An introduction to the imdg code

The objective of the International Maritime Dangerous
Goods (IMDG) Code is to:
• Enhance the safe transport of dangerous goods
• Protect the marine environment
• Facilitate the free unrestricted movement of dangerous
goods

The International Maritime Organization (IMO)
The IMO is a United Nations specialised agency which has
developed international legislation dealing with two key
issues for the maritime industry:
• The safety of life at sea
• Prevention of pollution from ships
The IMO has developed two international conventions to
address these issues:
• The SOLAS Convention (covering safety of life at sea)
• The MARPOL Convention (covering pollution
prevention)
IMDG Code reference: 1.1.2

To supplement the principles laid down in the SOLAS and
MARPOL Conventions, the IMO developed the International
Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.
The IMDG code contains detailed technical specifications to
enable dangerous goods to be transported safely by sea.
The IMDG Code became mandatory for adoption by SOLAS
signatory states from 1st January 2004.

The IMDG Code is based on an internationally agreed
system which:
• Groups dangerous goods together based on the hazards they
present in transport (classification).
• Contains the dangerous goods in packagings/tanks which are of
appropriate strength and which will prevent the goods escaping.
• Uses hazard warning labels and other identifying marks to identify
dangerous goods in transport.
• Requires standard documentation to be provided when
dangerous goods are being transported.
• Lays down principles for ensuring that dangerous goods which will
react dangerously together are kept apart.
• Lays down principles for where to place dangerous goods on
board ship to ensure safe transport.
• Provides emergency response advice for dangerous goods
involved in a fire or spillage on board ship.

Updating the IMDG Code
The IMDG Code is evolving and is updated every two years to
take account of:
• New dangerous goods which have to be included.
• New technology and methods of working with or handling
dangerous goods.
• Safety concerns which arise as a result of experience.
Continued
…

Each version of the Code is given an Amendment
number to signify how many times it has been updated. This
number appears at the bottom of each page together with the
year of the Amendment.
The current Amendment is 33-06 which is valid until 31st
December 2009.
However, from 1st January 2009 Amendment 34-08 can also be
used because 2009 is a transition year which allows the use of
both Amendments in tandem.

The Amendment Cycle of the IMDG Code
• Each Amendment is valid for
two years.
• There are alternating years for
implementation.
• In January of the yellow years,
a new Amendment is published
and can be used immediately,
subject to the timing of National
Competent Authority adoption.
• During the yellow years, the
preceding Amendment can also
be used, so it is a transition year.
• In the green years, only the
current Amendment may be
used.

Although the Code is updated every two years, the basic
structure remains constant and once you have understood it
you will be able to easily locate information in the future
Amendment.

• The Code comprises 7 parts.
• It is presented in two books; Volume 1 and Volume 2.
• It is necessary to use both books to obtain the required
information when shipping dangerous goods by sea.
• The Code also contains a Supplement.

Volume 1 (Parts 1-2 & 4-7 of the Code) comprises:
Part 1 General provisions, definitions and training
Part 2 Classifications
Part 4 Packing and tank provisions
Part 5 Consignment procedures
Part 6 Construction and Testing of Packagings,
Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs), Large
Packagings, Portable Tanks, Multi-Element Gas
Containers (MEGCs) and Road Tank Vehicles
Part 7 Requirements concerning transport operations

Volume 2 (Part 3 and the Appendices of the Code)
comprises:
Part 3 Dangerous Goods List (DGL) and Limited
Quantities Exceptions
The DGL is the central core of the IMDG
Code and presents information on transport
requirements in a coded form
Appendix A List of Generic and N.O.S. (Not Otherwise
Specified) Proper Shipping Names
Appendix B Glossary of terms
Alphabetical Index

The supplement contains the following texts related to
the Code:
• Emergency Response Procedures for Ships Carrying
Dangerous Goods
• Medical First Aid Guide
• Reporting Procedures
• IMO/ILO/ECE Guidelines for Packing Cargo Transport
Units
• Safe Use of Pesticides in Ships
• International Code for the Carriage of Packaged
Irradiated Nuclear Fuel, Plutonium and High-Level
Radioactive Wastes on Board Ships

The purpose of the IMDG Code’s classification system
is:
• To distinguish between goods which are considered
to be dangerous for transport and those which are
not.
• To identify the dangers which are presented by
dangerous goods in transport.
• To ensure that the correct measure are taken to
enable these goods to be transported safely without
risk to persons or property (both within the port and
on the ship).

