopted by the 1960 Conference said the proposed code should cover such matters as packing,
container traffic and stowage, with particular reference to the segregation of incompatible substances.
A working group of IMO's Maritime Safety Committee began preparing the Code in 1961, in close co-operation with
the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, which in a 1956 report had
established minimum requirements for the transport of dangerous goods by all modes of transport.
Since its adoption by the fourth IMO Assembly in 1965, the IMDG Code has undergone many changes, both in
appearance and content to keep pace with the ever-changing needs of industry. Amendments which do not affect
the principles upon which the Code is based may be adopted by the MSC, allowing IMO to respond to transport
developments in reasonable time.
Amendments to the IMDG Code originate from two sources; proposals submitted directly to IMO by Member States
and amendments required to take account of changes to the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of
Dangerous Goods which sets the basic requirements for all the transport modes.
Amendments to the provisions of the United Nations Recommendations are made on a two-yearly cycle and
approximately two years after their adoption, they are adopted by the authorities responsible for regulating the
various transport modes. In that way a basic set of requirements applicable to all modes of transport is established
and implemented, thus ensuring that difficulties are not encountered at inter-modal interfaces.
IMDG Code classes
For the purposes of this Code, dangerous goods are classified in different classes, to subdivide a number of these
classes and to define and describe characteristics and properties of the substances, material and articles which
would fall within each class or division. General provisons for each class or division are given. Individual dangerous
goods are listed in the Dangerous Goods List, with the class and any specific requirements.
In accordance with the criteria for the selection of marine pollutants for the purposes of Annex III of the
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978
relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78), a number of dangerous substances in the various classes have also been
identified as substances harmful to the marine environment (MARINE POLLUTANTS).
Responsibilities
The classification shall be made by the shipper/consignor or by the appropriate competent authority where
specified in this Code.
Classes, divisions, packing groups
Substances (including mixtures and solutions) and articles subject to the provisions of this Code are assigned to
one of the classes 1-9 according to the hazard or the most predominant of the hazards they present. Some of
these classes are subdivided into divisions. These classes or divisions are as listed below:
Class 1: Explosives
Division 1.1: substances and articles which have a mass explosion hazard
Division 1.2: substances and articles which have a projection hazard but not a mass explosion hazard
Division 1.3: substances and articles which have a fire hazard and either a minor blast hazard or a minor projection
hazard or both, but not a mass explosion hazard
Division 1.4: substances and articles which present no significant hazard
Division 1.5: very insensitive substances which have a mass explosion hazard
Division 1.6: extremely insensitive articles which do not have a mass explosion hazard
Class 2: Gases
Class 2.1: flammable gases
Class 2.2: non-flammable, non-toxic gases
Class 2.3: toxic gases
Class 3: Flammable liquids
Class 4: Flammable solids; substances liable to spontaneous combustion; substances which, in contact
with water, emit flammable gases
Class 4.1: flammable solids, self-reactive substances and desensitized explosives
Class 4.2: substances liable to spontaneous combustion
Class 4.3: substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases
Class 5: Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides
Class 5.1: oxidizing substances
Class 5.2: organic peroxides
Class 6: Toxic and infectious substances
Class 6.1: toxic substances
Class 6.2: infectious substances
Class 7: Radioactive material
Class 8: Corrosive substances
Class 9: Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles
The numerical order of the classes and divisions is not that of the degree of danger.
Marine pollutants and wastes
Many of the substances assigned to classes 1 to 9 are deemed as being marine pollutants. Certain marine
pollutants have an extreme pollution potential and are identified as severe marine pollutants.
IMDG Code made mandatory
Amendments to SOLAS chapter VII (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) adopted in May 2002 make the IMDG Code
mandatory from 1 Janaury 2004.
Also in May 2002, IMO adopted adopted the IMDG Code in a mandatory form - known as Amendment 31.
However, the provisions of the following parts of the Code will remain recommendatory:
chapter 1.3 (Training);
chapter 2.1 (Explosives, Introductory Notes 1 to 4 only);
chapter 2.3, section 2.3.3 (Determination of flashpoint only);
chapter 3.2 (columns 15 and 17 of the Dangerous Goods List only);
chapter 3.5 (Transport schedule for Class 7 radioactive material only),
chapter 5.4, section 5.4.5 (Multimodal dangerous goods form), insofar as layout of the form is concerned;
chapter 7.3 (Special requirements in the event of an incident and fire precautions involving dangerous goods
only).
In practice, this means that from the legal point of view, the whole of the IMDG Code is made mandatory, but
provisions of recommendatory nature are editorially expressed in the Code (e.g. using the word "should" instead of
"shall") to clarify their status.
The mandatory IMDG Code incorporates certain changes relating to specific products, as well as relevant elements
of the amendments to the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations adopted
by the UN Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods at its twenty-first session in Geneva from 4
to 13 December 2000.
The amendments making the IMDG Code mandatory entered into force on 1 January 2004.
Buy the IMDG Code
The IMDG Code (Latest edition - Amendment 34-08) can be bought in hard copy and electronic format from
the IMO Publications section .
Also available is the IMDG Code Supplement, containing several related texts including a new revised EMS Guide,
and the mandatory INF Code.
IMDG Code for Windows v9 (DG200E) and the intranet version (DG201E) will be available
from www.imdgsupport.com
What's in it
The Code lays down basic principles; detailed recommendations for individual substances, materials and articles,
and a number of recommendations for good operational practice including advice on terminology, packing,
labelling, stowage, segregation and handling, and emergency response action.
The two-volume Code is divided into seven parts:








