Dangerous Goods and Hazardous Materials

Effective November 1, 2017:

All DG applications and shipments tendered to "K" Line on, or after November 1, 2017 must be compliant with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Amendment 38).
Any application/shipment not compliant with Amendment 38 will be declined after October 31, 2017.

Background:

• Year 2017 has been a "transition year" in which the International Maritime Organization (IMO) authorized use of either Amendment 37 or 38.
• According to IMO, Amendment 38 officially comes into force on January 1, 2018.

In order for "K" Line to comply with enforcement of Amendment 38, the implementation date must be set as November 1, 2017 due to transit times, transshipments and vessel arrival dates.

 

Effective January 1, 2017:

IMDG Code Amendment 38-16: The IMDG Code is amended every two years based on TRANSPORT OF DANGEROUS GOODS-MODEL REGULATIONS issued by United Nations. IMO recommends applying IMDG CODE Amendment 38-16 from January 1, 2017 on a voluntary basis, pending their official entry into force on January 1, 2018 which will be without any transition period in order to facilitate multimodal transportation of dangerous goods.

Important Information for Compliance:

1. Japan:The Japanese Administration has decided to apply IMDG Code 38-16 Amendment on January 1, 2017.
   1. It is mandatory to follow IMDG Code 38-16 Amendment for ALL DG shipments for export/import/transshipment of dangerous goods in Japanese Trades.
2. All Countries other than Japan: Use of IMDG Code Amendment 37-14 during transition period from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017 is still valid and authorized.

• IMO recommends applying 38-16 Amendment from January 1, 2017 on a voluntary basis, but almost all countries take a stance that both 37-14 and 38-16 Amendments are valid during the transition period.
• "K" Line has adopted the following rule: 37-14 Amendment is continuously used as principle code for other than Japan concerned trade until the end of 2017.