INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION
E
IMO
BLG WORKING GROUP ON THE
EVALUATION OF SAFETY AND
POLLUTION HAZARDS OF CHEMICALS
11th session
Agenda item 4
ESPH 11/4/3
30 September 2005
ENGLISH ONLY
REVIEW OF MEPC.2/CIRC. – PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF
LIQUID SUBSTANCES TRANSPORTED IN BULK
Submitted by the United Kingdom
SUMMARY
Executive summary:
This document recommends the amendment of the annex to
MEPC.2/Circ which forms the list of vegoils included in the revised
IBC Code and their accepted approved commercial synonyms, to
include all hydrogenated, interesterified and fractioned vegoils.
Action to be taken:
Paragraph 11
Related documents:
BLG 9/3, BLG 9/WP.1, BLG/Circ.15, MEPC.2/Circ.
Introduction
1
During initial discussions concerning the shipping of vegetable and animal oils and fats, it
was noted that these products are shipped whilst in their various stages of production, from the
raw (crude) oil to the final refined product, ready for food manufacture or direct human
consumption. It was agreed that for the evaluation of their potential impact on safety and the
environment, the crude vegetable oils would be submitted as these posed the greatest threat in
both areas. The more refined products and their various commercial names would be included in
the appropriate list of synonyms.
2
At the tenth session of the Working Group on the Evaluation of Safety and Pollution
Hazards of Chemicals (BLG 9/3 3.11), while discussing the individual entries in the IBC Code,
the Group noted that there were approximately 140 synonyms for vegoils proposed for inclusion
in the Index to the Code. The Group agreed that these should be kept to a minimum and that the
Index to the Code should include only those synonyms which would not be easily recognizable
with their product name.
3
At BLG 9, the Group agreed that for the sake of transparency all recognized synonyms
for vegoils and animal fats should be shown within an official IMO document (BLG 9/WP.1,
paragraph 5.3). The Group further agreed that it would be best to reflect the various synonyms in
a separate annex to the MEPC.2/Circ. The Group also agreed that any proposed synonym should
be listed in the GESAMP/EHS Product Data Reporting Form (BLG 9/WP.1, paragraph 5.4).
For reasons of economy, this document is printed in a limited number. Delegates are
kindly asked to bring their copies to meetings and not to request additional copies.
I:\BLG\ESPH\11\4-3.doc
ESPH 11/4/3
-2-
Further processing of refined oils
4
We are aware that several oils and fats are being shipped in bulk after they have been
processed beyond the refined stage. The two processes of interest are “hydrogenation” and
“interesterification”.
5
The purpose of the hydrogenation process is to harden the oil which, for example, allows
margarine to be made with 100% soyabean oil. During the process, the fatty acids making up the
oil triglycerides become more saturated, and thus more solid at room temperature. The hydrogen
is added to the oil under elevated temperature and pressure and stirred in the presence of a nickel
catalyst. The free fatty acid content and the chain length of the fatty acids present are not
changed during the process. Thus, the safety and environmental impact of the vegoil does not
change.
6
The interesterification process is similarly applied to oils and fats for the purpose of
changing their physical melting behaviour. It increases the melting range of the fats so that they
are more spreadable, for example, when they are used immediately after removing from a
domestic refrigerator. During the process, all the fatty acid chains are removed from the glycerol
backbone in the triglyceride molecule and allowed to recombine in a random, but repeatable,
distribution. It does not increase the free fatty acid level in the vegoil, nor does it add any further
components and thus, does not affect the safety and environmental impact of the vegoil.
7
The GESAMP/EHS Working Group has also considered several products which are the
result of a third process applied to refined oils; that of fractionation. This process is merely the
cooling down of a vegoil so that solids start to form, and these are subsequently filtered from the
semi-solid mass. Thus, the two streams form a low melting olein, and a higher melting stearin.
There are currently already about eight products of this type for inclusion in the List of
Synonyms for vegoils.
Discussion
8
In the last batch of submissions to the GESAMP/EHS Working Group, the hazard profiles
of which were published in BLG/Circ.15, the term hydrogenation was included in the synonyms
for palm kernel olein and palm kernel stearin. These were considered by the GESAMP/EHS
Working Group and they should be included in the list of synonyms. Similarly, the
GESAMP/EHS Working Group has also considered the interesterification process: the term
‘inter-esterified sunflower oil’ was included in the original vegoil submission for sunflower oil,
and should appear in the relevant annex of the MEPC.2/Circ. As stated above, there are also
many fractionated oils and fats commodities (oleins and stearins) which have already been
evaluated by the GESAMP/EHS Working Group.
9
We believe, therefore, that the synonyms for hydrogenated, interesterified and
fractionated versions of all vegoils listed in the IBC Code should be included in the List of
Synonyms as generic groups. This could be achieved in two ways. The individual names
(possibly more than 40) of the versions of all the base oils and fats could be added to the list, or
more briefly, a sentence along the following lines could be added:
“The hydrogenated, interesterified, and fractionated versions of all vegoils are considered
to be synonyms of the crude vegoils from which they are derived, and are subject to the
same carriage requirements as those crude oils currently accepted in the IBC Code and
MEPC.2/Circ.”
I:\BLG\ESPH\11\4-3.doc
-3-
ESPH 11/4/3
10
In order to prevent the constant amendment of this document, it is proposed to add the
hydrogenated, interesterified and fractionated version of all the base vegoils. Two methods have
been suggested for the mechanism of these additions. It is proposed that the addition of a single
sentence to the List to enable this change is the preferred option (see paragraph 9 above).
Action requested of the Working Group
11
The Working Group is requested to consider amending the List of Vegoils Synonyms in
the relevant annex of MEPC.2/Circ. to include the hydrogenated, interesterified and fractionated
version of all the base vegoils currently accepted or alternatively the wording contained in
paragraph 9.
_____________
I:\BLG\ESPH\11\4-3.doc