Capt. Anshuman Baruah, who is in-charge of the hazardous (haz) desk at Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), spoke about the various aspects of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) – be it packing and lashing, stowage and segregation, transportation of cargo such as explosives and foodstuff, the safety measures to be taken, the quantity to be carried and the training.In his address at a one-day training programme on hazardous (haz) cargo handling as per the IMDG Code at its premises in Mumbai, he also touched upon the IMDG Code Amendment 36-12 that can be used from Jan. 1, 2013 (subject to national administration adoption) and is mandatory from Jan. 1, 2014. He pointed out that the amendment comprises new UN Numbers up to 3506 and some new packing instructions, as well as many detailed changes to the chapters and the Dangerous Goods List entries.
Importantly, he also dwelt at length on the 2009 Amendment to the Indian Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, especially Form 9 and pre-shipment inspection certificate. The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was explained as being the most comprehensive global environmental treaty on hazardous and other wastes, which has 170 member countries (parties) and which aims at protecting human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation, management, transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous and other wastes.
The IMDG Code is accepted as an international guideline for the safe transportation or shipment of dangerous goods or hazardous materials by water on vessel. It is intended to protect crew and to prevent marine pollution in the safe transportation of hazardous materials by vessel. It is recommended to the Government for adoption or for use as the basis for national regulations.
The implementation of the Code is mandatory in conjunction with the obligations of the members of the 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). It is intended for use not only by the mariner but also by all those involved in industries and services connected with shipping.
It contains advice on terminology, packaging, labelling, placarding, markings, stowage, segregation, handling and emergency response. The current edition of the IMDG Code is the 2010 Edition, incorporating Amendment 35-10. This edition was applied on a voluntary basis starting Jan. 1, 2011 and became mandatory on Jan. 1, 2012. The 2012 Edition, incorporating Amendment 36-12, is voluntary starting Jan. 1, 2013 and will become mandatory on Jan. 1, 2014.
The training programme was attended by a cross-section of professionals from various service providers. One of the key participants was Mr. Shashi Tanna, President of Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India (AMTOI), who thanked MSC on behalf of the Association for organising the training programme.
Capt. Swaminathan Rajagopalan of MSC, Mumbai, gave a profile of the world’s second largest container carrier, which owns 434 container vessels (as of end October 2012), over 300 inland depots, trucks and dedicated shuttle trains to support its worldwide operations. And importantly, it serves 6 continents by calling at 335 ports through 200 direct and combined weekly liner services. As regards India, it has a large network of 33 offices, including 16 own offices, and, importantly, offers services covering both North/West India (IPAK, ISES, Nhava Sheva-Salalah service) and South/East India [ISES, Golden Gate (East Bound)].
He stated that the line has extensive South and East India feeder network and it has rich and varied expertise in carrying reefer cargo. MSC accepts OGC cargo for all destinations that it serves, and cargo of weight up to 32 MT + Tare weight and with height and width of 4 metres. The MSC services from India include two departures per week to Europe, direct port of call (per week) to 6 ports in Mediterranean and NWC, largest network of offices in India, global service network, faster response to market needs and availability of capacity to cater to the growing market and container availability at all cargo origin points.
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