IMSBC Code Amendments (08-25): What Changes for Dry Bulk Cargoes From 1 January 2027

Amendment 08-25 to the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code, adopted by resolution MSC.575(110) on 26 June 2025, enters into force on 1 January 2027. The resolution deems the amendments accepted on 1 July 2026 unless enough Contracting Governments object, and it allows Governments to apply them voluntarily from 1 January 2026. For dry bulk managers the IMSBC Code amendments matter most where they touch cargoes that are loaded every week: direct reduced iron, iron ore pellets, and a group of new individual schedules.

This article summarises the IMSBC Code amendments that affect cargo acceptance and loading planning, from the text of the resolution. The resolution is the source: any ship loading these cargoes should work from the amended Code itself.

Direct Reduced Iron: New Definitions and Loading Limits

Among the IMSBC Code amendments, both direct reduced iron schedules are revised. DRI (A), hot-moulded briquettes, is redefined as a metallic grey material from a densification process in which the feed is hot-moulded into briquettes with a total iron content of at least 88% by weight at a temperature above 650°C. DRI (B), lumps, pellets and cold-moulded briquettes, is redefined as a highly porous black or grey material, and its briquette form is defined as total iron of at least 88% moulded at not more than 650°C, or with an apparent density of not more than 5,000 kg/m³.

The loading section for DRI (A) now sets out what the shipper’s certificate must state. Before loading, the shipper must give the master a certificate from a competent person recognised by the competent authority of the port of loading, stating that at the time of loading:

• the apparent density is greater than 5,000 kg/m³ (for hot briquetted DRI, determined according to ISO 15968:2016);
• fines and small particles (under 6.35 mm) do not exceed 5% by weight;
• the moisture content does not exceed 1.0%; and
• the temperature does not exceed 65°C.

The cargo may not be loaded and shipped under the schedule if the temperature is above 65°C, the moisture is above 1.0%, fines exceed 5% by weight, or the apparent density is 5,000 kg/m³ or less. The loading paragraph also requires precautions so the cargo is substantially whole, intact briquettes with minimal loose or uncompacted pellets, loaded in a way that limits breakage and the concentration of fines, and adding fines, dust or loose pellets to homogeneous DRI (A) cargoes is prohibited. The amended text defines apparent density as the mass in air per volume, including the void spaces within particles but excluding the voids between them, and gives screening of the material to be loaded as one example of an appropriate precaution.

Iron Ore Pellets and the New Iron Ore Briquettes

For iron ore pellets, the description now says the iron oxide is formed into pellets with binders such as clay and hardened by firing at 1,200 to 1,315°C, with moisture up to 6%. In the characteristics table the bulk density changes from 1,900 to 1,800 kg/m³, and the stowage factor figures of 0.45 and 0.52 become 0.42 and 0.56. These are the figures that feed cargo plans and loading computers, so any template or software default built on the old values will need updating.

A new schedule covers iron ore briquettes: hard briquettes made by cold agglomeration of iron ore with binders such as sodium silicate, 10 to 40 mm in size, with a bulk density of 1,800 to 2,400 kg/m³ and a stowage factor of 0.42 to 0.56. It is a Group C cargo. The schedule notes that it may affect magnetic compasses, that the very high density means the tank top may be overstressed unless the cargo is spread evenly, that loading rates are normally very high so ballasting must be considered in the loading plan required by SOLAS regulation VI/7.3, and that bilge wells must be clean, dry and protected against ingress of the cargo.

Cargoes That May Liquefy: Apatite Concentrate and Phosphate Rock Fines

Two of the new schedules are Group A cargoes, which may liquefy if shipped with moisture above the transportable moisture limit (TML). Apatite concentrate is a crystalline fine grey powder under 0.5 mm, bulk density 1,429 to 2,000 kg/m³, stowage factor 0.5 to 0.7. Phosphate rock fines (uncalcined) are up to 5 mm, non-cohesive, abrasive and dusty, bulk density 1,250 to 1,800 kg/m³, stowage factor 0.56 to 0.80, and the dust may irritate the eyes, nose and respiratory system.

For both, a ship that does not comply with section 7.3.2 of the Code must keep the moisture content below the TML during loading and the voyage, must not handle the cargo during precipitation unless the Code’s procedures allow it, and must keep non-working hatches closed during handling. The TML and the shipper’s declarations of moisture content are therefore the control points, as with other Group A cargoes. The surface of the cargo must also be checked regularly during the voyage, and if free water above the cargo or a fluid state is seen the master must act to prevent cargo shifting and consider a place of refuge. Apatite concentrate may not be ventilated during the voyage.

Fish Meal, Castor and Other Schedule Changes

A new schedule for fish meal (fish scrap), stabilized, applies only to fish meal that does not meet the dangerous goods or materials hazardous only in bulk criteria. It is a Group C cargo that is liable to cause oxygen depletion in the cargo space. The cargo must not be accepted for loading above 35°C or 5°C above ambient, whichever is higher, and the shipper must give a certificate that it does not meet the MHB (SH) criteria and certificates for moisture content, fat content and anti-oxidant treatment. The ship must carry equipment to measure oxygen in the cargo space, and personnel may not enter until oxygen has been restored to a normal level.

The existing schedule for stabilised fish meal under UN 2216 is revised too: the shipping name is changed, the class is shown as 9, and the anti-oxidant treatment must have been applied within 12 months before shipment, with remnant levels of at least 100 ppm of ethoxyquin, 100 ppm of BHT or 250 ppm of tocopherol at the time of shipment. The castor schedule is restated under the name “Castor beans UN 2969”, with castor meal, pomace and flake entries removed from the index. Several schedules also change their breathing apparatus wording, including aluminium smelting by-products, ferrosilicon and ferrous metal borings.

