International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 1

Number 2

June 2007

207

The IMO Instruments for Ensure Safety

Transportation of Dangerous Goods

M. Popek & M. Bogalecka

Gdynia Maritime University, Gdynia, Poland

ABSTRACT: International Maritime Organization and Governments should have the possibility to establish

permanent arrangements in order to ensure the safe transportation of dangerous goods. The successful

application of regulations concerning the transport of dangerous goods is greatly depend on the appreciation

by all persons concerneds of the risks involved and on a detailed understanding of the regulations.

1 INTRODUCTION

The International Maritime Organization (IMO)

is a technical organization established in 1958.

The International Maritime Organization plays an

important role in the promotion of maritime safety

and the prevention of marine pollution from ships.

The organization has dealing with the following

subjects: ship design and equipment, safety of

navigation, carriage of dangerous goods, solid

cargoes and containers, bulk liquids and gases,

radiocomunication, search and rescue, fire protection,

standards of training, documentation and formalities

required in international shipping.

To have the greatest effect on safety of life,

prevention of serious injury, protection of the marine

environment the following items are taken into

account as higher priority: measures to promote the

widest possible implementation and enforcement of

IMO instruments by the shipping community,

measures aimed at substantially preventing maritime

casualties or marine pollution incidents, measures

folowing a series of incidents causing or indicating

risk of loss of life, significant injuries to persons,

measures aimed at improving the safety and healt

of ship’s crews and personnel, measures to correct

significant inadequacies identified in existing

instruments.

Some goods transported by sea can present a

hazard during transport because of their chemical

nature. There are classified as dangerous goods in

the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code

(IMDG Code) (International Maritime Organization

2004).

The term “dangerous goods” includes any empty

uncleanness packaging (such as tank-containers,

receptacles, intermediate bulk containers (IBC’s),

bulk packaging, portable tanks or tank vehicles)

which previously contained dangerous goods, unless

the packaging have been sufficiently cleaned of

residue of the dangerous cargoes and purged of

vapours so as to nullify any hazard or has been filled

with a substances not classified as being dangerous.

The transport of dangerous goods by sea is

regulated in order to prevent injury to persons or

damage to ships and their cargoes.

The science and technology has led to improve

ship’s construction, better ventilation, and fire-

fighting equipment. The specific requirements

pertaining to the carriage of dangerous goods

contribute to the enhancement of the safe and

efficient of these cargoes.

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The majority of shipping accidents is attributable

to human or organisational error; generally the

human elements play important role of all accidents.

2 IMO INSTRUMENTS

2.1 Conventions and Codes

The main task of IMO is to develop a comprehensive

body of international conventions, codes and

recommendations. The most important conventions

are accepted and implemented by countries whose

combined merchant fleets represent 98% of the

world. The International Maritime Organization has

adopted over the years a number of internationally

recognised codes and guides, which are of direct

relevance to the safe and secure transport and

handling of dangerous cargoes in port areas, and

which may serve as valuable source of information

in the development of national legal requirements.

In 1929 International Conference for the Safety of

Life at Sea recognised the need for international

regulation for the transport of dangerous goods.

A lot of countries have taken measures to regulate

the transport of dangerous goods. The various

recommendations, rules and codes used in the

identification and labelling of dangerous goods,

the provision for packaging and stowage varied

from country to country created difficulties for

all concerned with the transport of such goods.

The classification of dangerous goods and general

provisions concerning listing, labelling were adopted

in 1948. The International Convention for the Safety

of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention) is the

most important international convention dealing

with maritime safety. SOLAS in a present version

was adopted in 1974 and entered in force in

1980 (International Maritime Organization 2004).

The provisions of Chapter VII of the Convention

“Carriage of dangerous goods in packed form or in

solid form in bulk” contain the main regulations

concerning the transport the dangerous goods by sea.

