IMDG Code: The International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code
The IMDG Code as the packaged dangerous goods instrument under SOLAS Chapter VII Part A: the nine classes, the Dangerous Goods List, segregation groups, and its interface with the IMSBC Code.
The International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code is the IMO instrument governing the carriage of dangerous goods in packaged form, made mandatory by SOLAS Chapter VII Part A. It assigns a UN number, a class or division, a packing group and a proper shipping name to each substance, and its Dangerous Goods List is the reference every other maritime dangerous goods instrument points back to.
The full article will cover the nine classes and their divisions, the structure of Volume 1 and Volume 2, the Dangerous Goods List column by column, the packing and tank provisions, the segregation groups and the segregation table, the EmS Guide and the Medical First Aid Guide, and the two-year amendment cycle with its voluntary and mandatory application dates.
It will also cover the boundary that matters most in dry bulk practice. SOLAS regulation VII/7 defines dangerous goods in solid form in bulk as material covered by the IMDG Code, so a cargo’s IMDG status decides whether the SOLAS Chapter VII part A-1 obligations and the Document of Compliance apply at all. A cargo classified as materials hazardous only in bulk under the IMSBC Code is outside the IMDG Code by definition.