INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION E - UNECE

1 I:\DSC\10\ For reasons of economy, this document is printed in a limited number. Delegates are kindly asked to bring their copies to meetings and not to request additional copies. INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION IMO E SUB-COMMITTEE ON dangerous GOODS, SOLID CARGOES AND CONTAINERS 10th session Agenda item 3 DSC 10/3/1 17 May 2005 Original: ENGLISH AMENDMENTS TO THE IMDG CODE AND SUPPLEMENTS, INCLUDING HARMONIZATION OF THE IMDG CODE WITH THE UN RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE TRANSPORT OF dangerous GOODS Amendment 33-06 to the IMDG Code and supplements Report of the Editorial and Technical Group Note by the Secretariat SUMMARY Executive summary.

2 This document contains the outcome of the Editorial and Technical (E&T) Group meeting held from 25 to 29 April 2005. During the meeting the Group prepared draft errata and corrigenda to the IMDG Code (32-04) and draft amendment 33-06 to the IMDG Code taking into consideration the relevant decisions of the Committee and DSC 9 Action to be taken: Paragraph 31 Related documents: DSC 9/3/2, DSC 9/3/4, DSC 9/3/8, DSC 9/3/10, DSC 9/3/12, DSC 9/3/15 GENERAL 1 The Editorial and Technical Group met from 25 to 29 April 2005 under the Chairmanship of Mrs.

3 Olga P. Lef vre (France). 2 The Group was attended by delegations from the following Member States: BELGIUM NETHERLANDS CHINA NORWAY DENMARK REPUBLIC OF KOREA FINLAND SPAIN FRANCE SWEDEN GERMANY UNITED KINGDOM JAPAN UNITED STATES DSC 10/3/1 - 2 - I:\DSC\10\ 3 The meeting was also attended by a representative from the following United Nations and specialized agency: INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) and by observers from the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status: INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OF SHIPPING (ICS) dangerous GOODS ADVISORY COUNCIL (DGAC) WORLD NUCLEAR TRANSPORT INSTITUTE (WNTI) INTERNATIONAL VESSEL OPERATORS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ASSOCIATION INC.

4 (VOHMA) 4 The agenda and timetable of the session, as adopted by the Group, and list of participants including their contact addresses, are attached as annexes 1, 2 and 3 respectively. 5 The Group proceeded with the consideration of the issues as detailed in the ensuing paragraphs. ERRATA AND CORRIGENDA TO THE IMDG CODE (32-04) 6 The Group prepared draft errata and corrigenda, as set out at annex 4, for consideration by DSC 10 and recommended that the Sub-Committee request the Secretariat to release the finalized errata and corrigenda before 1 January 2006, the date from which amendment 32-04 of the IMDG Code attains mandatory status without any transitional period.

5 PREPARATION OF AMENDMENT 33-06 TO THE IMDG CODE 7 The E&T Group, based on the proposals approved, in principle, by DSC 9 and on the report of the UN Committee of Experts on the Transport of dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (UNCOE) on its second session (ST/ ), prepared draft amendment 33-06 to the IMDG Code for consideration by DSC 10. In preparing the aforesaid amendments, the Group considered the following proposals, approved in principle by the Sub-Committee, DSC 9/3/2 (CEFIC), DSC 9/3/4 (Argentina), DSC 9/3/8 (Germany), DSC 9/3/9 (France), DSC 9/3/12 (Germany) and DSC 9/15 (paragraph ).

6 Reporting of accidents and incidents 8 In considering the insertion of new paragraph 19, on reporting of accidents and incidents, an amendment to the UN Recommendations on the transport of dangerous goods, the Group was of the opinion that the insertion of the text of that new paragraph, in the draft amendment to the IMDG Code, was not necessary as existing SOLAS regulation VII/6 on Reporting of incidents involving dangerous goods required that when an incident took place involving the loss or likely loss of dangerous goods in packaged form into the sea, the master, or other person having charge of the ship, shall report the particulars of such an incident without delay and to the fullest extent possible to the nearest coastal State.

7 9 In addition, the Group noted that MARPOL Article 8 on Reports on incidents involving harmful substances requires that a report of an incident shall be made without delay to the fullest extent possible in accordance with the provisions of Protocol I to the Convention. - 3 - DSC 10/3/1 I:\DSC\10\ 10 In the light of the above, the Group concluded that it was not necessary to incorporate the new paragraph 19, as referenced in paragraph 8 above, in the draft amendment 33-06 to the IMDG Code.

8 Amendment of flashpoint of 61 C to 60 C 11 The Group considered the various amendments to the UN Recommendations on the transport of dangerous goods, whereby flashpoint of 61oC in various places within the IMDG Code would read 60oC, and agreed that a decision to incorporate such proposals within the draft amendment to the Code would require consequential amendments to SOLAS regulation II-2/19 (II-2/54) and perhaps to other IMO instruments. On the other hand, if such amendments were not made to the Code, the provisions concerned of the IMDG Code would not be in line with other relevant modal provisions.

9 In the light of the aforesaid, the Group decided to place those amendments in square brackets and invited Member States and INTERNATIONAL organizations to submit proposals to the Committee and Sub-Committee, as appropriate, on the way forward. Requirements and control for transport of class 7 excepted packages 12 The Group, considering an amendment to of the UN Recommendations on the transport of dangerous goods, noted that that paragraph was not a part of the IMDG Code and invited Member States and INTERNATIONAL organizations to contact class 7 experts and to submit proposals, taking into consideration references to certain paragraph numbers in that paragraph.

10 For consideration at DSC 10. The observer from IAEA informed the Group that the text in did not originate from the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material. UN 1950 (Aerosols) 13 The Group considered amendments to the entry for UN 1950 (Aerosols) and noted that compliance with those amendments might lead to a situation whereby large quantities of waste aerosols containing flammable gases, which were not protected against inadvertent discharge, are carried in the holds of ships.