IMDG Code or International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code is accepted by MSC (
Maritime Safety Committee
The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...
) as an international guideline to the safe transportation or shipment of
dangerous goods or
hazardous materials
Dangerous goods, abbreviated DG, are substances that when transported are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllab ...
by water on vessel. IMDG Code is intended to protect crew members and to prevent
marine pollution in the safe transportation of hazardous materials by vessel.
Basis for national regulations
It is recommended to governments for adoption or for use as the basis for national regulations and is mandatory in conjunction with the obligations of the members of United Nations under the
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (
MARPOL 73/78
The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978, or "MARPOL 73/78" is one of the most important international marine environmental conventions. MARPOL 73/78, MARPOL is an amalg ...
).
It is intended for use not only by the mariner but also by all those involved in industries and services connected with
shipping
Freight transport, also referred as ''Freight Forwarding'', is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...
. Contains advice on terminology, packaging, labeling, placarding, markings, stowage, segregation, handling, and emergency response. The
HNS Convention covers hazardous and noxious substances that are included in the IMDG code.
Updates
The code is updated and maintained by the CCC (formerly DSC) Sub-Committee of the
International Maritime Organization every 2 years.
Code in 2021
IMDG Code in calendar year 2021 is either the 2018 Edition; Incorporating Amendment 39-18 or 2020 Edition; Incorporating Amendment 40-20. Both the 2018 Edition and the 2020 Edition can be used in 2021.
References
External links
IMO Website: IMDG CodeIMO:Carriage of chemicals by ship
IMO:Preamble:IMDG Code 2006 Edition
{{Dead link, date=July 2017
IMDG CODE in French versionThe codes as an Open Knowledge foundation datasetFree IMDG Code resources including free introduction and summary of recent changes
Water transport
Chemical safety
International Maritime Organization
Law of the sea