New CINS/IG Guidelines for the Carriage of Seed Cake in Containers Published
New Guidelines for the Carriage of Seed Cake (including Seed Meal) in Containers have been published jointly by CINS (the Cargo Incident Notification System) and the International Group of P&I Clubs.
Seed Cake is the residue remaining following the oil extraction by a solvent process or expelled mechanically from oil-bearing seeds. Those include any pulp, meals, cake, pellets, expellers or other cargo where the oil has been removed from oil-bearing grains, cereals or commodities with similar properties.
The oil and moisture presence in Seed Cake cargoes can cause self-heating through a combination of microbiological activity and oxidation. Microbiological self-heating, driven by the inherent moisture content, can raise the cargo's temperature to a point where the residual oil oxidation occurs. Further self-heating can result from the oil oxidation process.
Seed Cake originated from solvent extraction can have the extra hazard from the residual flammable solvent mixed in the cargo. However, in most instances, the Seed Cakes' manufacturing processes means that most, if not all, the solvent will have been recovered and recycled.
The practices set out in these guidelines are intended to improve safety during the shipment of these products and ensure that they are properly declared, packaged, and carried.
The transport of Seed Cake must comply with the requirements set out in the latest edition of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code. The new guidelines include selected provisions from the IMDG Code and additional precautions to enhance safe carriage.