Refers to: Ship Managers / Owners, PHRS Surveyors / Representatives
Action Date: January 1st 2017
Amendments (03-15) to the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code will enter into force on 1 January, 2017, and may be implemented voluntarily since 1 January, 2016.
The amendments include the following individual schedules with specific carriage requirements for the following Group B cargoes (cargoes which possess a chemical hazard which could give rise to a dangerous situation on a ship):
- Amorphous Sodium Silicate Lumps
- Boric Acid
- Wood Pellets Containing Additives and/or Binders
- Wood Pellets not Containing any Additives and/or Binders. (The existing individual schedule for Wood Pellets was deleted)
Other changes to the IMSBC Code include the following:
- A new test procedure is to be used for determining the Transportable Moisture Limit (TML) of iron ore fines, a Group A cargo which is now included in the Code as it may liquefy if shipped at a moisture content in excess of its TML, and which has been associated with the loss of several vessels in the past years.
- Shippers will be responsible for declaring whether a solid bulk cargo is:
- HME (Harmful to the Marine Environment), in which case the relevant discharge restrictions should apply, or
- Non-HME, based on the criteria contained in new Section 14 ‘Prevention of pollution by cargo residues from ships’. (this provision is recommendatory)
- A fire safety risk assessment is required to be conducted by crew on ships with conveyor systems for self-unloading.
- For MHB (Materials Hazardous only in Bulk) cargoes, a notational reference will explain the specific chemical hazard(s) of the cargo and will be listed in the “Class” cell of the characteristics table for each individual schedule.
Certification against the IMSBC Code is voluntary. Ship-owners and operators can request from PHRS to include the new cargoes into their ship' IMSBC certificate after the application dates.
For more details on the amendments and a full list of the new cargoes added to the IMSBC Code, please see refer to the Resolution MSC.393(95).