The Secretariat of the Pacific Community notes that, despite two new IMO-developed Codes, accidents on ships and in ports involving dangerous goods in containers still take place.
The Codes intend to: protect crew members and prevent marine pollution in the safe transportation of hazardous materials by vessels; and facilitate the safe stowage and shipment of solid bulk cargoes by providing information on possible dangers and appropriate procedures.
1 May 2012: The Secretariats of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have begun a workshop in Suva, Fiji, to assist Pacific Island member governments to meet their obligations on the safe transportation of dangerous goods and bulk cargoes by sea. The workshop is focused on raising awareness of the IMO-developed International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code and the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code.
According to SPC, these codes are now in force, but accidents on ships and in ports involving dangerous goods in containers still take place. SPC says the IMDG Code is intended to protect crew members and prevent marine pollution in the safe transportation of hazardous materials by vessels. The aim of the IMSBC Code, meanwhile, is to facilitate the safe stowage and shipment of solid bulk cargoes by providing information on the dangers associated with the shipment of certain types of cargo, together with instructions on appropriate procedures.
SPC says that maritime administrations or regulators are responsible for ensuring that ships under their flags comply with these important requirements. In addition, as dangerous cargo is transported through ports, port authorities also share the responsibility of ensuring that proper documentation is submitted by shippers. The SPC and IMO training will build capacity in Pacific Island governments to enforce these codes. [SPC Press Release]