News

Joint Industry Guidelines for carriage of dangerous goods (DVB) in containers

31 January 2019 No.1011

Joint industry Guidelines for the carriage of Divinylbenzene (DVB) in containers have been published jointly by CINS (the Cargo Incident Notification System), the International Group of P&I Clubs and the TT Club. For the information to the members who is employing in the carriage of DNV, we would like to provide this News.

 

DVB is a chemical that is prone to polymerization (a form of self-reaction), and - when shipped in bulk - DVB polymerization can cause heat and flammable gas to be generated. The stowage of containers carrying DVB aboard vessels can therefore present a risk of explosion and fire if they are not properly presented for carriage. In response to a series of polymerization incidents arising from the carriage of DVB by sea, in 2018 the IMO approved changes to the way polymerizing substances, such as DVB, are carried, by means of amendments to the IMDG Code. These changes are contained in amendment 39-18 of the IMDG Code, which will be mandatory from 1 January 2020, but may be applied on a voluntary basis from 1 January 2019.

 

To ensure the safe carriage of DVB in containers before 1 January 2020 when the amended IMDG Code requirements come into force mandatorily, the attached joint industry guidelines highlight the practices set out in the IMDG Code amendments and recommend that these are followed now on a voluntary basis.