The International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code is the standard guide to all aspects of handling dangerous goods and marine pollutants in sea transport. The Code lays down basic principles: detailed recommendations for individual substances, materials and articles, and a number of recommendations for good operational practice, including advice on terminology, packing, labelling, stowage, segregation and handling, and emergency response action. The Code has undergone many changes over the years, in both format and content, in order to keep up with the rapid expansion of the shipping industry. Amendment 40-20 includes revisions to various sections of the Code and to transport requirements for specific substances. It is mandatory as from 1 June 2022 but may be applied by Administrations in whole or in part on a voluntary basis from 1 January 2021
The Manual of Tests and Criteria contains criteria, test methods and procedures to be used for classification of dangerous goods according to the provisions of Parts 2 and 3 of the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations, as well as of chemicals presenting physical hazards according to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). As a consequence, it supplements also national or international regulations which are derived from the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods or the GHS. At its ninth session (7 December 2018), the Committee adopted a set of amendments to the sixth revised edition of the Manual as amended by Amendment 1. This seventh revised edition takes account of these amendments. In addition, noting that the work to facilitate the use of the Manual in the context of the GHS had been completed, the Committee considered that the reference to the "Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods" in the title of the Manual was no longer appropriate, and decided that from now on, the Manual should be entitled "Manual of Tests and Criteria".