The RMI has issued Marine Notice which reflects updates to IMSBC Code requirements for solid bulk cargoes and hazardous chemical cargoes that enter into force on 01 January 2017.
The IMSBC Code became mandatory 01 January 2011. Its purpose is to facilitate the safe stowage and shipment of solid bulk cargoes by providing information on the dangers associated with their shipment and instructions on the procedures to be adopted when the shipment of these cargoes is considered.
Although the IMSBC Code is mandatory under the provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), some parts of the IMSBC Code continue to remain recommendatory or informative.
The Notice covers the mandatory requirements under the 2016 IMSBC Code for:
- Procedures to be followed when loading cargoes that may be subject to liquefaction and new safety and cargo declaration information, including the need to potentially determine the flow moisture point (FMP), transportable moisture limit (TML), and actual moisture content (MC) of the cargo to be loaded.
- The management of cargo residues depending on the classification of a solid bulk cargo as to whether it is harmful to the marine environment (HME) or non-HME. The responsibility for classifying and declaring, whether a solid bulk cargo is HME or non-HME, now lies with the shipper.
Per SOLAS Regulation VI/1-2, and in compliance with relevant provisions of the IMSBC Code, this Notice applies to all ships to which SOLAS, as amended, applies; that are carrying solid bulk cargoes, other than grain.
Shipowners and ship operators to which the IMSBC Code applies shall comply with the IMSBC Code, as amended. All ships carrying solid bulk cargoes are required to carry a copy of the IMSBC Code on board.
All ships carrying solid bulk cargoes shall comply, as appropriate, with the fire protection, detection, and extinction requirements incorporated into Chapter II-2 of SOLAS, as amended.
Shipowners, ship operators, companies, and charterers involved in the transport of solid bulk cargoes shall:
- obtain current valid information on the physical and chemical properties of the cargo (see IMSBC Code §4) from the shipper;
- consult the IMSBC Code when transporting any solid bulk cargo;
- provide the Master with all relevant information on the cargo to be loaded in accordance with Chapters VI (Carriage of Cargoes) and VII (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) of SOLAS, as amended, and the provisions of the IMSBC Code (and the IMDG Code, if applicable); and
- inform the Administrator when seeking exemption for carrying solid bulk cargoes for which a fixed gas, fire-extinguishing system may be exempted or for which such a system is ineffective, in accordance with the list of such cargoes and the associated guidance in IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1395/Rev.2.
Further details may be found in the Notice herebelow
Source: RMI