Volume 1 (parts 1, 2 and 4-7 of the Code) contains sections on:
general provisions, definitions, training
classification
packing and tank provisions
consignment procedures
construction and testing of packagings, IBCs,large packagings, portable tanks and road tank vehicles
transport operations
Volume 2 contains:
the Dangerous Goods List (equivalent to the schedules in previous editions of the Code), presented in tabular
format
limited quantities exceptions
the Index
appendices
The Supplement contains the following texts related to the IMDG Code:
EMS Guide
Medical First Aid Guide
Reporting Procedures
Packing Cargo Transport Units
Safe Use of Pesticides
INF Code

MARITIME SAFETY COMMITTEE
Summary

The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) is a subsidiary body of the Council. MSC, which consists of all Member
States, is the highest technical body of the Organization. The functions of the Maritime Safety Committee are to
"consider any matter within the scope of the Organization concerned with aids to navigation, construction and
equipment of vessels, manning from a safety standpoint, rules for the prevention of collisions, handling of dangerous
cargoes, maritime safety procedures and requirements, hydrographic information, log-books and navigational
records, marine casualty investigations, salvage and rescue and any other matters directly affecting maritime safety".

The Committee is also required to provide machinery for performing any duties assigned to it by the IMO Convention
or any duty within its cope of work which may be assigned to it by or under any international instrument and accepted
by the Organization. It also has the responsibility for considering and submitting recommendations and guidelines on
safety for possible adoption by the Assembly.

Additional details regarding the Maritime Safety Committee can be found in the Rules of Procedure of the Committee

The United States is represented on the MSC by the Coast Guard. The Head of Delegation for MSC is the Coast
Guard's Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security, and Stewardship, VADM Peter Neffenger. VADM
Neffenger is supported by the Alternate Head of Delegation, Mr. Jeff Lantz, and the various delegation advisors.


CLEAN BALLAS T TANK
Revised specifications for oil tankers with dedicated clean ballast tanks, including dedicated clean ballast
tank operation procedures and agreed interpretations of certain provisions of the revised specifications;
Standard format for the Dedicated Clean Ballast Tank Operation Manual, including general guidelines for
operational procedures and checklists for ballasting and deballasting dedicated clean ballast tanks;
Specimen manual for a tanker operating with dedicated clean ballast tanks
SEGREGATED BALLAST TANK
ballast water tank in a tanker which is completely separated from oil cargoes and fuel oil system and is
permanently allocated to the carriage of ballast; this arrangement reduces the risk of pollution when
deballasting; commonly abbreviated as SBT
Crude oil washing
Crude oil washing (COW) is washing out the residue from the tanks of an oil tanker using the crude oil cargo itself,
after the cargo tanks have been emptied. Crude oil is pumped back and preheated in the slop tanks, then sprayed
back via high pressure nozzles in the cargo tanks onto the walls of the tank. Due to the sticky nature of the crude oil,
the oil clings to the tank walls, and such oil adds to the cargo 'remaining on board' (the ROB). By Cowing the tanks,
the amount of ROB is significantly reduced, and with the current high cost of oil, the financial savings are significant,
both for the Charterer and the Ship owner. If the cargo ROB is deemed as 'liquid and pumpable' then the charterers
can claim from the owner for any cargo loss for normally between 0.3% up to 0.5%. It replaced the load on
top and seawater washing systems, both of which involved discharging oil-contaminated water into the
sea. MARPOL 73/78 made this mandatory equipment for oil tankers of 20,000 tons or greater deadweight.
Although Cowing is most notable for actual tankers, the current chairman for Hashimoto Technical Service,
Hashimoto Akiyoshi, applied this method in washing refinery plant oil tanks in Japan. Hashimoto is currently using
this method in the Kyushu, Chugoku, and Tohouku regions in Japan.
[1]
Because of the logical nature of the technical
complexities of COW, crude oil wash is still frowned upon by many who are not able to understand the exact
mechanism behind COW; however, it is undeniable that Cowing will become the norm not only in saving money for oil
companies but moreover for recycling crude oil waste that should not be dumped and neglected.

