When you think of hazardous cargo transport, think of the aftermath of the sinking of the X-Press Pearl ship that shows how essential it is to work safely and professionally with the transport of these substances (Sri Lanka, 2021).
If you don't know what we are talking about, here is a summary of the case: the vessel was carrying tons of nitric acid and oil, which caused a pollution crisis in the Indian Ocean when the ship sank.
This disasterdisaster, like many other similar similar local cases, show us how decisiveThis disaster, like many similar local cases, shows us how important expert and qualified handling is when transporting hazardous cargoes.
Working with IMO cargoes is a critical task that requires especially careful planning, the use of best care and protection practices, and strict compliance with current regulatory requirements.
Dangerous goods must always be handled and stored without error, ensuring that accidents and possible risks to human health, the environment or public safety are avoided.
In this article we will talk about everything you need to know to store and transport hazardous cargo properly, along with other relevant aspects that make safety throughout the process.
What exactly are dangerous goods or cargoes? IMO?
Hazardous cargoes are all products or substances that, due to their nature and composition, represent a high risk to human health and public safety, as well as to the environment (land, air or sea).
This danger arises from the fact that an accident or simply their misuse can cause damage of various kinds in their immediate surroundings. Logically, the adverse effects vary according to the types of loads transported.
That is why for the safe transport of any IMO cargo, strict and specific regulations apply, which have different provisions depending on the characteristics of the substances to be handled.
Transporting hazardous cargo involves knowing how to efficiently handle flammable, explosive, toxic, corrosive, etc. substances, always under special conditions.
In this sense, products can be in solid, liquid or gaseous form, and include both highly industrialized materials and everyday urban items.
Although hazardous cargo can be transported by air, river and/or land, according to current international safety standards and past experience, there is a high risk of transporting such substances by air.
In contrast to this, transport by sea or road guarantees much more reliable results.
IMO cargo transport by sea is key to the functioning of global trade, and therefore also requires effective guarantees of safety and security for people, the environment and public safety.
Why is it so important to ensure safety when transporting hazardous cargo?
Managing IMO cargoes well is important for several reasons.
First of all, as we said, handling dangerous goods can represent a serious danger to human health and the environment if you do not have qualified and specialized knowledge for such a task.
We exemplified this at the beginning of the post, showing how an accident with a hazardous substance can have serious consequences for the entire planet.
But in addition, storing and transporting IMO cargo safely is a mandatory legal requirement. mandatory legal requirement. Companies that fail to comply with current security regulations will face complex legal and financial penalties.
Between the right storage containers, temperature management, proper chemical separation and relevant licensing, there are many challenges that come into play.
Freight forwarding is, in itself, a challenging and demanding activity.
This is due to the permanent need to comply with tight schedules in time and form in order to meet the requirements of an increasingly competitive world market.
However, the risks to people, public space and the environment multiply exponentially with the transport of hazardous cargo.
This has been proven in numerous road, river, and air accidents, resulting in the death of drivers, crew, passengers or innocent bystanders.
Accidents that also caused serious cases of environmental environmental contamination (such as fuel spills, gas or radioactive material leaks, etc.).
It is clear that the transport of hazardous cargo involves a high level of responsibility, which requires thorough prior planning and training, both on the part of the shipper of the cargo as well as the transport and logistics companies.
Legislation and classification of hazardous cargoes
Given the potential negative impact that this task can have on people and the environment, the United Nations has established a basic classification that identifies and defines the different types of hazardous cargo.
Today this general definition is used as a reference to define the respective internal norms of each country, standardizing both risk identification and all accident prevention and mitigation measures.
The regulations corresponding to the International Dangerous Goods Transport Legislation are ADR (road-road), ADN (inland-sea), IATA (air) and RID (rail). are ADR (land-road), ADN (inland-sea), IATA (air) and RID (rail).
Dangerous cargo or goods can be of different types, such as chemical products, gases, mixtures of substances, waste from various industries, among many other alternatives.
For this reason, the UN divides them into nine different classes, according to their chemical or physical nature, each of which is identified, during transport, with its respective label.
