German insurers ramp up pressure on IMO to tackle ‘nurdle’ risk

The German insurance association (GDV) is stepping up pressure on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to declare plastic pellets, or nurdles, used in packaging at sea dangerous goods. It is thought that about 200 tons of nurdles are lost overboard along with containers every year in European waters alone. There have been a number of major global incidents in recent times that have made the scale of the problem clear. In May last year, for example, the X-Press Pearl caught fire and sank off the coast of Sri Lanka. All containers were lost or damaged. Several of the broken containers contained nurdles, which covered nearby beaches. The GDV wants nurdles to be declared dangerous goods under the IMO’s International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG). This would mean containers packed with nurdles would have to be more securely packed and stowed below deck. "As dangerous goods, the plastic would be better packaged for sea transport, and appropriate containers would also be stowed below deck. That minimises the risk of load loss,” said Jörg Asmussen, general manager of the GDV. “Again and again, containers loaded with pellets go overboard. A classification of the pellets as hazardous goods would have another advantage in addition to safe loading: the responsible authorities would have to be informed of any loss and could identify affected sections of coast more quickly,” stated the GDV. “In the event of a load loss, beaches must be cleaned of the pellets as quickly as possible. The shipping insurers do cover the costs but the real problem is actually finding the small parts,” explained Asmussen. The GDV’s proposal can only be implemented at international level under the IMDG code. The IMO, which belongs to the United Nations, must therefore decide whether nurdles should be included in the code. Asmussen said the GDV has submitted its request on nurdles to the IMO via the International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI). The GDV said it would also support the responsible IMO committees to develop the necessary packaging and loading regulations. In a comment published in the June edition of the IUMI Eye Newsletter, Jens Jaeger, policy forum liaison at the GDV and member of the IUMI Policy Forum and Loss Prevention Committee, focused on the spill risk of plastic resin pellets and work at the IMO to mitigate this risk. “These pellets – commonly referred to as nurdles – can be unintentionally released into the open environment, both during manufacturing and transport, creating pollution in the oceans and on beaches. The released resin pellets are carried by surface runoff, stream and river waters eventually to the ocean. Resin pellets can also be directly introduced to the ocean through accidental spills during shipping,” explained Jaeger. “Due to the longevity and very slow decomposition rate of plastics, it can take centuries for the material to be broken down by physical, chemical and biological processes in the oceans. How long plastic pellets really linger in the environment is not known. However, due to physical conditions such as wind, waves and currents, plastic pellets can be transported and dispersed over long distances from the point of entry,” he continued. Jaeger said the X-Press Pearl accident has provided new impetus for regulatory action on pellets. Following the accident, Sri Lanka recommended that the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MPEC) considered “the need to amend classification of all pellets, flakes and powders under MARPOL Annexes III and V and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code to improve labelling, loading, stowage and handling practices of all ship-bound pellets”. The submission was referred to a sub-committee on pollution prevention and response (PPR) by the MPEC, explained Jaeger. The good news is that the PPR sub-committee has discussed the submitted proposals and instructed the Correspondence Group on Marine Plastic Litter from Ships to further consider options for reducing the environmental risk linked to nurdles and advise the sub-committee on the best way forward. The results of the Correspondence Group will be submitted to the PPR sub-committee in January 2023.

German insurers ramp up pressure on IMO to tackle ‘nurdle’ risk

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