The transport of dangerous goods by sea involves far more people than the crew aboard a vessel. Before a container reaches the ship, a product may have been classified, packed, marked, documented, consolidated into a Cargo Transport Unit, accepted by a freight forwarder and transferred through a terminal. Each of these activities can influence the safety and compliance of the final maritime shipment.
The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code therefore does not approach training as a single course that is identical for everybody. Chapter 1.3 establishes an important principle: shore-based personnel involved in the transport of dangerous goods intended for carriage by sea must receive training that is commensurate with their responsibilities.
This is the basis of function-specific IMDG training. Employees need more than general knowledge of dangerous goods when their work directly involves particular IMDG requirements. They need to understand the provisions that apply to the functions they actually perform.
What does function-specific training mean?
Function-specific training is best understood by looking at the work rather than the employee’s job title. Two employees working for the same logistics company may both be described as logistics coordinators while performing completely different dangerous goods functions.
One may prepare dangerous goods transport documentation and communicate information to shipping lines. Another may supervise the physical loading of packages into containers. Although both employees are involved in the same shipment, the IMDG knowledge they require is different.
The first employee needs detailed knowledge of matters such as UN numbers, Proper Shipping Names, classes, subsidiary hazards, packing groups and documentation requirements. The second employee needs greater emphasis on package condition, marks and labels, segregation, compatibility, cargo securing and the safe loading of Cargo Transport Units.
Function-specific training recognises this difference.
Chapter 1.3 of the IMDG Code identifies a broad range of functions performed by shore-based personnel. These include classifying dangerous goods, packing them, marking and labelling packages, loading and unloading Cargo Transport Units, preparing dangerous goods transport documents, offering dangerous goods for transport, accepting them for transport and handling them during transport.
Other functions include preparing loading or stowage plans, loading or unloading dangerous goods into or from ships, carrying dangerous goods during transport and inspecting or enforcing dangerous goods requirements.
The result is a training system based on responsibility rather than hierarchy.
General awareness is the foundation, not always the end point
General awareness or familiarisation training remains an important part of IMDG training. Employees need to understand the overall dangerous goods system before they can properly understand their own position within it.
General awareness may include the dangerous goods classes, hazard communication, marks, labels and placards, packing groups, documentation and the general principles behind packing, stowage, segregation and emergency information.
For some employees, this level of training may be appropriate to the responsibilities they perform. An administrative employee who needs to recognise dangerous goods information but does not prepare, check or approve shipments may not require the same detailed training as the person actually responsible for consigning the goods.
Once an employee performs a specific dangerous goods function, however, training needs to go deeper into the provisions applicable to that function.
This is why organisations should avoid treating an IMDG Awareness certificate as a universal qualification for every dangerous goods role. Awareness provides an essential foundation, but function-specific responsibilities may require additional knowledge.
The consignor and freight forwarder
Consider an employee responsible for preparing a dangerous goods consignment. A mistake made at this stage can travel through the entire logistics chain.
The employee may need to establish or verify the correct UN number and Proper Shipping Name, identify the class and subsidiary hazard, determine the applicable packing group and understand whether special provisions apply. The employee may also be involved in checking packaging requirements, limited quantity provisions, marks, labels and the dangerous goods transport document.
Freight forwarding personnel can have similarly important responsibilities. They may receive dangerous goods information from customers, arrange bookings, communicate with carriers and terminals, check documentation and determine whether a shipment can be accepted for a particular transport operation.
Their function-specific training should therefore concentrate on the IMDG provisions they need to perform those activities correctly.
For these functions, the E-learning IMDG Code Consignor Course (English) available through IMDG-course.com is specifically aimed at consignors, freight forwarders and other personnel involved in arranging and preparing dangerous goods shipments for transport by sea.
The packer needs different knowledge
The employee physically preparing dangerous goods for transport has another set of responsibilities. Selecting an unsuitable packaging can result in leakage or package failure even when every entry on the transport document is correct.