The 9 classes or types of hazardous cargoes are:
1) Explosive materials and articles
They are those that present a risk of explosion, or exothermic and chemical reactions that result in the accumulation of gases and detonation. For example, bombs, fireworks, detonators or ammunition.
In turn, this class of hazardous cargo is divided into 6 different types, depending on the reaction produced by the explosives before and after their activation.
- Risk of massive explosion.
- Projection risk.
- Risk of fire and slight explosion, or slight projection.
- Minimal risk.
- Explosive agents.
- Highly insensitive triggers.
This subdivision allows a range of compatibility to be established to specify which of these elements may or may not be transported together.
2) Gases
These materials are often transported under high pressure to reduce volume and save space. Therefore, any incident or accident can cause a leak with fatal consequences, both physical and chemical (burns, fires or massive poisoning).
Gases can be of 3 types:
- Flammable gases, such as methane (compressed natural gas), butane and propane (liquefied petroleum gases).
- Non-flammable and non-toxic gases, such as helium.
- Toxic gases, such as chlorine.
3) Flammable Liquids
This category includes all flammable liquid substances and liquid explosives with low sensitivity. For example: fuels (gasoline), paints, varnishes and turpentine (among others).
4) Flammable Solids
These are substances that can undergo spontaneous combustion (such as wheat dust), or which, in contact with water, give off flammable gases.
In turn, they are subdivided into 3 types:
- Flammable solid materials, self-reactive materials and solid insensitized explosive materials.
- Materials that can undergo spontaneous ignition (example: coal).
- Materials that, in contact with water, release flammable gases (examples: sodium and potassium).
5) Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides
Oxidizers are chemical compounds that can cause or promote combustion (just as oxygen can ignite a fire).
Organic peroxides, on the other hand, are compounds used to produce different types of polymers.
They are further subdivided into 2 types:
- Substances that can cause fire in contact with other substances (e.g. ammonium nitrate).
- Hydrogen peroxide derivatives. This material is extremely hazardous, so there are severe limitations on the amount that can be loaded in a transport unit (truck, train or ship).
6) Toxic and infectious materials
Toxic materials, or "chemical poisons", are all those capable of causing serious intoxication when they come into contact with our body (either by swallowing, inhaling or absorbing them through the skin). For example, methyl alcohol or methanol.
Infectious materials, on the other hand, are all those containing bio-infectious pathogens. For example, laboratory samples containing viruses or bacteria.
7) Radioactive Substances
These are all materials or elements that emit radiation beyond the limits allowed by health regulations.
This is due to the fact that their atoms are unstable and change their structure, which can cause intoxications, alterations and genetic mutations. For example: uranium, plutonium, polonium and radium, among others.
8) Corrosive substances
They are all those that can destroy or irreversibly damage another surface or organic substance if they come into contact with it.
They can cause burns and serious injury to living tissue, but can also destroy very tough materials such as steel. Typical examples are sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, muriatic acid and ammonia.
9) Substances of varying hazardousness
These are those whose hazard level is not specified in the other classifications. However, they have other associated risks.
Some examples:
- Industrial adhesives
- Medical-surgical waste
- Dry ice
- Liquids at high temperatures
A secure storage facility, the key to successful hazardous cargo transportation
Importing, exporting, storing and distributing hazardous substances is stressful: making a mistake can cost time, money and legal problems.
In this regard, a modern storage facility is a fundamental requirement to ensure compliance with all safety measures established for the safe transport of hazardous cargoes.
Serviex Ltda. has the only storage center in Chile, which has specific resolutions and authorizations for the storage of hazardous substances, waste, pharmaceuticals and general cargo.
We have a strategic location and this allows us to store whatever we need for as long as we need, always complying with all current regulations.
Do you want to know more? Contact us at. Try us with a single shipment or pallet to evaluate us. We are sure you will notice the difference in service.
You don't have to fill out forms and wait for 15 or 20 days for clearances. We guarantee 24/7 personalized attention: contact us anytime and we will solve your case in minutes. We are experts in dangerous cargo transportation.
