The International Chamber of Shipping is seeking to change the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code to make the transportation of cargoes liable to polymerise safer for crew.
Polymerisation has previously been raised as a possible cause of the 2012 fire onboard the 6,732-teu containership MSC Flaminia (built 2001) that claimed the lives of three crew.
The ICS says the shipper or consignor is not currently required to ensure that a polymerising substance is stable enough for transportation.
Uncertainty over safety
The organisation also says that the wording of the code currently leads to uncertainty over who is responsible for the safety of a cargo.
In a submission to the upcoming meeting of the IMO’s sub-committee on carriage of cargoes and containers, the ICS suggests that responsibility for risk mitigation measures for the carriage of polymerising cargoes should be placed on shippers or consignees.
“For the safe carriage by sea of the stabilised polymerising substances, it is important that the shipper or consignor be directly required to ensure and confirm that the level of stabilisation of the polymerising substance is sufficient for the anticipated duration of transport,” the ICS says.
