Feature

Handling Hazardous Chemical Cargo

Posted on 21 January, 2010 | Tags: Logistics Safety

Logistics service providers industry has flourished as India emerged as one of the favorite destinations for the chemicals industry. Adhering to the safety norms is an imperative when it comes to handling liquid cargoes in the chemical industry. But the industry has only few organized players equipped with capabilities to provide world-class services compliant with international norms.

The last two decades has seen an increase in India's involvement in international trade and enhanced trade relations with the more industrialized nations of the west. With tremendous amount of traffic flowing to and from USA, Europe, Gulf, Russia, Brazil, China and other countries of South East Asia, logistics services have assumed great importance. Over the last decade, a large number of small logistic service providers have mushroomed across the country especially in and around the main port cities. However, the logistics industry still has only a few organized players equipped with capabilities to provide world-class logistics services, which are compliant to international norms.
When it comes to transporting liquid chemical cargo, it is even more important for exporters to ensure that the safety norms are adhered to and appropriate precautions are taken. Further, different countries have different safety norms and packing requirements, which have to be taken into account while processing the cargo prior to stuffing and loading. Keeping these complex requirements in mind
 
Hazardous Cargo
Typically called 'Dangerous Goods', these are substances or materials, which have been determined to be hazardous in terms of posing a risk to health, safety, and property when in transport. An equivalent term, used almost exclusively in the United States, is Hazardous Material (HAZMAT).
 

Dangerous and hazardous cargo usually includes chemical-based and/or flammable goods including gasses - flammable, non-flammable and poisonous, flammable solids and liquids, oxidizing agents and peroxides, toxic and infectious substances, radioactive and corrosive substances, ammonia, and pharmaceuticals. Steel drums, plastic drums, tanks, gas bottles, and intermediate bulk containers are used to transport goods deemed 'dangerous.' There are two important aspects to deal with hazardous chemical cargo. Firstly, proper packing and securing of the containers and secondly, appropriate labeling of stickers for indication of Hazardous class.

Operational Precautions
Following operational precautions must be taken for most chemical cargo (deemed hazardous cargo)
1. Dangerous Goods may only be shipped with approval from an ocean carrier prior to scheduling a sea freight shipment and subject to surcharges on the ocean freight. It is the responsibility of the shipper to identify, declare and provide the necessary and correct documentation for shipping dangerous goods by sea in advance. Most ocean carriers will NOT approve dangerous goods other than IMO Classes 3, 8 and 9. Shipping dangerous goods other than classes 3, 8 and 9 requires an ocean freight carrier with specialized equipment that is used to transport dangerous goods of particular classes.
2. All compressed gas cylinders, cryogenic liquid containers or chemical containers must be screened for any possible leakages and then adequately secured before  they are transported. The cylinder or container should be placed in a steady manner so as to avoid its movement when the vehicle is in motion especially during inland transportation.
3. Specialized vehicles must be used to transport the products for which they have been designed or specially modified to handle the dangerous goods.
4. No hazardous materials may be transported without
 A hazardous materials shipping paper
 Emergency response information, ie MSDS or a recognized substitute such as the North American Emergency Guide Book
 Appropriate vehicle placards, as required
 Proper labeling and marking, as per specified norms
5. During the stuffing process of the cargo within the containers, the hazardous cargo should be stored in a separate area reserved for the purpose at the container freight stations.  Further, when the containers are shipped on board, as a precautionary measure, the slots for containers with hazardous cargo should be adequately separated from each other and within an ample open space.
6. All liquid chemicals should be stored in steel or plastic drums, which then should be compulsorily palletized and appropriate stickers pasted on the drums subsequently.
7. In case of handling of poisonous gases, personnel handling it must take special care. It is essential to wear a handling mask to guard against any accidental leakage of poisonous gases.
Labeling Precautions
Products and the containers, which are used to ship the dangerous goods  must meet the applicable transport regulation requirements in terms of it's labeling, marking, container specifications, shipping papers and other shipping requirements, which may be deemed mandatory(these vary from country to country) . The formatting of the documents should be as per the specifications set by the destination country. Some of the standard international labeling requirements are as follows

Un Number
The UN Number stands for United Nations number, which are internationally recognized. It is a four-digit number assigned to a potentially hazardous material (such as gasoline, UN 1203) or class of materials (such as corrosive liquids, UN 1760). Fire-fighters and other emergency response personnel use these numbers during transportation emergencies.

Imo Class
International Maritime Organization dangerous goods class
Class 1: Explosives
Class 2: Gases
Class 3: Flammable Liquids
Class 4.1: Flammable Solids or Substances
Class 4.2: Flammable solids
Class 4.3: Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases
Class 5.1: Oxidizing substances (agents) by yielding oxygen increase the risk and intensity of fire
Class 5.2: Organic peroxides - most will burn rapidly and are sensitive to impact or friction
Class 6.1: Toxic substances
Class 6.2: Infectious substances
Class 7: Radioactive Substances
Class 8: Corrosives
Class 9: Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles

Flash Point
It is the lowest temperature at which the material can ignite itself.

Packing Group
The Packing Group represents the grouping of the cargo as per the degree of danger presented by hazardous materials.
Packing Group I - great danger;
Packing Group II - medium danger; Packing Group III - minor danger.

Transporting Precautions
For non-hazardous cargo, the compliance requirements are relatively less stringent. In India inland transport of chemicals also takes place through local transport companies in trucks or passenger vehicles. However, it is recommended that only certain products satisfying the following criteria may be transportable in passenger vehicles

The product does not require a hazard class for shipping

The chemical is not a toxic, corrosive or flammable, and the quantity of product is <150 ft3 (4.25 m3) for a gas, </= 1 gal (4 liters) for a liquid, and < 2.2 lb (1 kg) for a solid

The product is intended for consumer use.
Hazarding a concluding remark 'there is a growing need for a more simplified as well as unified procedural norms, which will perhaps make for a smoother transit trough the bureaucratic bottlenecks and also enhance the safety of the transport of the cargo that is deemed hazardous.'

                                                                                                                                  

Ayush Jain is Business Analyst with Allcargo Global Logistics Ltd.

Email : ayush.jain@allcargoglobal.com