BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION JANUARY 2025 FIRE INCIDENTS INVOLVING CHARCOAL PRODUCTS IN CONTAINERS CONTINUE TO OCCUR. As a cargo, charcoal presents unique stowage and handling requirements and requires strict safety protocols. In addition to the fire hazard, misdeclaration is known to result in the carrier being unaware of the risk. The upcoming 2024 edition of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code¹ will include changes in the requirements applying to charcoal. This edition, incorporating Amendment 42-24, will become voluntary from 1 January 2025 and mandatory from 1 January 2026. The Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS) Charcoal Work Group have updated their “Guidelines for the Safe Carriage of Charcoal in Containers”², reflecting the updated IMDG Code requirements. SAFE CARRIAGE OF CHARCOAL IN CONTAINERS CHARCOAL IS A LIGHTWEIGHT SUBSTANCE COMPOSED MAINLY OF CARBON, PRODUCED BY HEATING ORGANIC MATERIAL WITH LIMITED OXYGEN IN A TRADITIONAL KILN, OR IN A MODERN INDUSTRIAL PROCESS. CHARCOAL – ORIGIN, PROPERTIES AND USE 2 | BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION | GUIDANCE Wood is the most common source material, but charcoal may also be obtained from other materials such as nut shells, bark, animal bones etc. Charcoal products are available in various forms, mostly in lumps or briquettes³. The five biggest exporters of wood charcoal are Indonesia, India, Namibia, Myanmar, and Laos⁴. Charcoal may be offered for shipment under many trade names, some masking the presence of charcoal, potentially leading to a situation where associated risks are not recognised. THE PRIMARY HAZARD ASSOCIATED WITH CHARCOAL IS SELFHEATING. If the heat cannot be dissipated quickly enough due to the thermal insulating properties of carbon, then the cargo temperature may rise further, possibly leading to self-ignition and spontaneous combustion. The likelihood of spontaneous combustion in charcoal may be further affected by²: UNDERSTANDING THE RISKS OF CHARCOAL TRANSPORT • Wetting of the cargo, generating additional heat in an exothermic process • Presence of additives such as ignition accelerants or flammable solids – typical in certain charcoal products, for example charcoal in tablet form used for water pipes (Nargila, Shisha, Hookah). This may result in lower ignition temperature, contributing to a fire incident • Chemically unstable condition caused by the presence of organic material which did not undergo complete pyrolysis. Charcoal may also pose other hazards: • Explosion: charcoal dust is combustible and can form a flammable or explosive atmosphere • Toxicit y : charcoal can release carbon monoxide (CO), particularly dangerous in enclosed spaces. AS A SUBSTANCE LIABLE TO SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION, CHARCOAL IS DESIGNATED AS CLASS 4.2 IN THE IMDG CODE. The forthcoming edition of the IMDG Code requires that charcoal should always be declared and carried as dangerous goods. CHARCOAL AND CLASSIFICATION OF CARBON CARGO 3 | BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION | GUIDANCE UN No.IMDG CLASS PROPER SHIPPING NAME (PSN) PACKING GROUP PPROPERTIES AND OBSERVATIONS UN 1361Class 4.2 CARBON, animal or vegetable origin II Black material originating from organic sources. Particularly includes carbon blacks of animal and vegetable origin, other nonactivated carbon materials and charcoal produced from materials such as bone, bamboo, coconut shell, jute and wood. Liable to heat slowly and ignite spontaneously in air. UN 1361Class 4.2 CARBON, animal or vegetable origin IIISee entry abov