Aerosol Introduction

Common items in life such as insecticide sprays and rust removers are all dangerous goods when transported at sea as cargo. They have a common name (correct shipping name): aerosols.
Aerosols are a type of cargo whose tanks are made of metal, glass or plastic, filled with compressed, liquefied or pressurized dissolved gas, containing or not containing liquid, paste or powder, and the container cannot be refilled. This type of container is equipped with a release device that allows the contents to be sprayed out in the form of foam, paste or powder of suspended solid or liquid particles in the gas, or in liquid state, or in gas state.
Common aerosols in life include the following: spray paint, PU foam glue, insecticide, rust remover, hair spray, air duster, cassette gas, spray air freshener, etc.

It has three obvious characteristics: first, the container is non-refillable, disposable, and cannot be reused; second, the gas inside is used as a propellant, such as propane, butane, etc.; third, there must be a release device.

Please note that if the goods you are shipping have the above three characteristics, then be careful, this goods may be classified as dangerous goods by sea.

Regulations on maritime transport of aerosols

According to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, aerosols belong to Class 2 dangerous goods, UN number 1950, proper shipping name (Chinese): aerosols, proper shipping name (English): AEROSOLS.

Classification

The classification and secondary risk of aerosols depend on the nature of the contents of the sprayer, and the applicable regulations are as follows:

• If the contents contain not less than 85% (by mass) of flammable components and the chemical heat of combustion is not less than 30kJ/g or more, Class 2.1 applies.
• If the contents contain not more than 1% (by mass) of flammable components and the chemical heat of combustion is less than 20kJ/g, Class 2.2 applies.
• Otherwise, the product shall be classified according to the test described in Section 31 of Part III of the United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria. Extremely flammable and flammable aerosols shall be classified as Class 2.1, non-flammable as Class 2.2.
• Class 2.3 gases shall not be used as propellants in aerosols.
• When the contents other than the propellant sprayed by the aerosol are classified as Class 6.1 packing group II or III or Class 8 packing group II or III, they shall have a subsidiary hazard of Class 6.1 or Class 8.
• The transport of aerosols is prohibited when the contents meet the requirements of Packing Group I for Toxic Substances or Packing Group I for Corrosive Substances.
• Except for consignments for transport within limited quantities, packages containing aerosols shall be affixed with the hazard symbol and the subsidiary hazard symbol (if any).

Packaging
Except for limited transport, aerosols can be packaged in general or bulk packaging. General packaging allows the use of barrels or boxes, and bulk packaging allows the use of steel bulk packaging. Both general packaging and bulk packaging must meet the performance standards of packaging class II.

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Hot water tank test

Aerosols that have been filled and are intended for delivery for transportation must undergo a hot water tank test. Generally, the aerosol is placed in 55°C hot water to observe whether the aerosol leaks or permanently deforms. At present, the hot water tank test is generally carried out by the customs inspection agency in accordance with the "Safety Specifications for Inspection of Small Gas Containers for Dangerous Goods" and a certificate of inspection qualification is issued.

Limited packaging and transportation

For sprays or containers containing toxic substances, the limit is 120ml, and for all other sprays or containers, the limit is 1000ml.

Aerosols for limited transportation need to be contained in good quality packaging, and the strength of the packaging must be sufficient to withstand the vibration and load usually encountered during transportation. The total weight of the package shall not exceed 30KG.

Exempt quantity transport

Aerosols are not allowed to be transported in exempt quantities.

Exemption regulations

Aerosols containing only non-toxic ingredients and with a volume of no more than 50ml, and equipped with accidental release protection devices, can be transported in accordance with ordinary cargo, and do not need to comply with dangerous goods shipping regulations.

Declaration requirements

Under non-exempt circumstances, when the consignor consigns aerosols, he needs to inform the carrier of the relevant information of the consigned aerosols and entrust a qualified declaration unit to declare to the maritime administration (the consignor can also handle the declaration procedures by himself if he has the declaration qualifications):

• In general, it is necessary to submit: a safety and suitability declaration, a safety technical manual, a hot water tank test report, an appraisal report, and a packaging inspection certificate.
• Aerosols for limited transportation need to submit: a safety and suitability declaration, a safety technical manual, a hot water tank test report, an appraisal report, and a limited quantity certificate.

Tips on limited transportation:

Aerosols for limited transportation are exempt from submitting a packaging inspection certificate when declaring. According to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, goods that are transported in limited packaging are allowed to be exempted from relevant requirements for packaging inspection, provided that the basic packaging requirements are met. This requirement is intended to facilitate the transportation of dangerous goods in small packages. Enterprises can reasonably use this measure to reduce logistics links, save logistics time and reduce logistics costs.