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Brief: CCC 12

Session Dates 14-18 September 2026

 

Overview: Brief: CCC 12

The IMO Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC) held its latest session, making substantive progress across a broad range of maritime safety, security and operational regulatory areas.

Key milestones of the session included advancing the draft revision of interim guidelines for methyl/ethyl alcohol-fueled ships, initiating safety guidelines for Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage (OCCS) systems, updating the IMSBC and IMDG Codes and revising the Guidelines for the Preparation of the Cargo Securing Manual to establish a harmonized performance standard for lashing software. 

This brief provides an overview of the significant issues progressed during the meeting.

Key Takeaways

  • Revision of the Interim Guidelines for the safety of ships using methyl/ethyl Alcohol as fuel (MSC.1/Circ.1621): The Sub-Committee finalized the revision of the Interim Guidelines, which will be submitted to MSC 113 (June 2027) for formal approval.
  • GHG Safety: The Sub-Committee initiated the drafting of the Interim Guidelines for the safety of ships using an OCCS System, targeting completion at CCC 14 (2028), with formal adoption scheduled for MSC 116 (2029). The Sub-Committee also updated the Work Plan based on the outcomes of this session.
  • IMSBC Code Amendments: Nine new bulk cargoes (including Contaminated Soil and Direct Shipping Ore Spodumene) advance to Amendment 09-27, while complex items like Polymetallic Nodules were deferred to CCC 13 to resolve testing issues. Shippers must prepare for expanded cargo declarations explicitly covering subsidiary hazards and MHB notations, as well as the 2028 voluntary Bulk Cargo Number system rollout.
  • IMDG Code Amendments: Targeting 2030 entry into force, new Special Provision SP980 mandates consignor safety checks for electric/hybrid vehicle shipments while removing general exemptions. To close the SP188 safety gap, work is progressing on container-level energy thresholds to require full dangerous goods documentation for bulk small-battery shipments, alongside meter-based Class 7 segregation updates.
  • Harmonized performance standard for lashing software to permit lashing software as a supplement to the Cargo Securing Manual: The Sub-Committee finalized interim guidelines establishing a two-module performance standard that permits lashing software to supplement - but not replace - approved containership Cargo Securing Manuals. Issued as a non-mandatory circular, its interim status allows for future updates as operational experience grows, like real-time motion sensor and automated weather data integration.
  • Low-Flashpoint Fuel Oils: The Sub-Committee further developed the draft Interim Guidelines for ships using Low-Flashpoint fuel oils. The work will continue intersessionally through Correspondence Group. The Maritime Safety Committee will be invited to re-establish the Intersessional Working Group on Alternative Fuels (ISWG-AF 4) to further develop these guidelines.

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