Cause and effect of incorrect hazardous declaration and what needs to be done to avoid it
In the IMDG Code, many actions are listed but the responsibility to carry out that action may not be specifically assigned to any particular person.
The IMDG Code does however assign responsibilities to named persons or entities in certain cases, such as;
- Shipper: for classification, assigning proper shipping name, packaging, marking, labelling, placarding, dangerous goods declaration
- Packer: for packing of CTU and related responsibilities.
- Master: of the vessel- responsibilities under SOLAS Chapter VII Part A & MARPOL Annex III
- Competent Authorities: for granting exemptions and approvals
No one knows what is inside the box; everyone depends on the dangerous goods declaration.