On Oct 24th, China Ministry of Transport (MOT) issued the draft of Provisions on Safety Management of Dangerous Goods at Ports for consultation and public feedback. This is the second draft MOT published, following the first draft issued in August this year.
The Provisions apply to activities involving dangerous goods at ports, as well as the supervision of construction projects at ports including new constructions, reconstructions, storage expansions, etc. Compared with the current Provisions (MOT Order 2012-9), the new draft includes the following changes:
The draft Provisions hugely expand the scope of “dangerous goods”. In addition to the former definition which includes the dangerous goods listed in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) and Chinese national standard List of Dangerous Goods (GB 12668),the following dangerous goods in bulk are added:
Solid dangerous goods in bulk that are listed in Annex 1 Group B of the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code (IMSBC Code).
Bulk oils listed in Appendix 1 of Annex I of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL 73/78).
Bulk liquid chemicals that are listed in the Chapter 17 of International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code).
Bulk liquefied gases that are listed in Chapter 19 of the International Code of the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code).
Other dangerous goods that are stipulated by international conventions that China participates and Chinese national standards.
The draft adds a new chapter, stipulating the qualification requirements of port operators. These requirements are supplements to the Provisions on Port Operators issued by MOT in April 2016.
Some articles regarding the safety supervision on port constructions are adjusted. Safety demonstration before the safety supervision is cancelled, while more supporting documentation is required to support the design of safety equipment.
The draft Provisions are open to public comments until Nov 23rd. ChemLinked would like to remind relevant readers to give their feedbacks via us or other methods provided by MOT.
