The conduct of maritime trade often also involves the transport of cargo with special characteristics and requirements regarding its handling. In some cases, the improper handling of cargo may cause work accidents or even pollution of the marine environment. Therefore, to achieve the safe transport of dangerous goods by sea, the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) has been established.
The transport of dangerous goods in packaged form must comply with the relevant provisions of the IMDG, which is considered an extension of the provisions of SOLAS Chapter VII. Furthermore, MARPOL includes in Annex III mandatory provisions for the prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried by sea in packaged form.
The main objectives of the IMDG are:
1) The protection of human life, the prevention of marine pollution, and the facilitation of the free movement of dangerous goods.
2) The regulations provide a unified set of safety procedures, covering shipping and transport issues such as: classification, identification, packaging, marking and labeling, documentation, safety, and training.
3) The Code specifies in detail the requirements applicable to each individual substance, material, or article, covering topics such as packaging, container traffic and stowage, with particular reference to the segregation of incompatible substances.
The information for the above article was drawn from the book “Crisis Management” by Ioanna Simoni (Educational Edition of the Eugenides Foundation, Athens 2024).
