Does your cargo fall under the category of hazardous materials?

Nowadays, hazardous goods are found on almost every container ship. In some cases, these substances are transported in such large quantities that an accident could destroy the entire container ship. Therefore, the regulations for the transport of dangerous goods must be strictly followed to avoid increasing their risk potential. Unfortunately, there are enough examples of serious accidents at sea involving fatalities, injuries, and millions in damages. The disasters of the container ships MSC Flaminia in 2012, Hyundai Fortune in 2006, and Hanjin Pennsylvania in 2002 attracted attention far beyond the industry due to their scale.

How is hazardous material defined?

Hazardous goods are loads that, due to their nature and properties, can pose dangers to life, health, property, and the environment during transport. They occur in all three physical states – solid, liquid, or gas. Many hazardous materials are essential for the production of goods on which progress and global trade depend – such as cars, plastics, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. Other hazardous materials are part of our daily lives and are not immediately recognized as such by many people, such as perfume bottles, batteries, cleaning agents, or spray cans. However, even these seemingly harmless hazardous goods require special handling during transport.

Hazardous goods transport

Not only carriers specializing in the transport of dangerous goods need to have expertise. The regulations for the transport of dangerous goods already apply to the manufacturer, the sender, and even the buyer must check the applicable regulations for the transport of their goods before purchase. When handing over your goods to a freight forwarder, you do not transfer the responsibility for correct labeling and documentation. If your dangerous goods shipment does not comply with the regulations, the forwarder and their carriers must refuse the shipment.

International agreements

The rules for handling and stowing dangerous goods are divided into international and national requirements. A distinction is made between the various modes of transport, although the individual conventions largely correspond.

For air transport of dangerous goods, the international regulations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) apply:

• IATA DGR (Dangerous Goods Regulations)

• ICAO TI (Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air)

Transport by rail, road, or inland waterways is regulated by European or international agreements:

• RID (Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail)

• ADR (European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road)

• ADN (European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways)

The legal basis for the transport of dangerous goods by sea is essentially based on three international conventions:

• SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974)

• MARPOL (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973)

• CSC (International Convention for Safe Containers)

The SOLAS Convention is supplemented by several codes. The IMDG Code applies to sea transport by container ship.

Hazardous goods regulations in the Netherlands

The international regulations of ADR (road transport), ADN (inland shipping), RID (rail transport), and ICAO (air transport) have been fully adopted in the Netherlands.

The Freight Hero always warns and advises customers when there is a suspicion that the goods fall under hazardous goods regulations. However, your supplier must inform you in advance about the nature of the goods and the associated risks. And you as the client of a transport must be able to demonstrate that you have sufficiently informed yourself about the risks associated with the transport of the goods.

Your supplier is also responsible for the correct labeling and packaging of the dangerous goods. If the transport documents are missing or the shipment is not properly packed, the carrier may refuse to accept the dangerous goods, often resulting in additional costs for you as the buyer.

Correct labeling

IMDG Code Part 5 contains the requirements for labeling, marking, and documentation of dangerous goods shipments.