The safe carriage of potentially dangerous cargoes is the focus for the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC), which is meeting for its 3rd session (5-9 September) at IMO Headquarters. High on the agenda are safety concerns related to cargoes that may liquefy, such as bauxite and coal, with revised/new schedules for carriage being considered. The Sub-Committee is also expected to finalize draft interim recommendations for the carriage of liquefied hydrogen in bulk and further develop provisions for the safety of ships using methyl/ethyl alcohol as fuel, as well as consider draft amendments to the gas and low-flashpoint fuels code (IGF Code) relating to fuel cells.
The CCC agenda includes the regular updating of two IMO codes used daily by seafarers and shippers, who depend on their provisions for the safe carriage of the pertinent cargoes: the meeting will review the set of draft amendments (for adoption in 2017) to the code for the safe carriage of solid bulk cargoes (IMSBC Code) and initiate the next set of draft amendments (for adoption in 2018) to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) code. The meeting was opened by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and is being chaired by Mr. Xie Hui of China. (Photos here)