International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code

The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code is the globally applied mandatory regulation governing the safe carriage of hazardous materials by sea. It is adopted under SOLAS Chapter VII and published by IMO, currently in its amended form updated biennially. The Code classifies dangerous goods into nine classes—explosives, gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidising substances, toxic and infectious substances, radioactive material, corrosives, and miscellaneous—and provides detailed requirements for packing, marking, labelling, documentation, stowage, and segregation of each class. The chief mate reviews the dangerous goods manifest before loading, verifying that each consignment has the correct UN number, proper shipping name, packing group, and segregation instructions. Incompatible dangerous goods—for example, an oxidising agent and a flammable liquid—must be stowed away from each other by specified segregation categories. Stowage instructions (on deck, under deck, away from living quarters, or prohibited) are applied from the Segregation and Stowage Table in the IMDG Code. The OOW must be aware of dangerous goods positions on board and ensure that appropriate fire-fighting equipment and emergency schedules (the EmS Guide) are accessible. Port State Control officers routinely inspect DG documentation and stowage compliance.