Amendments to the IMSBC Code will enter into force on 1 January 2019. In this article, Penelope Cooke of Brookes Bell LLP explains how the upcoming amendments will affect vessels carrying coal cargoes. For all details of the IMSBC Code amendments, please see IMO Resolution [MSC.426(98)](https://assets.eu.ctfassets.net/jchk06tdml2i/5Zh95YkutMbdZEKlJxuxiP/ec41667f600740566c99066b2da687d0/DSC.1-Circ.71_-_Early_Implementation_Of_Draft_Amendments_To_The_Imsbc_Code_Related_To_The_Carriage_And_Tes...__Secretariat_.pdf).