With effect from 1 January 2019, Amendment 04-17 (2018 edition) to the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes ( IMSBC) Code will come into mandatory effect superseding Amendment 03-15 (2016 edition).
As members still have a few months ahead to prepare for the changes, we provide below a summary of the major ones that will affect members' business in relation to the carriage of dry bulk cargoes for sea shipment.
The new cargoes introduced into the IMSBC Code are as follows:
Explanatory notes to the IMSBC Code classification:
Group A are cargoes that may liquefy if shipped at a moisture content in excess of its transportable moisture limit (TML)
Group B are cargoes that possess a chemical hazard (s) that could give rise to a dangerous situation on a ship
Group C are cargoes that neither liquefy nor possess chemical hazards
Group A and B are cargoes that may liquefy and possess chemical hazards
MHB are cargoes that are hazardous only in bulk and some of the hazards are notated as follows:
CR- a MHB cargo that is corrosive
CB – a MHB cargo that is combustible
WT – a MHB cargo that emits toxic gas when wet
WF- a MHB cargo that emits flammable gas when wet
TX – a MHB cargo that is toxic
OH – a MHB cargo that has other hazard(s) not covered by the MHB chemical hazard notation
To view the carriage requirements of these new cargoes, please go to our online BIMCO Solid Cargo Database and select the cargo you wish to view.
To read what are the other major amendments to the IMSBC Code, please view the full article her.
Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) publish regular Bunker Alerts based entirely on fuel samples and have kindly permitted BIMCO’s Members to access this information.
The Bunker Alerts are not intended to be an evaluation of overall bunker quality in the port or area concerned, but usually highlight a specific parameter within the fuel which has raised a quality issue.
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