SARC, Netherlands-based developer of maritime software solutions, has released an EDI-IMDG validation tool for shipping dangerous goods by sea. The SARC EDI-IMDG Validator can operate without any predefined ship geometry and is based on a schematic bay plan. This bay plan is derived from an Electronic Data Interchange file (EDI/Baplie). The tool is meant for ship owners, shipping lines, crew and port authorities and can assist in attaining a higher standard of safety at lower effort.
If a vessel sails with dangerous cargo, international rules require the load to be verified for compliance with the latest IMDG code (International Maritime Dangerous Goods). Each transported substance needs to be checked for conflicts with all other transported substances and the position of its Cargo Transport Unit (CTU) on the vessel needs to be validated.
The tool can read a load from an EDI/Baplie message and checks the compliance of the load with the latest IMDG amendment. It is also possible to check a manually entered load. Once a load is imported, the operator can refine details of the load that were not available in the imported data, for example if a substance is in limited or excepted quantity. The tool performs segregation checks between all CTU’s, verifies stowage comments and labels for each individual CTU and validates the CTU data. 
The number of combinations to be checked increases quadratic with each additional substance in the load. A manual check of a complete load is therefore often very time-consuming and in practice a check will often be performed on a sample check basis. The EDI-IMDG Validator takes the bulk of this work out of your hands and does a complete check of all combinations and points you directly to the possible segregation conflicts or stowage issues for further review. The tool supports ISO 6436 container codes (both 1985 and 1995) and supports conversion of non-standard codes.
The EDI-IMDG Validator uses the Hazcheck Toolkit from Exis Technologies), global leaders in compliance solutions for maritime dangerous goods transport. The toolkit includes a dangerous goods database, and segregation, stowage and packaging routines for the determination of restrictions and prohibitions. The Hazcheck Toolkit can be quickly and easily integrated into third party software and is also available as an API web service. Exis Technologies keeps the database and routines up to date with IMDG Code Amendments and Errata. www.existec.com
In summary, the EDI-IMDG Validator allows for a more thorough and more efficient check of a vessel’s load, thus increasing the safety of the vessel, its crew and reducing the risk of environmental pollution. If you are interested in a demonstration, or require further information, please visit our website (www.sarc.nl) or contact SARC directly ([email protected]). A free trial of the tool is available on request.
Source: SARC