The Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport officially released the Guidelines for Shipping Companies on the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods (Version 1.0) on April 7, 2026, to strengthen the safety management of waterborne transportation of dangerous goods and help shipping enterprises fulfill their primary responsibilities for workplace safety.

The guidelines cover the entire chain of safety management, including acceptance, loading and unloading, on-board transportation, and emergency response for dangerous goods. Key provisions include: clarifying safety responsibilities of enterprise principals and ship masters; establishing mechanisms for identification, information verification, and prevention of misdeclaration and concealment of dangerous goods; strengthening pre-loading preparations, stowage plan reviews, and on-site operation management; and detailing safety requirements for packaged dangerous goods, solid bulk dangerous goods, and bulk liquid dangerous goods. The guidelines also emphasize emergency drills, shore-based monitoring, and record-keeping.

The document specifically defines “high-risk dangerous goods” and requires enterprises to conduct special safety assessments for first-time carriage of such goods or maiden voyages. Enterprises are encouraged to use intelligent monitoring, IoT, and AI technologies to enhance safety management.