Recently, the Maritime Safety Administration of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the "MSA") issued Announcement No. 19 of 2026, officially releasing the Standard for the Determination of Hazard Characteristics of Goods Carried by Ships (hereinafter referred to as the "Standard") to further standardize the determination of the hazard characteristics of goods carried by ships and strengthen the safety management of ship-carried dangerous goods. The announcement is dated October 22, 2026, and the full text of the Standard has been published on the MSA's official website together with the announcement; enterprises involved in consigning or carrying goods intended for carriage by water should pay prompt attention.
From Consultation to Official Release
The determination of the hazard characteristics of goods is a foundational step in the safety management of ship-carried dangerous goods. Whether a piece of cargo has hazard characteristics directly determines whether it can be arranged for shipment as ordinary goods, as well as the specific application of transport requirements such as declaration, packaging and stowage.
Previously, the MSA sought public comments on the Standard for the Determination of Hazard Characteristics of Goods Carried by Ships (draft for comment) in August 2021. On May 29, 2026, the MSA again sought public comments, with the comment deadline set at June 30, 2026. On this basis, the MSA officially released the Standard on October 22, 2026.
Main Content of the Announcement
According to the announcement, in order to standardize the determination of the hazard characteristics of goods carried by ships and strengthen the safety management of ship-carried dangerous goods, the MSA has formulated the Standard for the Determination of Hazard Characteristics of Goods Carried by Ships and hereby releases it. The full text of the announcement and the text of the Standard can be viewed and downloaded from the MSA's official website.
The Standard consists of five chapters and twenty-six articles. It has been formulated in accordance with the Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, the Hazardous Chemicals Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and other relevant laws, regulations and standards, as well as relevant international treaties and technical rules; it applies to the determination of the hazard characteristics of goods carried by ships in waters under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China and takes effect on the date of its release.
The Standard classifies the goods carried by ships, according to the state in which they are transported, into packaged goods and bulk goods, with bulk goods including solid bulk goods and liquid bulk goods. For dangerous goods already listed in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code and the mandatory national standard List of Dangerous Goods (GB 12268), their hazard characteristics are determined directly in accordance with the corresponding codes and standards; for goods that are not listed in the above codes and standards but have hazard characteristics, the determination is made according to the criteria set out in Chapters II to IV of the Standard, and goods that meet the criteria are determined to be dangerous goods. Among them, packaged dangerous goods are divided into nine classes, including explosives, gases and flammable liquids, and the classification determination is aligned with the technical requirements of the IMDG Code.
Implications for Enterprises Involved in Waterway Transport
In waterway transport practice, the conclusion of the determination of the hazard characteristics of goods is the precondition for arranging transport compliance. Under the Standard, when consigning goods that are not listed but have hazard characteristics, the shipper shall apply the determination criteria set out in the Standard according to the goods' transport state; goods that meet the criteria are determined to be dangerous. For dangerous goods, the shipper shall submit documents issued by the relevant specialized institutions stating the goods' hazard characteristics, the protective measures to be taken and the conditions for their safe transport, and, before delivering the goods for carriage, submit to the carrier the goods' proper name, class, quantity, hazardous properties, protective measures and emergency response measures and other information and materials, and report to the maritime administrative authority. The carrier shall review the cargo information and materials submitted by the shipper; only goods that meet the requirements for the ship's fitness to carry may be accepted and carried, and the carrier shall complete the port entry and exit permit procedures for ships carrying dangerous goods with the maritime administrative authority.
With the introduction of the Standard, the determination of the hazard characteristics of goods carried by ships now has a unified regulatory basis, which helps enterprises clarify the determination criteria and stabilize compliance expectations. Enterprises concerned should, in light of the requirements of the Standard, properly identify and determine the hazard characteristics of goods transported by waterway, and arrange declaration and transport compliance work accordingly.
ChemRadar Insights
In view of the release and implementation of the Standard, ChemRadar reminds the enterprises concerned to pay attention to the following:
- Download the full text of the Standard from the MSA's official website promptly, organize business personnel to study it, and conduct self-checks on the hazard characteristics of goods intended for carriage by water against the Standard;
- The Standard sets out determination criteria separately for packaged goods, solid bulk goods and liquid bulk goods, and the corresponding criteria should be applied according to the actual transport state of the goods;
- For goods not listed in the relevant international codes and national standards but having hazard characteristics, the hazard characteristics determination should be completed before shipment; for goods determined to be dangerous goods, obtain the documents on hazard characteristics issued by a specialized institution as required, complete the declaration of ship-carried dangerous goods in accordance with the law, and implement requirements such as packaging, marking, stowage and segregation;
- Keep following the implementation arrangements and detailed technical rules to be released subsequently by the maritime authorities to ensure that determination, declaration and transport are properly connected at each step.
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