LASHING
A lashing is an arrangement of rope wire or webbing with linking device used to secure and fasten two or
more items together in a somewhat rigid manner. Lashings are most commonly applied to timber poles,
and are commonly associated with the cargo, containerisation, the Scouting movement, and with sailors.




METHODS OF SECURING CONTAINERS
Blocking & Bracing
Blocking & bracing is a load securement method utilizing lumber and metal bars to reduce or inhibit
front to rear shifting of freight/cargo. Plastic forms are also used.
Fasteners
Depending on the type of load and the particular vehicle, large bolts and nails may be used. These
may be on the load itself or on woodblocks used to brace the load.
Dunnage
Main article: Dunnage
Dunnage for securing cargo has included scrap wood to fill voids in cargo, wooden boards forming
"cribs", blocking and bracing, and modern mechanical, spring-loaded post-and-socket systems,
Dunnage segregates cargo in the hold and prevents shifting of the cargo in response to ship or
vehicle motions.
STRPPING
Strapping is used to create a transportable unit.
[citation needed]
Types of strapping
include steel, polyester, polypropylene, nylon, paper, and composites. The type of strap used depends on the
requirements, for example, strength, elasticity, ability to withstand various environments, easy of use, safety, and
cost.
All types of tensioned strapping, particularly steel, need to be handled carefully because of potential injury.
GS
Lashing[
Polyester Lashing application
Lashing is the securing of cargo for transportation with the goal of minimizing shifting. Items used for
lashing include ropes, cables, wires, chains, strapping, and nets. These items are anchored to the
container and tensioned against the cargo. Another form of lashing used four devices attached to the
top of each corner of a container.
[3][4]
Lashing is products and methods are governed by various
authorities such as the Association of American Railroads (AAR) for rail transportation in North
America, the international Maritime Organization (IMO) for ocean transportation and the National
Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA).



WHAT IS THE IMPORTANT OF CHECK LIST AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

Managing the bigger task comprises of many small tasks is always a difficult. at given point of time
tracking of the all the tasks and it status is inhuman without use of checklist. Every task is
important.Missing the task will have the effect on final result of the task. Simple. List of items needed
before shopping important things to be packed for small trip
DISCUSS WHAT IMO RESULUTION A.714/17 IS?
IMO IB292E Cargo Stowage & Securing (CSS) Code, 2011 Edition

CODE OF SAFE PRACTICE FOR CARGO STOWAGE AND SECURING (CSS CODE), 2003 ED.
The Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing was adopted by the Assembly of IMO at
its seventeenth regular session (November 1991) by resolution A.714(17). The Assembly
recommended that Governments implement the Code at the earliest possible opportunity and
requested the MSC to keep it under review and amend it as necessary. This has been done. The
first major changes to the Code were the amendments to MSC/Circ.664, adopted in December
1994, and MSC/Circ.691, adopted in May 1995, which were published as the 1994/1995
Amendments to the Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing, introducing annex 13,
which has been incorporated into this consolidated edition. The present edition also includes
amendments to annex 12, on safe stowage and securing of unit loads, issued as MSC/Circ.740 in
June 1996, and amendments adopted by the MSC in May 2002, issued as MSC/Circ.1026, which
saw significant changes in the contents of annex 13. Circular 1026 also includes an extension on the
scope of application recommending all lashing assemblies to be fixed to strong or fixed points, a new
table on friction coefficients and new texts on an advanced calculation method and an alternative
method on balance of forces. The book contains, as appendices, various texts which have been
issued by the Organization and are considered relevant to cargo stowage and securing.
ENUMARATE THE FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN SECURING HEAVY LOADS