A key working group of the International Maritime Organization has recommended approval of a U.S. proposal that corn gluten feed and corn gluten meal be reclassified in the official IMO code. The change would make transport of these ingredients simpler by eliminating a requirement that they be loaded on vessels with specialized fire suppression equipment. The proposal was based on the results of tests organized by the U.S. Grains Council, in cooperation with a number of U.S. producers, marketers and shippers.

In 2010, the U.S. Grains Council organized an industry group to address this problem. With samples donated by various shippers, the Council arranged for combustibility testing at several U.S. labs. Based on the outcome of those tests, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a letter of exemption in December 2010, allowing CGF and CGM to be loaded in U.S. ports as “low fire risk” cargoes.

Erick Erickson, USGC director of programs and planning, says – the exemption letter only extends to the limits of U.S. Coast Guard jurisdiction and is not binding on non-U.S. ship owners and arrival ports. The IMO task force action sets into motion a process that will culminate in the reclassification  over a period of three years.

Courtesy: NAFB News