XN000022-1982-12-16 — Page 2

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1982

THE

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LEW REGULATIONS FOR SHIPMENT OF DANGEROUS GOODS BY AIR

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SET OF NEW, INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED REGULATIONS GOVERNING R-FREIGHTING OF DANGEROUS GOODS WILL BE INTRODUCED IN HONG KÔNG IN THE MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR.

THE REGULATIONS SPECIFY ITEMS OF DANGEROUS GOODS WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE CARRIED, EITHER AS CARGO OR PASSENGER BAGGAGE, THE MAXIMUM QUANTITY OF ANY PARTICULAR ITEM WHICH MAY BE CARRIED, HOW THEY MUST BE PACKED AND LABELLED, AND WHETHER THEY MAY BE CARRIED IN PASSENGER OR CARGO AIRCRAFT.

SPEAKING TODAY (THURSDAY) AT A SEMINAR ORGANISED BY THE SHIPPERS COUNCIL AND THE ASSOCIATION OF HONG KONG AIR FREIGHT AGENTS, MR J.B. BEARDS, ACTING SENIOR OPERATIONS OFFICER (AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS) OF THE AVIATION SAFETY DIVISION, CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT, EXPLAINED THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW REGULATIONS TO THE LOCAL AIR FREIGHT INDUSTRY AND THE NEED FOR INTRODUCING THE NEW REQUIREMENTS.

+THE CARRIAGE BY AIR OF COMMODITIES WITH UNDESIRABLE PROPERTIES, FOR EXAMPLE, INFLAMMABLE, CORROSIVE, POISONOUS, RADIOACTIVE ETC. HAS BEEN CONTROLLED, UP TO NOW, BY REGULATIONS PRODUCED BY THE INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION (IATA), + MR BEARDS SAID.

+THESE REGULATIONS IN THEMSELVES ARE MORE THAN ADEQUATE TO ALLOW THESE COMMODITIES TO BE CARRIED SAFELY, BUT THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN THAT THEY ARE NOT UNIVERSALLY APPLIED AND IN SOME CASES ARE EITHER NOT RECOGNISED BY THE GOVERNMENTS OF SOME COUNTRIES OR IN OTHER CASES CLASH WITH NATIONAL REGULATIONS, AS IN THE UNITED STATES, WHERE THE CARRIAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS IS REGULATED BY CODE 49 OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, + HE CONTINUED.

THIS SITUATION LED TO THE CONCLUSION THAT A SET OF INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED REGULATIONS TO CONTROL THE CARRIAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS BY AIR HAD TO BE WORKED OUT.

MR BEARDS SAID THAT THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANISATION (ICAO) THEN SET UP A WORKING GROUP IN 1976 TO IRON OUT THE REQUIRED REGULATIONS.

+THE RESULT OF THEIR EFFORT IS THE PUBLICATION OF THE NEW REGULATIONS CONTAINED IN ICAO ANNEX 18 - 'THE SAFE TRANSPORT OF DANGEROUS GOODS BY AIR',+ HE SAID.

THE REGULATIONS LAY DOWN COMPREHENSIVE RULES GOVERNING THE SHIPMENT BY AIR OF DANGEROUS GOODS, CATEGORISATION AND RESTRICTIONS,

THESE WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AS WELL AS PACKAGING AND LABELLING. WORLDWIDE NEXT YEAR.

+ THE REGULATIONS ALSO PLACE RESPONSIBILITIES UPON SHIPPERS, CARGO AGENTS AND AIRLINES TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE STRICTLY FOLLOWED, MR BEARDS ADDED.

THE REGULATIONS ALSO REQUIRE THAT THE STAFF OF THESE ORGANISATIONS ARE PROPERLY TRAINED TO HANDLE SUCH SHIPMENTS.