20 December 2000 TO ALL MEMBERS Dear Sirs RECOMMENDATIONS ON CARRIAGE OF CALCIUM HYPOCHLORITE The Association's Circular No 5:286 dated 30 November 1999 informed Members of the recommendations of the International Group of P&I Clubs' Working Group on carriage of calcium hypochlorite UN Nos. 1479, 1748, 2208, 2880. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has subsequently issued its own Marine Safety Circular No. 963 on this subject dated 1 June 2000. After several large fires in cargo ships in the 1990s involving calcium hypochlorite, the International Group of P&I Clubs commissioned full scale tests on the package sizes of this cargo which are routinely shipped. The results were such that experts advising the International Group viewed the prevailing transport requirements for this product group as inadequate and recommended that they be amended. The International Group therefore delivered a submission to the February 2000 meeting of the IMO Sub-Committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC5), recommending amendments to the IMDG Code transport requirements for calcium hypochlorite. The changes recommended to the IMO were based on the scientific results reflected in the Association’s November 1999 Circular. After much debate in plenary session at DSC5, the Sub-Committee decided to recommend the Maritime Safety Committee partially to amend the rules in the updated version of the IMDG Code (Amendment 30) coming into force 1 January 2001. However, the amendments will not include any changes to package sizes for this product. Nor will the amendments expressly require stowage ‘Clear of Living Quarters’. The Marine Safety Committee (MSC 72) adopted the recommendations of DSC 5 and the entries for calcium hypochlorite (UN Nos. 1748, 2208 and 2880) will be amended in the new version of the Code. In addition, the MSC circular referred to above (as attached) was issued urging all parties to implement the amended requirements as soon as possible. The International Group supports the actions undertaken by the IMO and agrees with the amendments introduced in the new IMDG Code. However, the failure to introduce package size limitation and the failure to require stowage ‘Clear of Living Quarters’ contradicts scientific advice received from the experts advising the International Group. P.T.O. - 2 All of the full scale tests performed by the International Group on calcium hypochlorite “UN No. 2880” indicate that larger packages can develop a critical condition at temperatures which may be encountered in cargo holds of modern container vessels. Furthermore, if calcium hypochlorite develops a critical condition (for any reason) it will emit toxic chlorine gas and the runaway reaction will develop extreme heat that may ignite surrounding cargoes; hence the need to consider the proximity to living quarters in relation to stowage. Consequently, it is the recommendation of the International Group that Members involved in shipments of calcium hypochlorite products should, in addition to the new requirements of the IMDG Code, ensure that cargo transport units are stowed ‘Clear of Living Quarters’ and that the size of the individual packages stowed in the cargo transport unit should not exceed 45 kg net weight per package. We have learned that calcium hypochlorite has been shipped under different names, which has led to some of the consignments not being declared as dangerous cargo. Below is a list of synonyms for products that are calcium