Why pellet and meal cargoes from South America are getting misdeclared — and what Masters and operators should check before loading. The problemSeed cake cargoes are repeatedly being declared as low-risk Group C cargo, when the shipper's own laboratory results actually show they should be Group B — usually Seed Cake UN1386(b), a Class 4.2 (self-heating) cargo. The misunderstanding arises when the IMSBC Code is misinterpreted. These misunderstanding usually surround how “extraction method” is defined, and when self-heating testing is actually required. What are Seed Cake Cargoes?A Seed Cake is the material left over once oil has been extracted from oil-bearing seeds. A common example is Soya Bean Meal (SBM) which is formed when the oil is removed from whole soya beans. Most seed cake cargo is shipped as either a meal or a pellet; however, the Code refers to a wide range of seed cake forms. How is the oil removed?Oil can be extracted from the seed by either mechanical means or by using a solvent.Solvent extractionOil is removed using chemical solvents. Before shipment, the cargo must be checked to confirm it is substantially free of residual solvent which is flammable.Mechanical extractionOil is removed by crushing / pressing (“expelling”) the seed. No solvents are used. Why does the extraction method matter?Group B seed cakes can self-heat because of oxidation of the oil left in them. So, the cargo's oil content and moisture content are what determine the propensity for the cargo to self heat.The extraction method determines the amount of residual oil remaining. For some mechanically expelled seed cakes, the cargo is not automatically safer because of the lack of solvent. In fact, it can have a higher residual oil content, hence schedule UN1386 (a), which have been mechanically extracted and have a comparatively high oil content.If the oil and moisture content falls inside certain limits, the cargo is Class 4.2 and therefore automatically Group B. The five IMSBC Code