Opinion ID: 2960144
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Warnings About Calhypo

Text: The International Maritime Organization (the “IMO”) maintains a schedule of dangerous materials known as the IMDG Code. The United States has ratified the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (“SOLAS”), Nov. 1, 1974, 32 U.S.T. 47, which incorporates through amendment the IMDG Code. Recife, 827 F. Supp. at 994. Thus, although the IMDG Code is not controlling in this tort action, it serves as an important reference for carriers seeking to transport 8 cargo safely and efficiently while complying with international regulations. See Harmony, 394 F. Supp. 2d at 657. The Code regulates the transport of dangerous goods by sea “in order reasonably to prevent injury to persons, or damage to the ship” or “the marine environment.” IMDG Code 1.1 (1998). “At the same time, however, any regulation should be so framed as not to impede unnecessarily the movement of such goods.” Id. The Code further contains a number of general guidelines that apply to all cargo. For example, the Code states that “[i]n view of the high protective advantages, stowage under deck has been recommended wherever possible, except that, for certain [explosives] whose principal hazard is the production of smoke or toxic fumes, stowage on deck has been recommended.” Id. at 14.6. “Where it is necessary to prevent pressure build-up, decomposition or polymerization of a substance, the packages should be stowed shaded from radiant heat, which includes protection from strong sunlight.” Id. at 14.12. When stored below deck, substances vulnerable to radiant heat should be stowed “‘away from’ sources of heat, including sparks, flame, steam pipes, heating coils, etc.” Id. at 14.13. Under the Code, calhypo is a Class 5.1 oxidizing substance. In general, all oxidizing substances, “although in themselves not necessarily combustible, may, either by yielding oxygen or by similar processes, increase the risk and intensity of fire in other materials with which they come into contact.” Id. at 5.1.5. In addition to its general rules on substances vulnerable to radiant heat, the Code requires that carriers store calhypo in particular “‘[a]way from’2 sources of 2 The Code defines “away from” as “[e]ffectively segregated so that the incompatible goods cannot interact dangerously in the event of an accident but may be carried in the same compartment or hold or on deck, provided a minimum horizontal separation of 3 metres, projected vertically, is obtained.” IMDG Code 15.2.2.1.1. 9 heat where temperatures in excess of 55°C for a period of 24 hours or more will be encountered.” The Code further requires that calhypo be “‘[s]eparated from’3 powdered metals, ammonium compounds, cyanides and hydrogen peroxide.” The IMDG Code also imposes temperature-related requirements that apply by implication to the stowage of calhypo. Section 21.2.3.1 requires that material with a self-accelerating decomposition temperature (or “SADT”)4 of over 35°C be stored at a control temperature of 10°C below the SADT. The SADT “should be determined in accordance with the latest version of the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Manual of Tests and Criteria.” Id. at 21.2.3 n.. The district court did not venture a finding as to the SADT according to this United Nations document. The U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) regulations largely repeat the general aspects of the IMDG Code, but they add that for “transportation by vessel, shipments are authorized in accordance with the control temperature requirements in Chapter 7.7 of the IMDG Code.” 49 C.F.R. § 173.21(f)(3)(ii).5 3 The Code defines “separated from” as “[i]n different compartments or holds when stowed under deck. Provided the intervening deck is resistant to fire and liquid, a vertical separation, i.e. in different compartments, may be accepted as equivalent to this segregation. For on deck stowage, this segregation means a separation by a distance of at least 6 metres horizontally.” IMDG Code 15.2.2.1.2. 4 A material’s SADT is closely related to its CAT. We do not explicate the difference as it does not affect the resolution of this appeal. 5 Among other things, the DOT regulations forbid the transport of “[a] package containing a material which is likely to decompose with a self-accelerated decomposition temperature (SADT) of 50° C (122° F) or less . . . with an evolution of a dangerous quantity of heat or gas when decomposing . . . unless the material is stabilized or inhibited in a manner to preclude such evolution. The SADT may be determined by any of the test methods described in Part II of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria . . . .” 49 C.F.R. § 173.21(f). The regulations 10
In September 1998, before the Harmony commenced its voyage from New York, its Captain received a “box of correspondence, videos, and other materials from Leonhardt & Blumberg,” the Harmony’s vessel management company. Harmony, 394 F. Supp. 2d at 662. The box included a circular from the “Swedish Club,” a member-owned mutual insurance company. That circular, entitled “MEMBER ALERT: July 1998: Calcium Hypochlorite (Hydrated) UN No. 2880,” stated: In the course of investigating a serious fire onboard a container vessel, the fire experts appointed by us have undertaken a research of how [calhypo] reacts to heat exposure. The preliminary results have such serious implications regarding the transportation of this material that we have decided to immediately advise the shipping community of the findings. ... The current IMO recommendation is that material is not to be exposed to a heat source in excess of 55°C for longer than a 24-hour period. Preliminary results of the research indicate, however, that for the type and size of packaging used routinely to ship this material around the world, the temperatures at which the runaway reaction is likely to begin may be much lower than that recommended by the IMO . . . . It is our understanding that the ambient temperature of holds of certain container ships can reach the critical ignition temperature of this material, which preliminary results of our research suggests is considerably lower than that previously published. continue on: “A package meeting the criteria of paragraph (f) of this section may be required to be shipped under controlled temperature conditions. The control temperature and emergency temperature for a package shall be as specified in the table in this paragraph based upon the SADT of the material. The control temperature is the temperature above which a package of the material may not be offered for transportation or transported. The emergency temperature is the temperature at which, due to imminent danger, emergency measures must be initiated.” Id. § 173.21(f)(1). 11 Accordingly, it is suggested that this material is not shipped in the holds of such ships and if stowage on deck is arranged, heating of this material by direct sunlight must be avoided. Although the Captain received this warning prior to setting off from New York, he did not read it. This Swedish Club circular reflected warnings that had already begun to circulate in the shipping community. For example, one week prior to the Swedish Club’s circular, the same consulting group that was hired by the Swedish Club shared its preliminary findings with respect to calhypo. These warnings were prompted by the destruction of the Contship France, a containership carrying cargo that included calhypo manufactured by PPG. See Contship Containerlines, Ltd. v. PPG Indus., Inc., 442 F.3d 74, 75 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 127 S. Ct. 565 (2006). C. Specific Notice of Dangerous Goods Issued by PPG PPG furnished assorted documentation with its containers of calhypo. A dangerous goods summary accurately identified the contents of the containers as calhypo and provided the relevant IMDG classification information. Dock receipts also identified the material as calhypo and declared that “the packing of the container/vehicle has been carried out in accordance with the general introduction [of the] IMDG code, Paragraph 12.3.7.” An accompanying Material Safety Data Sheet cautioned that the calhypo should be stored “in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place . . . away from heat, sparks, flames, direct sunlight, and other sources of heat, including lighted tobacco products.” This sheet further warned that the calhypo was “[u]nstable above 117 12 C” and would “[d]ecompose[] at 180 C.” The remainder of the seven-page document focused on first aid, firefighting, and ecological and other general concerns.