To minimising the risk of negligent or incidental

release of marine pollutants transported by sea

The International Convention for the Prevention of

Pollution from ships (MARPOL 73/78) was adopted

and entered into force on 2 October 1983 (Inter-

national Maritime Organization 2005). As a further

step to regulate the carriage of dangerous goods by

sea was approval by Maritime Safety Committee the

International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG

Code) in 1965. The IMDG Code amplifies the

requirements of both conventions and has become

the authoritative text on all aspects of handling

packed dangerous goods and marine pollutants by

sea. Since 1 January 2004, the IMDG Code has

attained mandatory status. It is necessary to continue

work on the amendments to the IMDG Code,

taking into account technological developments,

changes to the chemical classifications, practices and

procedures of maritime countries.

However, the present periodicity of amendments

to the Code cause problems of implementation in

some countries which had difficulties in updating

their national regulation every two years.

2.2 Training of personnel

The cargoes received on the ship equally govern the

safety of the ship and crew. The successful

application of regulation concerning the transport

of dangerous goods is greatly depend on the

appreciation by all persons concerned of the risks

involved and on a detailed understanding of the

regulations.

The shore-side operations often take place inland,

many miles from the ship. The personnel loading

the containers may unaware of the more extreme

condition and force to which the content of Cargo

Transport Units (CTU’s) may be subject its sea

voyage. The shore-based personnel engaged in the

preparation of dangerous goods for sea transport

must receive training in the contents of dangerous

goods provision of the IMDG Code commensurate

with their responsibilities. The current system of

training shore staff is voluntary.

At the time of reformatting the IMDG Code the

decision was taken not to make IMDG training

mandatory for shore side personnel. It is believed

from feedback from industry that the time is right for

making such training mandatory.

2.3 Container inpection programme

Container inspection programme carried out is an

important aspect of the control measures to ensure

compliance with the IMDG Code and it is also

recognised that shipping lines carry out inspections.

Equally, to propose that every CTU’s is inspected

prior to loading on to a ship is not an option with

current shipping operational practices. The main

purpose of an inspection is as part of the control

measures of a safety management system to

determine if the system in place is effective. The

activities of professional staff include the handling

of dangerous goods: a control of stowage and

segregation instructions, a control of packing,

marking and labelling of packages, documentation

and operational responsibility for incidents involving

dangerous goods.

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Governments are urged to implement inspection

programmes on Cargo Transport Units carrying

dangerous goods and report the results to IMO. In

order to obtain an accurate reflection of degree of

such inspection taking place, IMO decided to carry

out a survey to ascertation the full extent of such

inspection. Member Goverments were urged to

provide the information requested in the

questionnaire and forward completed questionnaires

to Secretariat by 1 June 2005. Only nineteen

Member Goverments had submitted the information.

The result of inspection programmes is reported

every year. Most of the deficiencies such as

detachment or improper affixation are in relation

with “placarding and marking of CTU’s” and

“labelling and marking of the packages.

According to the 2004 IMO consolidated report

on container inspection programmes, a total 7300

cargo transport units had been inspected and

1928 cargo units were found with deficiencies,

that is about 26,4% of cargo transport units had

deficiencies. The most of the non-compliance is

due to lack of training (International Maritime

Organization 2005).

2.4 Incidents reports and analysis

Every years several accidents involving dangerous

goods are reported. The SOLAS Convention and

IMDG Code required that the shipper provides the

master with appropriate information on the cargo

sufficiently in advance of loading to enable the

precautions, which may be necessary for a proper

stowage and safe carriage of the cargo.

The analysis of incidents show that there is a lack

of safety information for master, shippers and other

persons involved in transport of dangerous goods.

The investigations of accidents caused by cargoes

demonstrated that the danger is induced by different

impurities in the cargo that could react with water or

products of such reactions. Sometimes the cargo was

non declared as hazardous.

The accidents due to inadequate stowage and

carriage for the rigour of a sea voyage were not only

costly in terms of life, environment and property but

also tarnished the image of shipping.