A packer may therefore need detailed knowledge of packing instructions, permitted packaging types, UN specification markings, quantity limitations and the requirements applying to combination packagings. Depending on the work performed, the employee may also need to understand marks, labels, orientation arrows, overpacks and compatibility issues.
Where personnel are involved in packing or handling dangerous goods in Cargo Transport Units, their training should also reflect the practical risks associated with the cargo.
This illustrates the purpose of function-specific training particularly well. There is little benefit in giving a packer extensive training in vessel stowage planning while failing to provide sufficient knowledge of packing instructions and package requirements.
Training should follow the function.
Loading dangerous goods requires another perspective
Personnel loading dangerous goods into containers or involved in loading operations need to recognise whether packages are suitable for transport and whether the cargo can safely be placed together.
Segregation becomes particularly important. Dangerous goods that are individually packaged correctly may still create an unacceptable risk when incompatible substances are loaded together.
Loaders may therefore require knowledge of dangerous goods classes, marks and labels, segregation principles, package inspection, Cargo Transport Unit requirements and safe loading practices. They also need sufficient understanding of documentation to verify that the physical cargo corresponds with the information provided.
Personnel involved more directly in ship loading may additionally require knowledge relating to ship operations and the requirements governing the placement and handling of dangerous goods aboard vessels.
IMDG-course.com consequently offers a dedicated IMDG Code Ship Loader Course, designed around these loading-related responsibilities.
Ship operators require a broader operational view
The function of a ship operator demonstrates how far function-specific training can extend beyond basic dangerous goods awareness.
Personnel involved in ship operations may need to evaluate whether dangerous goods can be accepted, where they may be stowed and how they must be segregated from other cargo. They may need to interpret dangerous goods documentation, identify operational restrictions and understand emergency response and fire prevention considerations.
Stowage and segregation can be particularly important because the conditions aboard a vessel differ substantially from those encountered during road or rail transport. Dangerous goods may remain aboard for days or weeks, often in close proximity to other cargo and in an environment where an incident can be difficult to control.
For personnel with these responsibilities, the E-learning IMDG Code Ship Operator Course (English) provides function-oriented training covering general IMDG provisions together with subjects including segregation, documentation, ship operations and incident response.
Training must be provided before responsibility is assumed
Chapter 1.3 contains another important requirement that employers should not overlook. Employees must receive the required training before assuming their dangerous goods responsibilities. Where the necessary training has not yet been provided, they may only perform those functions under the direct supervision of a trained person.
This makes training an operational requirement rather than something that can simply be completed at some convenient point after an employee starts performing dangerous goods work.
Training records must also be maintained by the employer. Organisations should be able to demonstrate which training an employee has received and how that training relates to the person’s responsibilities. Refresher training is necessary to take account of changes in regulations and working practices.
This is especially relevant because the IMDG Code operates through a regular amendment cycle. Amendment 42-24 became mandatory on 1 January 2026, and organisations need a system that keeps personnel’s knowledge aligned with the regulatory requirements applicable to their work.
Start with a function analysis
A practical IMDG training programme should therefore begin before a course is selected. The company should first map the dangerous goods functions within its organisation.
Who classifies the goods? Who selects the packaging? Who applies or verifies marks and labels? Who prepares the dangerous goods transport document? Who books the shipment? Who packs or loads the container? Who accepts the cargo? Who determines segregation or stowage arrangements?
Once these functions are identified, the appropriate training can be assigned.
This approach also prevents unnecessary training. Function-specific training does not mean that every employee needs to become an expert in every part of the IMDG Code. It means that employees should have sufficient detailed knowledge of those parts of the Code that they need to perform their own responsibilities safely and correctly.
That is ultimately the logic behind Chapter 1.3. Effective dangerous goods compliance depends on a chain of competent people, each understanding both the general hazards of dangerous goods transport and the specific IMDG provisions relevant to their own work.
For companies transporting dangerous goods by sea, the question should therefore not simply be: “Has this employee completed an IMDG course?”
The more important question is: “Has this employee received the IMDG training required for the functions he or she actually performs?”
