Cargo and carriage
Hazardous substances
In New Zealand, the rules for managing hazardous substances affecting human health and safety in the workplace are in the Hazardous Substances Regulations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA).
If you use, store, or handle hazardous substances on board your vessel, these regulations apply to you.
Key points:
- you must have controls in place to manage hazardous substances safely
- you must keep an inventory of hazardous substances that you use, handle, or store on board
- workers who use or handle hazardous substances must be trained to do so
- you must follow the advice on the safety data sheet (SDS) for each hazardous substance
- all hazardous substances must be correctly labelled
- you must display signs to let workers, visitors, and emergency services know that
- hazardous substances are on board.
WorkSafe New Zealand provides guidance on hazardous substances.
The HSNO calculator will help you work out what controls you need to have in place to ensure you have a safe working environment.
Carriage of dangerous goods
Maritime Rules Part 24A – Carriage of cargoes – dangerous goods
- sets requirements for the transport of dangerous goods at sea
- aims to protect the lives of seafarers and passengers, the safety of vessels, and the marine environment
- sets out responsibilities for everyone involved in the carriage of dangerous goods by sea, including:
- seafarers and masters
- ship owners and operators
- shippers
- consolidators and packers.
Dangerous goods are substances, materials, and articles classified as dangerous goods in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.
Common examples include:
- ammunition and fireworks
- aerosol canisters
- LPG cylinders
- oxyacetylene cylinders
- compressed air cylinders for scuba diving
- flammable liquids, including:
- petrol
- kerosene
- methylated spirits
- turpentine
- thinners
- solvent‑based paints
- epoxy resins and adhesives
- diesel
- some swimming‑pool chemicals
- some commercial and household cleaning products
- some herbicides and pesticides
- acids and alkalis.
Dangerous goods can also include items such as hay (straw or bhusa), lithium-ion or lead‑acid batteries and vehicle airbag inflators when they are carried as cargo.
For transport, each dangerous good is assigned:
- a four‑digit UN number
- a proper shipping name written in CAPITAL letters
- a dangerous‑goods class or classes.
These identifiers and classes are common to all transport modes, and identify the hazardous properties of the substance. For example, petrol is identified and classified as:
- UN1203 MOTOR SPIRIT or GASOLINE or PETROL, Class 3, PG II (flammable liquid, packing group II).
All consignments containing dangerous goods should be clearly marked or labelled with this information.
Hazardous substances carried as part of the ship’s stores or equipment are not considered dangerous goods for transport and are not covered by Maritime Rules Part 24A. Examples include:
- breathing‑apparatus gear or CO₂ cylinders for firefighting
- refrigerants for chillers and freezers
- paints or cleaning chemicals
- LPG for heating or cooking on board.
You must manage hazards from these substances in line with:
- the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA)
- the HSNO Act, if the substances exceed HSNO thresholds
- any applicable Maritime Rules.
Any marine pollutants have to be managed under the IMDG Code.
Packaged dangerous goods are dangerous goods that are not carried in bulk, for example:
- dangerous goods in small packages
- dangerous goods in shipping containers
- dangerous goods in portable tanks or intermediate bulk containers (IBCs)
- dangerous goods in road tankers or rail wagons.
Dangerous goods in bulk are loaded directly into cargo spaces or other spaces on a ship without intermediate containment. Examples include:
- oil or chemicals loaded into the cargo tanks of a tanker
- a solid cargo, such as sulphur, loaded into the holds of a bulk carrier
“In bulk” refers to the method of containment, not the volume carried.
Some solid cargoes, when carried in bulk, possess chemical hazards other than the hazards covered by the classification system of the IMDG Code. These materials present a significant risk when carried in bulk and require special precautions
Operators must:
- carry a valid Document of Compliance issued in accordance with Chapter II-2 of SOLAS
- manage the carriage of dangerous goods through your safety management system as required by the Maritime Rules Part 19 or 21 respectively.
- have a clear policy on carriage of dangerous goods on their vessels, including whether carriage is permitted (including by passengers) and, if so, how it will be managed
- identify and assess risks associated with dangerous goods in their operation, including different configurations (for example, passenger and non‑passenger modes, different operating limits)
- ensure crew are trained to:
- correctly identify and handle dangerous goods
- understand the hazards
- respond in emergencies
- set overall limits and quantities of dangerous goods for each vessel
- establish procedures and arrangements for safe stowage and securing of dangerous goods, including:
- segregation of incompatible substances
- separation from passengers, accommodation, and ignition sources
- make passengers aware of dangerous‑goods hazards and have a system for advising foot passengers and vehicle passengers what they can and cannot bring
- establish a system to track all dangerous goods carried on board so information is readily available in an emergency or spillage.
