P&I club issues warning on false chemical carriage data

P&I club issues warning on false chemical carriage data    The United Kingdom P&I Club, a protection and indemnity provider for ocean carriers, has warned shippers and carriers of the failure of Chinese manufacturers to identify thiourea dioxide in shipments of chemical products.
   The club cited 'several incidents in which thiourea dioxide had been categorized as 'thiourea de' or 'thiourea d.' These are not recognized shipping names,' the club said in a statement, adding thiourea dioxide 'is banned for carriage in many U.K. Club members' ships.'
   Thiourea dioxide is a white-to-light-yellow crystalline powder, classified under the International Maritime Organization's International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code as an IMDG Class 4.2 material, is normally shipped in sealed drums. It readily oxidizes in air and, in contact with oxidizable organic material, may ignite and cause a fire. Any contact of the powder with moisture or water may generate heat, causing ignition. With acids, thiourea dioxide will produce highly toxic sulfur dioxide.
   'Any declaration that a consignment from China is not thiourea dioxide should be treated with circumspection,' said Chris Foster of Dr. J.H. Burgoyne & Partners LLP, a member of the UK Club's Carefully to Carry Committee.
   Penalties for knowingly violating dangerous carriage rules run as high as $500,000 and five years' imprisonment, according to Hazardous Technical Informational Services of Richmond, Va.