Other New Schedules in the IMSBC Code Amendments

The amendment also adds individual schedules for aluminium sulphate granular, asphalt granulates, crushed granodiorite (coarse), ferric sulphate granular, pea protein concentrate pellets, tuff (coarse) and zinc slag (coarse). The two sulphate cargoes are Group B cargoes with a corrosive (CR) chemical hazard. Aluminium sulphate granular must be kept “separated from” most other cargoes because it is a drinking water product, and ferric sulphate granular, which corrodes metals when moist and may release toxic sulphur oxides if strongly heated, must be kept “away from” metals such as aluminium and zinc. Both must be kept as dry as practicable, must not be handled during precipitation, and their cargo spaces must not be ventilated during the voyage. For pea protein concentrate pellets the schedule warns that loading dry pellets with cargo blowers may present a risk of dust explosion. Section 3.6 on in-transit fumigation, section 9.3.3 and the references in section 13.2 are also updated: the fumigation footnotes now point to the revised recommendations in MSC.1/Circ.1264/Rev.1, including its paragraphs 3.3.2.4 and 3.3.2.10, and the reference list now cites MSC.1/Circ.1395/Rev.7.

What the Class Societies Add

Class societies have turned the amendments into certification points. ABS Regulatory News 18/2026 (October 2026) counts 12 new schedules and 11 revised ones, while the Korean Register lists 11 new and 11 modified, a difference that appears to come from how the UN 2216 fish meal schedule is counted. ClassNK Technical Information TEC-1370 (5 December 2025) says the amendment will be mandatory for all ships loading solid bulk cargoes on or after 1 January 2027, with the current seventh amendment valid until 31 December 2026. Both say an existing IMSBC fitness certificate remains valid until expiry but does not cover the newly added cargoes, so a ship that expects to carry one needs the certificate rewritten. ClassNK recommends doing so before 1 January 2027.

Korean Register Technical Information 2025-IMO-15 shows how one society will handle the changes. For a newly added cargo, an owner can ask KR for a technical review from 1 January 2026 and then apply for a survey to issue or renew the IMSBC certificate and, where relevant, the fixed gas fire-extinguishing exemption. For cargoes already on a certificate whose shipping name changes, namely castor beans and the stabilised fish meal under UN 2216, KR will update the certificates by the first periodical survey on or after 1 January 2027 without a technical review, and outdated names are removed when certificates are reissued. A ship whose dangerous goods certificate does not cover Class 9 bulk cargo should arrange the review and survey for fish meal in advance. KR also notes that the fixed gas fire-extinguishing installation otherwise required by SOLAS regulation II-2/10.7 may no longer be required for castor beans. Other class societies and flags will have their own procedures.

ABS adds two further points. MSC.1/Circ.1395/Rev.7 (17 September 2025) gives guidance to Administrations on cargoes for which a fixed gas fire-extinguishing system may be exempted under SOLAS regulation II-2/10.7.1.4, and its table 1 now lists aluminium sulphate granular, ferric sulphate granular and castor beans UN 2969. ABS says an exemption certificate may therefore need to be reissued with the fitness certificate, and procedures vary by flag. And a ship that may carry fish meal UN 2216, now Class 9, should check that its Document of Compliance for dangerous goods covers Class 9 solid bulk cargoes. These notes are secondary summaries: the resolution and the circular are the sources.

What to Check Before the IMSBC Code Amendments Take Effect

• whether cargo plans, loading computer defaults and stowage factor tables still use the old iron ore pellet figures of 1,900 kg/m³ and 0.45 and 0.52;
• whether the shipper’s certificates and declarations for DRI (A) cover density, fines, moisture and temperature in the form the amended schedule describes;
• whether the cargo procedures in the safety management system refer to the amended Code edition, and who is responsible for updating them (see Ship Safety Management System: A Practical Guide to Keeping the SMS Usable);
• whether masters and chief officers know the new Group A cargoes, apatite concentrate and phosphate rock fines, and the TML control that goes with them; and
• whether the IMSBC fitness certificate has been rewritten to cover any newly added cargo the ship expects to carry, and whether any fixed gas fire-extinguishing exemption needs reissuing with it;
• whether the ship’s Document of Compliance for dangerous goods covers Class 9 solid bulk cargoes, if fish meal UN 2216 may be carried;
• whether the flag State or the loading port applies the amendments earlier on a voluntary basis, which the resolution allows from 1 January 2026.

Sources

The IMSBC Code amendments above are taken from the text of the resolution. Acceptance and entry into force follow the resolution’s own wording, so confirm the position with your flag State and class society.

• IMO Resolution MSC.575(110), Amendments to the IMSBC Code (Amendment 08-25), adopted 26 June 2025
• International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code, SOLAS chapter VI
• IMO circular MSC.1/Circ.1395/Rev.7, Lists of solid bulk cargoes for which a fixed gas fire-extinguishing system may be exempted or for which a fixed gas fire-extinguishing system is ineffective, 17 September 2025
• Amendments (08-25) as set out in annex 4 to document MSC 110/21/Add.1 (report of MSC 110), the text that includes the section 3.6 footnotes and the apparent density footnote
• ABS, Regulatory News No. 18/2026, IMSBC Code Amendments 08-25, October 2026 (cross-check)
• ClassNK, Technical Information No. TEC-1370, Application of IMSBC Code 8th Amendment, 5 December 2025 (cross-check)
• Korean Register, Technical Information 2025-IMO-15, IMSBC Code Amendments (08-25) (cross-check)

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