What is the difference between dangerous goods and hazardous materials?
Short answer
| Dangerous goods | Hazardous materials | |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument | IMDG Code (SOLAS VII, MARPOL Annex III) | Hong Kong Convention, IHM (Recycling of Ships Act 2019 in India) |
| Object | the cargo carried | the ship’s structure, equipment and stores |
| Purpose | safe carriage: classification, packing, stowage, segregation | safe recycling, occupational and environmental protection |
| Tool | UN number, class, packing group, DG declaration | IHM Parts I, II, III and material declarations |
| Life-stage | while the cargo is on board | the whole life of the ship |
- One line: dangerous goods are the cargo the ship carries (IMDG Code); hazardous materials are what the ship is made of (Hong Kong Convention, IHM).
- Dangerous goods: IMDG Code (SOLAS VII, MARPOL Annex III); nine classes, UN number, packing group; packing, stowage, segregation, EmS and MFAG; Document of Compliance (SOLAS II-2/19); the risk ends at discharge.
- Hazardous materials: built into structure and equipment (asbestos, PCBs, ozone-depleting substances, heavy metals, TBT), listed in the IHM (HKC regulation 5) for the whole life of the hull up to recycling.
- Side by side: IMDG versus Hong Kong Convention; cargo versus ship; safe carriage versus safe recycling; DG declaration versus IHM Parts I, II and III; while on board versus the ship’s whole life.
- Trap: the term is also used loosely (HAZMAT, GHS, IMSBC groups); pin it to its instrument.
- As Chief Engineer: the IHM materials are in my spaces; I maintain Part I as machinery-space equipment changes.
Full answer
The full answer explains each point step by step, with the regulations and figures behind it and the discussion from other candidates. It is in the MEO Class I section of the Marine One forum, open to members enrolled for the MEO Class I exam.