UPDATED CINS & IGP&I GUIDELINES FOR THE CARRIAGE OF SEED CAKE IN CONTAINERS

Published: 19 June 2020

Updated: 14 April 2021

Seed Cake is the term used for pulp, cake, pellets, expellers or other cargo where oil has been removed from oil-bearing seeds, cereals or commodities with similar properties, including all such types of seed meal. It is produced by removing oils and fats from plant material, either by mechanically crushing the seeds (known as expelling) or by using a solvent to extract the oil. However, neither method removes all of the oil and the reactivity of the residual oil can result in the hazardous properties of Seed Cake, with the oil removal method and percentage of oil and moisture remaining determining which UN Number the cargo falls under in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code).

The potential for the mis-declaration Seed Cake cargoes remains high, and being liable to self-combust increasing the risk of fire on board container ships.

The CINS (the Cargo Incident Notification System) and the International Group of P&I Clubs have therefore jointly published Guidelines for the carriage of Seed Cake in containers.The latest version of the guidelines was issued in April 2021 and can be downloaded from the website.

Seed Cake shall be transported in compliance with the IMDG Code, and the Guidelines include selected provisions from the IMDG Code plus additional precautions to enhance its safe carriage, as well as advice about container selection, packing and stowage on board ship. The updated Guidelines incorporate a number of minor text changes, including an updated description of Seed Cake, some clarification of details following queries received from container ship operators and the properties and observations for each relevant UN number.

Britannia’s Loss Prevention department continues to support the industry in enhancing safety. For any questions on these Guidelines or the work of the department, then please feel free to contact us at: lossprevention@tindallriley.com

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