Dangerous goods are classified into 9 classes
according to properties. The way in which different
classes of dangerous goods are handled in transport
will depend upon these properties and hazards, for
example:
• The type of packaging that can be used.
• What classes of dangerous goods can be transported
together in freight containers.
• Where the goods can be stored within the port and on the
ship.
Continued
…

The 9 classes:
Class 1 Explosives
Class 2 Gases
Class 3 Flammable liquids
Class 4 Flammable solids
Class 5 Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides
Class 6 Toxic and infectious substances
Class 7 Radioactive material
Class 8 Corrosive substances
Class 9 Miscellaneous dangerous substances and
articles
Continued
…

The 9 hazard classes have been established
internationally by a United Nations (UN)
committee to ensure that all modes of
transport (road, rail, air and sea) classify
dangerous goods in the same way.
By testing the dangerous goods according to
UN test procedures, a shipper is able to
classify dangerous goods according to the 9
hazard classes.

The hazard presented by each class is identified by an
internationally accepted hazard warning label (diamond). This
appears on the outer packaging of the dangerous goods when
they are being transported as a warning to all those working
within the transport chain or coming into contact with them.
These hazard warning labels are pictured inside the front
cover of Volume 1 of the IMDG Code.

by PSN and UN Number
Within each of the 9 hazard classes dangerous goods
are uniquely identified by two pieces of information:
• A four-digit number known as the UN Number which is
preceded by the letters UN.
• The corresponding Proper Shipping Name (PSN).
For example, kerosene is identified in the IMDG Code by its
UN Number UN 1223 and the PSN Kerosene.
Continued
…

by PSN and UN Number
Together the UN Number and PSN uniquely identify
dangerous goods to:
• enable rapid and precise identification during transport to
ensure the correct handling, stowage, segregation etc,
and
• in the event of an emergency, ensure that the correct
procedures are followed.

Using a four-digit number to identify dangerous goods
enhances safety by:
• Overcoming language barriers
- the four-digit number is easily understood in all languages
• Avoiding confusing similar names
- e.g. TITANIUM POWDER, WETTED UN 1352 which is a
flammable solid in class 4.1 and has very different transport
requirements to TITANIUM POWDER, DRY UN 2546 which is
spontaneously combustible in class 4.2.

• The PSN must be used for transport purposes on
documentation/labelling etc.
• No alternatives or variations are permitted unless
specifically stated.
• The PSN is that part of the name which appears in the
Dangerous Goods List or the Alphabetical Index in capital
letters only.
• Any text in lower case is only descriptive and is not part of
the PSN.

• The DGL is presented across 2 pages of the IMDG Code and
is divided into 18 columns for each individual dangerous
good listed.
• Much of the information contained in the DGL is coded to
make it easier to present in a table.
• The DGL is arranged in UN Number order; column 1 and
column 18 contains the UN Number.
• To look up an entry, you just need the UN Number.
• Dangerous goods can also be searched using the PSN.
• Therefore, if you do not have the UN Number but have the
PSN, you can find its associated UN Number by looking at
the alphabetical index at the back of Volume 2.
IMDG Code reference: 3.0

Column 1 – UN Number
Contains the United Nations Number assigned by the United Nations
Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UN List).
Column 2 – Proper Shipping Name (PSN)
Contains the Proper Shipping Names in upper case characters which
may have to be followed by additional descriptive text in lower-case
characters.
Column 3 – Class or Division
Contains the class and, in the case of class 1, the division and
compatibility group.
Continued
…

