China creates stringent rules on hazardous cargo at Ningbo

Container lines, already facing delays due to longer routes around the Cape of Good Hope, are now grappling with stricter hazardous cargo regulations in China. The China Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) has imposed new rules at Ningbo port, requiring Dangerous Goods Declarations (DGD) and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all export, import, and transhipment bookings through the port, effective immediately.

CMA CGM, in a customer advisory, emphasized the need for compliance, warning that shipments not meeting these requirements risk delays or being rolled over. All necessary documents must be submitted 72 hours before the vessel cut-off for cargo gate-in, according to MSA’s directive.

These tighter regulations follow rising concerns about the handling of dangerous goods, particularly after a recent explosion aboard the containership YM Mobility at Ningbo port. The vessel, operating on the AG2 service between the Far East and the Middle East Gulf, is part of THE Alliance, involving Yang Ming, Cosco, Hapag-Lloyd, HMM, and ONE.
A series of onboard ship fires in recent months, including incidents on the MSC Capetown III at Colombo port and the Maersk Frankfurt off the Indian coast, has intensified scrutiny of hazardous cargo declarations. After the deadly 2018 Maersk Honam fire, which claimed five crew members, Maersk revised its stowage rules under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.

Shippers’ incorrect declarations and improper packing of hazardous materials are believed to be the leading causes of such incidents, leaving carriers vulnerable to increased risks.