2.5 Harmonisation of international regulations

The IMDG Code was introduced more than 40 years

ago and the new concept for cargo and passenger

ships were established for the carriage of dangerous

goods. It was used for ships with dangerous goods

stowed in conventional way. Ro-Ro traffic was not

regulated with the Code. Currently CTU’s have been

introduced where the dangerous goods are loaded.

The short lead-time for storage and quick deliveries

require harmonised regulations. The IMDG Code

does not distinguish between ocean crossing and

transport in smooth sea areas for dangerous goods.

This situation takes place in large parts of the Baltic

Sea area.

The IMDG Code contains provisions, which are

appropriate and adequate to most types of transport

of dangerous goods. Due to the differences between

the transport modes, sea and land there are severe

difficulties for the multimodal transport. Even if

progress has been made during recent years with

regards to harmonisation between International

Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR),

International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Train

(RID) and IMDG Code there are still a lot of

problems in an area where full harmonisation

is essential. The lack of harmonisation at that time

related to marking, placarding, mixed loading

and documentation and there are still obstacles

preventing a smooth crossing between the two

modes of the transport.

2.6 IMO Courses

IMO has designed the programme of model training

course “Dangerous, hazardous and harmful cargoes”

to help implement dangerous goods transport

regulations. The course includes, but no limited to

the classification, packaging, consignment

procedures, loading and segregation. The course is

intended for seafaring personnel responsible for the

handling of packaged dangerous, hazardous and

harmful cargoes aboard ships. This course provides

training for shore-based personnel responsible

dealing with the transport of dangerous goods by a

mode of transport (national or international).

Under the Organization’s programme on enhance-

ment of maritime safety, since April 2002, eleven

regional and nine courses on implementation of the

IMDG Code have been delivered. Several regional

seminares on proper stowage and securing of

cargoes inside cargo transport units have held.

The seminares have enhanced the capabilities of

personnel involved in the packing of cargoes in

cargo transport units on matters pertaining to basic

principles on safe transport and packing of cargoes,

legal requirements and magnitude of forces which

act on cargoes during road, rail and sea transport.

3 CONCLUSION

Certain IMO activities are dictated by the need to

take action on specific areas of maritime safety and

210

protection of the marine environment: amendments

to the IMDG Code, evaluation of safety and

enviromental hazards of chemicals, analysis of

maritime casualties and marine incidents reported.

The safety requirements set out in SOLAS

Convention, MARPOL Convention and in the

IMDG Code ensure the safety of ships carrying

dangerous goods and of their crews. Amendments to

the IMDG Code contribute to the enhancement of

the safe, secure, efficient carriage of dangerous

goods. Adoption of the amendments had a key role

to play in harmonisation the provisions of the IMDG

Code with those of the UN Recommendations on the

transport of dangerous goods. While the

commitment to harmonisation is important for multi-

modal transport and the efficiency of world trade, it

is equally important that sight is not lost of the

unique and specific requirements pertaining to the

carriage of dangerous goods by sea.

The results of container inspection programmes

need to be analysed and evaluated with care and

caution.

The inspections of cargo transport units

contributed towards the safety of the ship and

endorsed the need for improved training of shore-

based personnel associated with the handling of

dangerous goods.

The mandatory training of shore-based personnel

involved in the handling of dangerous goods is

desirable in the interest of maritime safety.

The courses and seminares have a significany

impact on how to identify and solve problems of

safety and security by addressing the importance and

need for proper stowage and securing of dangerous

cargoes.

REFERENCES

International Maritime Organization 2004a. International

Convention for the Safe at Sea SOLAS 1974/1978, London.

International Maritime Organization 2004b International

Dangerous Goods Code, London.

International Maritime Organization 2005c. The International

Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from ships

(MARPOL 73/78), London.

International Maritime Organization 2005d. Results of

container inspection programes. DSC10/6/10, London,

26 July.