Column 4 – Subsidiary Risk(s)
Contains the class number(s) of any subsidiary risk(s). This column
also identifies a dangerous goods as a marine pollutant or a severe
marine pollutant as follows:
P Marine pollutant
PP Severe marine pollutant
● Marine pollutant only when containing 10% or more
substance(s) identified with ‘P’ or 1% or more substance(s)
identified with ‘PP’ in this column or in the Index.
Column 5 – Packing Group
Contains the packing group number (i.e. I, II or III) where assigned to
the substance or article.
Column 6 – Special Provisions
Contains a number referring to any special provision(s) indicated in
chapter 3.3.
Column 7 – Limited Quantities
Provides the maximum quantity per inner packaging.
Continued
…

Column 8 – Packing Instructions
Contains packing instructions for the transport of substances and
articles.
Column 9 – Special Packing Provisions
Contains special packing provisions.
Column 10 – IBC Packing Instructions
Contains IBC instructions which indicate the type of IBC that can be
used for the transport. A code including the letters ‘IBC’ refers to
packing instructions for the use of IBCs described in chapter 6.5.
Column 11 – IBC Special Provisions
Refers to special packing provisions applicable to the use of packing
instructions bearing the code ‘IBC’ in 4.1.4.2.
Column 12 – IMO Tank Instructions
This column only applies to IMO portable tanks and road tank vehicles.
Continued
…

Column 13 – UN Tank and Bulk Container Instructions
Contains T codes (see 4.2.5.2.6) applicable to the transport of
dangerous goods in portable tanks and road tank vehicles.
Column 14 – Tank Special Provisions
Contains TP notes (see 4.2.5.3) applicable to the transport of
dangerous goods in portable tanks and road road tank vehicles. The
TP notes specified in this column apply to the portable tanks specified
in both columns 12 and 13.
Column 15 – EmS
Refers to the relevant emergency schedules for FIRE and SPILLAGE in
‘The EmS Guide – Emergency Response Procedures for Ships
Carrying Dangerous Goods’.
Column 16 – Stowage and Segregation
Contains the stowage and segregation provisions as prescribed in part
7.
Continued
…

Column 17 – Properties and Observations
Contains properties and observations on the dangerous goods listed.
Column 18 – UN Number
Contains the United Nations Number assigned to a dangerous good by
the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of
Dangerous Goods (UN List).

In the 2002 edition of the IMDG Code, training was introduced
for the first time.
The training requirements have become mandatory starting
with Amendment 34-08. The IMO Member Governments
recognised that the safe transport of dangerous goods by sea
is dependent upon the appreciation, by all persons involved, of
the risks involved and on a detailed understanding of the IMDG
Code requirements.
For this reason, properly planned and maintained initial and re-
training programmes for all persons concerned with the
transport of dangerous goods are recommended.
Continued
…

These training requirements highlight the need for all shore-based
personnel involved in the shipment of dangerous goods to receive
training commensurate with their responsibilities. The IMDG Code
defines shore-based personnel as those who:
• classify dangerous goods and identify PSNs
• pack dangerous goods in packages
• mark, label or placard dangerous goods
• pack/unpack containers
• prepare transport documents
• offer dangerous goods for transport
• accept dangerous goods for transport
• handle dangerous goods in transport
• prepare dangerous goods loading/stowage plans
• load/unload dangerous goods in transport
• carry dangerous goods in transport
• enforce, survey or inspect for compliance with applicable rules
and regulations

Exis Technologies have developed an interactive computer
based e-learning course. Designed primarily for shore-based
personnel, it allows the user to select training relevant to their
specific job functions and meets the requirements of section
1.3.1.5 of the Code.
Further details on the course and a free demo are available at
www.imdge-learning.com

An introduction to the imdg code

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