Liquid chemical bulk cargoes (IBC Code)
The International Bulk Chemical Code (IBC Code) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) specifies how liquid chemicals must be transported in bulk. This applies to substances listed in MARPOL Annex II.
Liquid chemicals may only be transported in bulk by sea under the following conditions:
- The substance is listed in the IBC Code.
- The substance is listed in the annual MEPC.2-Circ.28.
- The substance is listed in the tripartite agreement overview.
If the substance is not listed in any of these publications, a tripartite IBC Code agreement must first be concluded between the country of loading, the country of the carrier (the flag state of the ship), and the country or countries of unloading.
The IBC Code does not have a classification according to a UN number.
For more information on the transport of liquid dangerous goods under the IBC Code, please refer to MEPC.1/Circ.512/Rev.1 (Guidelines for the Provisional Assessment of Liquid Substances Transported in Bulk).