If operators intend to carry unaccompanied vehicles containing dangerous goods, they should have procedures for treating these goods as freight, which must be declared by the vehicle owner.
Masters must:
- ensure dangerous goods transport documentation and any other required information is received on board before the consignment is loaded
- ensure dangerous goods accepted for carriage are:
- clearly and correctly identified and labelled
- in original packaging or approved refillable containers
- not damaged or leaking
- know what dangerous goods are on board and not accept dangerous goods without required documentation
- ensure dangerous goods are safely stowed and segregated in line with agreed procedures
- report any incidents involving dangerous goods.
Operators and masters may refuse to accept dangerous goods if they believe it is not safe to carry them.
Shippers of dangerous‑goods consignments must provide ship operators and master with:
- the dangerous goods transport document
- if the goods are solid bulk cargo, confirmation that goods have been checked against the “Is your solid bulk cargo harmful to the environment?” criteria, and where applicable, a declaration identifying the cargo as harmful to the marine environment or a marine pollutant, recorded on the relevant shipping documentation.
- any relevant container packing certificate
- any relevant vehicle packing certificate.
If your vessel is subject to section 1 of Maritime Rules Part 21 – Safe ship management systems, it will operate under the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. Dangerous goods should then be managed through your safety management system as required by the Code.
If your vessel operates under a Safe Operational Plan (SOP) or a safety case, that SOP or safety case must address dangerous‑goods risks.
If a vessel, such as an unmanned dumb barge, is not required to operate under a certified safety system, the vessel owner must apply for a dangerous‑goods permit. The dangerous‑goods permit must address the same matters as an operator plan for dangerous goods.
Outside restricted limits or across Cook Strait
Standards in the IMDG Code apply to any vessel carrying dangerous goods outside restricted limits or across the Cook Strait, regardless of whether the vessel operates under MOSS.
Within restricted limits
Within restricted limits, you may use land‑transport dangerous‑goods standards (Land Transport Rule: Dangerous Goods 2005) as an alternative to IMDG standards for packaged dangerous goods, for:
- identification and classification
- packaging, marking, and labelling, including placarding of vehicles
- packing and segregation within a container, freight vehicle, or other secondary containment
- manufacture, testing, and approval of packaging.
The Land Transport Rule does not cover:
- stowage and securing of dangerous goods on board
- segregation of incompatible dangerous‑goods classes
- separation of dangerous goods from passengers, accommodation areas, and ignition sources
- carriage of passengers when carrying dangerous‑goods stowage categories D and E.
The transport, storage, import, manufacture, and use of explosives are regulated under the HSNO Act 1996. When explosives are carried by sea, Maritime Rules Part 24A also applies.
Approval for offshore containers
Maritime Rules Part 24E – Approval of offshore containers
- sets requirements for offshore containers loaded and unloaded at offshore terminals (for example, drilling rigs, oil and gas production facilities)
- specifies requirements for containers handled in open seas, including:
- design approval
- manufacture and testing
- identification and marking
- inspection requirements.
Apply to become an approving authority
If you would like to apply to be an approving authority or authorised organisation to approve and inspect offshore containers, you must develop a procedure for offshore‑container approval. Use the application form and procedure template below.
Approval for convention containers
Maritime Rules Part 24D – Carriage of cargoes – convention containers
- implements the International Convention for Safe Containers 1972
- sets requirements for:
- maintenance
- examination
- marking of approved convention containers
- allows the Director of Maritime NZ to approve a continuous examination programme (ACEP) for convention containers.
Approval of continuous examination programme
If you would like your continuous examination programme for convention containers to be approved by the Director, you must:
- apply using the form below, and
- include a copy of your continuous examination programme based on the template.
Solid bulk cargoes
SOLAS Chapter VI, Regulations 1 and 2 require that the carriage of solid bulk cargoes (other than grain) complies with the relevant provisions of the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code.
Ships must have information to help the master prevent excessive stresses on the ship’s structure. This information should include:
- stability information as per SOLAS regulation II‑1/5‑1
- ballasting and deballasting rates and capacities
- maximum allowable load per unit surface area of tank‑top plating
- maximum allowable load per hold
- general loading and unloading instructions, including any limits on adverse operating conditions during:
- loading
- unloading
- ballasting
- the voyage
- any special restrictions (for example, limits on adverse conditions) imposed by the Administration or a recognised organisation
- where strength calculations are required, maximum permissible forces and moments on the ship’s hull during loading, unloading, and the voyage.
Shippers transporting Group A cargo must provide the master with a Document of Approval regarding the procedures for sampling, testing and controlling moisture content.
The shipper of solid bulk cargo (except grain) must check if the goods meet the criteria in the application form below. If the goods meet the criteria, declare the dangerous goods as harmful to the marine environment on the relevant documentation.
Use the application form below: