1.0 Definition

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Dangerous goods means:

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- Substances, materials and articles classified in the IMDG Code or any other IMO publication as dangerous for carriage

?by sea; and

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- Any other substance or goods the properties of which might be dangerous if such substance or goods were carried by

?sea, and includes empty receptacles, and residues in empty tanks or cargo holds, which have used previously for the

?carriage of dangerous goods, except where such receptacles, empty tanks or cargo holds have been:

 

??????- Cleaned and dried;

??????- Gas freed or ventilated as appropriate; or

??????- Where the previous contents were radioactive substances, cleaned and adequately closed,

 

but shall not include goods forming part of the equipment or stores of the ship in which goods or substances are carried.

Dangerous goods are not only found in an industrial context but are part of everyday life. You only have to look in the bathroom at antiperspirant or hairspray aerosols which contain propellants that are flammable, or in the garage at tins of paint, turpentine, a can of petrol and gardening items such as weed killer or pesticides. They may have flammable or toxic symbols on them and instructions for their safe use but no mention is made of any transportation requirements to suit the nature of the transportation mode.

All modes, that is land- (road, rail), inland waterway), air and sea have regulations in place governing their safe transport and although their classification criteria may be harmonized, each may have specific carriage requirements.

At sea the particular considerations include time to evacuate, availability of emergency services, proximity to land, sea conditions and associated vessel motion and so on. Or, put simply, on land you can walk away from a situation whilst at sea you cannot. For transport, dangerous goods are divided into two types:

??????- packaged, that is small packs to dry freight containers;
??????- bulk, as in portable tanks, road tankers and sea-going tankers.

The carriage of oil and bulk gas is dealt with under specific cargo regulations.

A sea journey is classed as involving domestic or international ferries and cargo ships, operating in either rivers, estuary waters or the open sea and therefore, the requirements of the IMDG Code apply. Packaged dangerous goods are classified according to the reformatted IMDG Code 32nd amendment or 2004 edition (two volumes A4 paperback) which came into force January 1st 2004.


2.0 Classification

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Dangerous goods subject to the IMDG Code are divided or subdivided into the following classes or divisions:

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Class 1: Explosives

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??????Division 1.1: substances and articles which have a mass explosion hazard

??????Division 1.2: substances and articles which have a projection hazard but not a mass explosion hazard

??????Division 1.3: substances and articles which have a fire hazard and either a minor blast hazard or a minor

????????????????projection hazard or both, but not a mass explosion hazard

??????Division 1.4: substances and articles which present no significant hazard

??????Division 1.5: very insensitive substances which have a mass explosion hazard

??????Division 1.6: extremely insensitive articles which do not have a mass explosion hazard

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Class 2: Gases

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??????Class 2.1: flammable gases

??????Class 2.2: non-flammable, non-toxic gases

??????Class 2.3: toxic gases

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Class 3: Flammable liquids

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Class 4: Flammable solids; substances liable to spontaneous combustion; substances which, in

???????contact with water, emit flammable gases

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??????Class 4.1: Flammable solids, self-reactive substances and desensitized explosives

??????Class 4.2: substances liable to spontaneous combustion

??????Class 4.3: substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases

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Class 5: Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides

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??????Class 5.1: Oxidizing substances

??????Class 5.2: Organic peroxides

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Class 6: Toxic and infectious substances

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??????Class 6.1: Toxic substances

??????Class 6.2: Infectious substances

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Class 7: Radioactive material

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Class 8: Corrosive substances

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Class 9: Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles

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(The numerical order of the classes and divisions is not that of the degree of danger.)

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3.0 Forbidden Substances

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Substances (including mixtures and solutions) forbidden for transport are stipulated in the Special Provision 900 of IMDG Code (2004 Edition) as listed below:

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- AMMONIUM BROMATE

- AMMONIUM BROMATE, SOLUTION

- AMMONIUM CHLORATE

- AMMONIUM CHLORATE, SOLUTION

- AMMONIUM CHLORITE

- AMMONIUM COMPOUND, MIXTURE

- AMMONIUM COMPOUND, SOLUTION

- AMMONIUM HYPOCHLORITE

- AMMONIUM NITRATE liable to self-heating sufficient to initiate decomposition

- AMMONIUM NITRITES and mixtures of an inorganic nitrite with an ammonium salt

- AMMONIUM PERMANGANATE

- AMMONIUM PERMANGANATE, SOLUTION

- CHLORIC ACID AQUEOUS SOLUTION with a concentration exceeding 10%

- ETHYL NITRITE pure

- HYDROCYANIC ACID with more than 20% acid, by mass

- HYDROGEN CYANIDE, SOLUTION with more than 45% HYDROGEN CYANIDE

- MERCURY OXYCYANIDE pure

- METHYL NITRITE

- PERCHLORIC ACID with more than 72% acid, by mass

- SILVER PICRATE, dry or wetted with less than 30% water by mass

- ZINC AMMONIUM NITRITE

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4.0 Prohibited Substances Stipulated in Hong Kong Dangerous Goods Regulations

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For details, please refer to Regulation 182 of the Dangerous Goods (General) Regulations, Cap.295B.

 

 
   
         
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