The 12th session of the IMO Sub‑Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC 12) met last week and moved work forward on several technical and safety matters, while drawing fresh attention to a regulatory omission affecting small batteries.
Sources indicated that delegates progressed work on alternative fuels, onboard carbon capture, cargo safety, dangerous goods and cargo securing. The session also highlighted a safety gap relating to SP188, the provision that gives exemptions for certain small lithium and sodium batteries.
SP188: the safety gap
CCC 12 drew explicit attention to SP188, which the session record describes as an instrument that provides exemptions for particular small lithium and sodium batteries. Delegates identified a gap in the regime that merits further consideration, and the matter was raised as an item of concern during discussions.
The concern reported at the meeting centred on the relationship between those exemptions and the wider framework for the carriage of dangerous goods and cargo safety. The report does not record final decisions but notes that the issue was brought into sharper focus by CCC 12’s deliberations.
Technical workstreams advanced
Work on alternative fuels continued as a priority topic at CCC 12. The sub‑committee progressed that workstream alongside related technical and safety matters, reflecting the ongoing need to adapt regulatory and guidance material to new fuels and propulsion systems.
Onboard carbon capture was also a subject of development during the session, with delegates advancing technical considerations relevant to its safe installation and operation on board ships. The session report indicates continued attention to the engineering and safety implications of such systems.
Cargo safety, dangerous goods and cargo securing were among the other areas advanced at CCC 12. Progress was recorded across those files, with the sub‑committee maintaining its programme of work to strengthen cargo handling and the rules that govern hazardous consignments.
The combination of topics addressed at CCC 12 underlines the sub‑committee’s dual focus on enabling decarbonisation and guarding safety at sea. The meeting report presents a snapshot of concurrent technical workstreams and flags the SP188 matter as an item requiring closer scrutiny.
Delegates at CCC 12 mapped elements of these agendas against existing regulatory texts and guidance, with the session’s papers noting the need to reconcile exemptions such as SP188 with broader dangerous goods controls. The report does not set out specific amendments, but it records that the safety gap was a matter of discussion.
CCC 12’s activity reflects the iterative nature of IMO rule development, where technical committees and sub‑committees progress proposals, identify gaps and refer matters for further work or clarification. The sub‑committee’s consideration of SP188 places that exemption within the ongoing conversation about how best to regulate emerging technologies and residual hazards.
For now, the sessions’ outcomes are limited to the advancement of workstreams and the formal noting of the SP188 safety gap; the report indicates that those topics will remain on the sub‑committee’s agenda as it continues to develop regulatory and guidance text. reports provided the session coverage that recorded these developments.
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