Marine Environm

Prevention of
Carriage of chemicals by ship
Pollution
Regulations governing the carriage of chemicals by ship are contained in the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Convention for the Chemical Pollutio
Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto
(MARPOL 73/78). IBC Code
The regulations cover chemicals carried in bulk, on chemical tankers, and chemicals carried in
packaged form. IBC Code: list of
Regulations covering chemicals carried in bulk products to be
MARPOL Annex II
Transport of vegetable oils evaluated
Chemicals carried in packaged form
Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Tripartite agreeme
Substances
Preparedness and response - dealing with pollution incidents involving chemicals Chemicals reporti
Chemicals carried in bulk forms
Carriage of chemicals in bulk is covered by regulations in SOLAS Chapter VII - Carriage of
dangerous goods and MARPOL Annex II - Regulations for the Control of Pollution by Revised Annex II
Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk. implementation
Both Conventions require chemical tankers built after 1 July 1986 to comply with the International
Bulk Chemical Code (IBC Code), which gives international standards for the safe transport by sea OPRC-HNS Proto
in bulk of liquid dangerous chemicals, by prescribing the design and construction standards of
ships involved in such transport and the equipment they should carry so as to minimize the risks IGC Code
to the ship, its crew and to the environment, having regard to the nature of the products carried.
The basic philosophy is one of ship types related to the hazards of the products covered by the
Codes.  Each of the products may have one or more hazard properties which include flammability,
toxicity, corrosivity and reactivity.
The IBC Code lists chemicals and their hazards and gives both the ship type required to carry that
product as well as the environmental hazard rating.
Chemical tankers constructed before 1 July 1986 should comply with the requirements of the Code
for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (BCH Code) –
the predecessor of the IBC Code.
MARPOL Annex II
The Annex II Regulations for the control of pollution by noxious liquid substances in bulk define
four-category categorization system for noxious and liquid substances.
The categories are:
 Category X: Noxious Liquid Substances which, if discharged into the sea from tank
cleaning or deballasting operations, are deemed to present a major hazard to either
marine resources or human health and, therefore, justify the prohibition of the discharge
into the marine environment;
 Category Y: Noxious Liquid Substances which, if discharged into the sea from tank
cleaning or deballasting operations, are deemed to present a hazard to either marine
resources or human health or cause harm to amenities or other legitimate uses of the
sea and therefore justify a limitation on the quality and quantity of the discharge into the
marine environment;
 Category Z: Noxious Liquid Substances which, if discharged into the sea from tank
cleaning or deballasting operations, are deemed to present a minor hazard to either
marine resources or human health and therefore justify less stringent restrictions on the
quality and quantity of the discharge into the marine environment; and
 Other Substances: substances which have been evaluated and found to fall outside
Category X, Y or Z because they are considered to present no harm to marine resources,
human health, amenities or other legitimate uses of the sea when discharged into the
sea from tank cleaning of deballasting operations. The discharge of bilge or ballast water
or other residues or mixtures containing these substances are not subject to any
requirements of MARPOL Annex II.
The annex also includes a number of other requirements reflecting modern stripping techniques,
which specify discharge levels of products which have been incorporated into Annex II. For ships
constructed on or after 1 January 2007 the maximum permitted residue in the tank and its
associated piping left after discharge is set at a maximum of 75 litres for products in categories X,
Y and Z (compared with previous limits which set a maximum of 100 or 300 litres, depending on
the product category).
The marine pollution hazards of thousands of chemicals have been evaluated by the Evaluation of
Hazardous Substances Working Group, giving a resultant GESAMP Hazard Profile which indexes
the substance according to its bio-accumulation; bio-degradation; acute toxicity; chronic toxicity;
long-term health effects; and effects on marine wildlife and on benthic habitats.
As a result of the hazard evaluation process and the categorization system, vegetable oils which
were previously categorized as being unrestricted are now required to be carried in chemical
tankers. The Annex includes, under regulation 4 Exemptions, provision for an Administration to
exempt ships certified to carry individually identified vegetable oils, subject to certain provisions
relating to the location of the cargo tanks carrying the identified vegetable oil.
Transport of vegetable oils
An MEPC resolution on Guidelines for the transport of vegetable oils in deep tanks or in
independent tanks specially designed for the carriage of such vegetable oils on board dry cargo
ships was adopted in October 2004. It allows general dry cargo ships that are currently certified to
carry vegetable oil in bulk to continue to carry these vegetable oils on specific trades. The
guidelines took effect on 1 January 2007.
Consequential amendments to the IBC Code
Consequential amendments to the International Bulk Chemical Code (IBC Code) have been
adopted, reflecting the changes to MARPOL Annex II. The amendments incorporate revisions to
the categorization of certain products relating to their properties as potential marine pollutants as
well as revisions to ship type and carriage requirements following their evaluation by the
Evaluation of Hazardous Substances Working Group.
Ships constructed after 1986 carrying substances identified in chapter 17 of the IBC Code must
follow the requirements for design, construction, equipment and operation of ships contained in
the Code.
Chemicals carried in packaged form
Chemicals which are carried in packaged form or in solid form or in bulk are regulated by Part A of
SOLAS Chapter VII - Carriage of dangerous goods which includes provisions for the classification,
packing, marking, labelling and placarding, documentation and stowage of dangerous goods.
Contracting Governments are required to issue instructions at the national level and the Chapter
refers to International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, developed by IMO, which is
constantly updated to accommodate new dangerous goods and to supplement or revise existing
provisions.

