IMDG Code (dangerous goods by sea)
The IMO code, mandatory since 2004, that sets the classification, packaging, labeling, documentation and stowage of dangerous goods carried by sea.
The International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code classifies hazardous materials into nine classes, explosives, gases, flammable liquids, oxidizers, toxic, corrosive and others, and sets for each the rules on packaging, marking, segregation on board and declaration. It is made mandatory by the SOLAS Convention and revised every two years. Its proper application depends on the shipper's declaration: undeclared or misdeclared dangerous goods are stowed without the necessary precautions, sometimes near a heat source, and can start a fire the crew does not know how to fight. Hull and cargo insurers, and P&I clubs, see such misdeclarations as a recurring cause of container ship fires. A shipper that fails in its duties is liable to the carrier and other shippers, including for general average contributions.
The X-Press Pearl caught fire off Colombo in May 2021 after a leak from a container of about 25 tons of nitric acid reported before it entered port; the ship sank in June, causing the worst plastic pellet pollution in Sri Lanka's history.
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