The IMDG Code — International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code — sets mandatory international standards for classifying, packing, marking, labeling, and stowing dangerous goods carried by sea, ensuring consistent, safe handling across the global shipping industry.
What It Covers
- Classification — dangerous goods are sorted into 9 hazard classes (explosives, gases, flammable liquids, oxidizers, toxic substances, radioactive material, corrosives, and others)
- Packaging requirements — specific to each class and substance
- Labeling and marking — standardized hazard symbols recognized internationally regardless of language
- Stowage and segregation — rules on which dangerous goods classes cannot be stowed near each other, and distance requirements from accommodation and other cargo
- Documentation — the Dangerous Goods Declaration required for every shipment
Why It Matters
Incorrectly stowed or undeclared dangerous cargo has caused serious shipboard fires and explosions. IMDG compliance is a direct, practical safety requirement, not paperwork for its own sake — cargo officers and Masters bear real responsibility for verifying declarations and stowage plans.
Who Uses It
Deck officers involved in cargo planning, stevedores, terminal operators, and shippers of dangerous goods all work within the IMDG Code framework, though the Master retains final responsibility for accepting or rejecting cargo based on declared information.
Exam Relevance
IMDG Code classification, segregation rules, and documentation requirements are core Cargo Work topics in deck officer competency exams.