The IMDG Code was developed as a uniform international code for the transport of dangerous
goods by sea covering such matters as packing, container traffic and stowage, with particular
reference to the segregation of incompatible substances. The IMDG Code includes products
considered to be marine pollutants. 
IMO’s Maritime safety Committee decided in principle, at its 73 rd session in Nov-Dec 2000, to
make some parts of the IMDG Code mandatory.
MARPOL Annex III includes regulations for the prevention of pollution by harmful substances in
packaged form and includes general requirements for the issuing of detailed standards on packing,
marking, labelling, documentation, stowage, quantity limitations, exceptions and notifications for
preventing pollution by harmful substances. For the purpose of Annex III, “harmful substances”
are those identified as “marine pollutants” in the IMDG Code.
International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with
the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances  (HNS) by Sea 1996
The Convention, when it enters into force,  will make it possible for compensation to be paid out in
compensation to victims of accidents involving HNS, such as chemicals.
HNS are defined by reference to lists of substances included in various IMO Conventions and
Codes. These include oils; other liquid substances defined as noxious or dangerous; liquefied
gases; liquid substances with a flashpoint not exceeding 60°C; dangerous, hazardous and harmful
materials and substances carried in packaged form; and solid bulk materials defined as possessing
chemical hazards.
The Convention also covers residues left by the previous carriage of HNS, other than those carried
in packaged form.
The Convention defines damage as including loss of life or personal injury; loss of or damage to
property outside the ship; loss or damage by contamination of the environment; the costs of
preventative measures and further loss or damage caused by them.
The Convention introduces strict liability for the shipowner and a system of compulsory insurance
and insurance certificates.
Preparedness and response - dealing with pollution incidents involving chemicals
The 2000 Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to pollution Incidents by
Hazardous and Noxious Substances, 2000 (HNS Protocol) is based on the International Convention
on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC), which was adopted in
November 1990 and is designed to help Governments combat major oil pollution incidents.
The Convention and Protocol are designed to facilitate international co-operation and mutual
assistance in preparing for and responding to a major oil pollution incident and to encourage
 States to develop and maintain an adequate capability to deal with pollution emergencies.

International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied
Gases in Bulk (IGC Code)
The International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code) applies to
gas carriers constructed on or after1 July 1986. Gas carriers constructed before that date should comply with the
requirements of the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk or the Code for
Existing Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk.
The purposes of these codes is to provide an international standard for the safe transport by sea in bulk of liquefied gases
and certain other substances, by prescribing the design and construction standards of ships involved in such transport and
the equipment they should carry so as to minimize the risk to the ship, its crew and to the environment, having regard to
the nature of the products involved.
The basic philosophy is one of ship types related to the hazards of the products covered by these codes, each of which may
have one or more hazard properties. A further possible hazard may arise owing to the products being transported under
cryogenic (refrigerated) or pressure conditions.
Severe collisions or strandings could lead to cargo tank damage and uncontrolled release of the product. Such release
could result in evaporation and dispersion of the product and, in some cases, could cause brittle fracture of the ship's hull.
The requirements in the codes are intended to minimize these risks as far as is practicable, based upon present knowledge
and technology.
The IGC Code is kept under review, taking into account experience and technological development. The layout of this code
is in line with the International Code for the Construction of Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk
(IBC Code).
The IGC Code can be purchased from IMO Publications.