Changes to cargo information form for solid bulk shipments

IMO amended the IMSBC Code to align it with relevant SOLAS provisions, and the changes will become mandatory from 1 January 2025

Need for change

At a meeting held last year, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) perceived a lingering discrepancy between Regulation XII/10 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code regarding the absence of information on bulk density in the form for cargo information for solid bulk cargoes prescribed by the IMSBC Code. Therefore, the MSC approved a change to the current form, adding bulk density information, as reproduced below (the additional field is highlighted).

IMSBC Code form for cargo information for solid bulk cargoes. Source: IMO MSC.1/Circ.1664

Under SOLAS and the amended IMSBC Code, the shipper must declare the bulk density of the cargo, among other information required by SOLAS Regulation VI/2, before loading.

Cargo bulk density

Bulk density is an extrinsic material property defined as the weight of solids, air and water per unit volume, including the moisture content and voids filled with water or air. Generally expressed in kilograms per cubic metre (kg/m³), it contrasts and should not be confused with particle density.

Given the need for a uniform density measurement method, IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ. 908 adopted the performance specification for determining the density of bulk solid cargoes.

Implementation and exception

In accordance with IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ. 1664, the cargo information form change is of voluntary application, in whole or in part, from 1 January 2024 and will enter into mandatory force among IMO Member States such as Brazil on 1 January 2025.

SOLAS Regulation XII/10 only requires the shipper to declare the bulk density when the cargo is loaded on bulk carriers with a length equal to or greater than 150 m and that, when it applies to the bulk carrier, any cargo declared to have a bulk density within a specific range must have this parameter verified by an accredited testing organisation.

Inaccuracies in cargo information forms

Although shipper information on solid bulk cargoes offered for carriage is mandatory under SOLAS and the IMSBC Code, inaccurate or incomplete cargo declaration forms are still common in dry bulk shipments leaving Brazilian ports.

Our recent Circular provides detailed information on the most common problems encountered and recommendations for avoiding them.

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