When dangerous goods are transported by sea, attention naturally focuses on safety. Packages must be suitable, substances must be correctly classified, marks and labels must be applied and incompatible dangerous goods must be properly segregated. Yet the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code also addresses another type of risk: the possibility that dangerous goods are deliberately misused, stolen, tampered with or otherwise involved in a security incident.
This is why security awareness forms part of the IMDG training framework. Employees involved in the maritime dangerous goods chain should not only know how to prevent accidents. They should also be able to recognise situations that could indicate a security threat and understand what action to take.
The distinction between safety and security is important. Safety provisions are primarily intended to prevent accidental harm arising from dangerous goods. Security provisions are concerned with intentional acts that could endanger people, property, infrastructure or the environment.
For companies involved in dangerous goods transport by sea, both deserve attention.
Security within the IMDG Code
Security provisions are contained in Chapter 1.4 of the IMDG Code. The Code defines security in this context as measures or precautions that should be taken to minimise theft or misuse of dangerous goods that may endanger persons, property or the environment.
It is important to understand the regulatory status of these provisions. IMO identifies most of Chapter 1.4 as recommendatory rather than mandatory, with paragraph 1.4.1.1 being mandatory. Nevertheless, Chapter 1.4 provides an important international framework for managing security risks associated with dangerous goods transport.
The security provisions are relevant throughout the transport chain. Dangerous goods can be vulnerable long before they reach a vessel. They may spend time at a manufacturing site, warehouse, freight forwarder, consolidation centre, container depot or port terminal. Documentation and electronic information can also provide details about the nature, quantity and location of sensitive cargo.
Security therefore cannot begin at the ship’s gangway.
Security awareness as part of IMDG training
Chapter 1.4 specifically addresses security training for shore-side personnel. The IMDG Code states that the training of shore-side personnel specified in Chapter 1.3 shall also include elements of security awareness.
This connects security directly with the wider IMDG training framework.
Security awareness training should address the nature of security risks, recognition of those risks, methods that can be used to address and reduce them and the actions employees should take if a security breach occurs. Where security plans are applicable, personnel should also have awareness of those plans in a manner appropriate to their responsibilities and understand their own part in implementing them.
This last point is particularly important. Security awareness does not mean that every employee must become a security specialist. A warehouse operator, freight forwarder, packer and security manager have different responsibilities. Their knowledge should therefore correspond with their role.
An employee handling packages, for example, should be capable of recognising unusual interference with cargo or packaging. Someone processing dangerous goods documentation may need to recognise suspicious requests for information. A supervisor may require a more detailed understanding of escalation procedures and company security arrangements.
What should employees learn to recognise?
Security awareness becomes useful when employees can translate general principles into everyday situations.
Imagine that a person arrives at a warehouse and asks detailed questions about the location and departure time of a dangerous goods container but cannot clearly explain why that information is required. A security-aware employee should understand that information concerning dangerous goods movements should not automatically be disclosed.
The same applies when seals appear to have been damaged, packages have unexpectedly been opened, documentation has been altered or a person without an obvious operational reason attempts to gain access to a restricted cargo area.
Not every unusual situation is evidence of criminal activity. The purpose of awareness training is not to encourage employees to make accusations or investigate incidents themselves. It is to help them recognise circumstances that depart from normal procedures and know how to report them through the appropriate channels.
Security depends to a considerable extent on this human element. Physical barriers, access control, seals and surveillance systems are valuable, but they are considerably more effective when employees understand why those measures exist.
Protecting dangerous goods information
Modern logistics is increasingly information-driven. Dangerous goods information moves between manufacturers, shippers, freight forwarders, carriers, terminals, agents and authorities. Transport documentation may contain UN numbers, Proper Shipping Names, quantities and other details concerning the cargo.
Operational systems may contain even more information, including container numbers, routes, vessel details, loading locations and planned departure times.
That information has legitimate operational value, but unnecessary disclosure can create security vulnerabilities.
Security awareness therefore also concerns the way information is handled. Employees should understand that sensitive cargo information should only be available to people who have a legitimate need for it. Password sharing, unattended documents, inappropriate forwarding of transport information and uncontrolled access to operational systems can all undermine physical security measures.
Cybersecurity and dangerous goods security are consequently becoming increasingly connected. An attacker does not necessarily need to enter a terminal physically if valuable information about cargo movements can be obtained digitally.
High consequence dangerous goods require additional attention
Chapter 1.4 goes beyond general security awareness by addressing high consequence dangerous goods. These are dangerous goods that have the potential for misuse in a terrorist event and which may consequently produce serious consequences such as mass casualties, mass destruction or major socio-economic disruption.
The IMDG Code provides provisions concerning the identification of such dangerous goods and the use of security plans where appropriate.
For organisations handling these goods, security management therefore moves beyond general employee awareness. A security plan may need to address allocation of responsibilities, records, review of operations, assessment of security risks, measures to reduce those risks, procedures for reporting and dealing with security threats or breaches, and arrangements for evaluating and updating the plan.
The important principle is proportionality. The security measures applied should reflect the nature of the dangerous goods and the risks associated with their transport.
Security awareness begins with everyday behaviour
Many effective security measures are surprisingly simple. Employees checking identification, challenging unfamiliar persons according to company procedures, protecting access credentials and reporting damaged seals can make a significant contribution to security.
The same is true during the preparation of dangerous goods shipments. Packages should not simply disappear into an uncontrolled staging area after being prepared. Cargo should remain within an appropriate chain of custody, and unexplained changes in quantities, packaging or documentation should be investigated through established procedures.
Security awareness should therefore become part of normal dangerous goods working practices rather than being treated as a separate theoretical subject.
An employee who understands dangerous goods hazards is already trained to observe labels, package condition and documentation carefully. Security awareness adds another question to that routine: does anything about this shipment, person, document or situation appear inconsistent with what should normally be happening?
Training should reflect the employee’s responsibilities
The IMDG Code follows a responsibility-based approach to training. Security awareness should be viewed in the same way.
General personnel may need to understand the basic nature of security threats, recognise suspicious circumstances and know whom to contact. Personnel with more direct responsibility for dangerous goods may require additional knowledge of access controls, cargo integrity, documentation, security procedures and incident reporting.
Employees involved in security plans require knowledge appropriate to their role in implementing those plans.
Training should also not be regarded as a one-time event. Chapter 1.4 indicates that security awareness training should be provided or verified when someone is employed in a position involving dangerous goods transport and should periodically be supplemented by retraining.
This is logical because security risks evolve. Working practices change, information systems develop and criminal methods adapt. Employees who understood the relevant risks several years ago may encounter a very different logistics environment today.
Building awareness through IMDG training
For employees who need a general understanding of dangerous goods transport by sea, the E-learning IMDG Awareness Training (English) available through IMDG-course.com provides a practical introduction to the IMDG framework and the responsibilities associated with maritime dangerous goods transport.
Personnel with direct operational responsibilities may require more detailed function-specific training. IMDG-course.com therefore also provides dedicated courses for consignors and freight forwarders, packers, ship loaders and ship operators.
The objective should never be simply to collect certificates. Effective training should create employees who understand why the rules exist and who can recognise when something is wrong.
That principle is particularly important for security.
A correctly classified, packed, labelled and documented dangerous goods shipment can still create a serious risk if it falls into the wrong hands. Conversely, security systems cannot function effectively when employees do not recognise suspicious behaviour or do not know how to respond.
Security awareness therefore deserves its place alongside classification, packaging, documentation, segregation and safe handling within the wider IMDG training framework. Safe maritime transport depends not only on preventing dangerous goods from causing an accident, but also on preventing them from being deliberately misused.
