IMDG Code 2024 — available from Dandy Booksellers Australia

We get asked this a lot. You need the current IMDG Code for the office, you have found it listed in print and digital, and you are not sure which to order. Here is a plain answer on how the two formats differ and how to pick the one that suits your office.

What You Are Buying: The IMDG Code

The IMDG Code is made mandatory under Chapter VII of the SOLAS Convention, so compliance is a legal requirement for ships on international voyages.^{[ 1 ]} The Code is published in two volumes. A separate Supplement holds the EmS Guide, the Medical First Aid Guide and the reporting procedures, and most offices need the Code and the Supplement together. The format you choose does not change any of that.

Both formats carry the same regulations. Where they differ is how each one keeps up to date. When the IMO issues a correction or erratum, the digital edition on the platform is updated by the IMO. A printed set does not change on its own, so any correction has to be applied to the books by hand, and a set that misses that step is quietly out of date. Keep that in mind as you read the rest of this guide.

The Printed IMDG Code: A Shared Office Reference

The printed IMDG Code is a two-volume set that sits on the shelf and can be picked up by anyone. There is no login, no device, and nothing to renew. For an office where several people check the Code through the day, a printed set is simple and always to hand. The trade-off is that you search it by hand using the index, and the printed text stays as it was when the book was produced.

The Digital IMDG Code: How the IMO ePublications Platform Works

The digital IMDG Code is read on the IMO ePublications platform, the official IMO Bookshelf.^{[ 2 ]} You do not download a PDF. You log in and read the Code in a web-based e-reader that is fully searchable, so you can jump straight to a UN number, a proper shipping name or a packing instruction.

Access works like this. When you order the digital IMDG Code from Dandy Booksellers, Dandy sets up your account on the IMO ePublications platform and allocates the title to it. The platform then sends an activation email from sales@imo.org to the address on your order.^{[ 3 ]} Click the activation link in that email to activate your account and set your password. Once you log in, your title appears under My Profile, in the Subscriptions section. A user guide for the platform is available on the IMO ePublications website.

You can also read the Code offline, for example on board or in port. The platform has a save-for-offline-viewing option, so you save the title for offline use while you are still connected to the internet, using a current web browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.^{[ 4 ]} Two things are worth knowing. Offline content is stored in your browser, so clearing your browser data removes it and you would need to save it again. And offline access works only while your subscription or access period is current.

Price and Sharing: Two Things to Weigh Up

First, the digital edition is cheaper than the printed two-volume set. Second, standard digital licences are generally intended for individual user access. The digital Code is tied to a single login. A printed set, by contrast, can be shared by the whole office.

If one person handles dangerous goods, digital is usually the better value. If the Code is passed around between several staff, a printed set will suit better, or you would order a digital licence for each person who needs one.

Which Works Best in Your Office?

Choose print if:

• several people share the Code through the day
• your team prefers working from paper
• your work area is not well suited to screens

Choose digital if:

• one person owns the dangerous goods work
• you want fast searching by UN number or shipping name
• you need to read the Code from more than one place

Many offices keep a printed set on the shelf and hold a digital Code-and-Supplement pack for the person who uses it most.

A note for Australian buyers: printed books are shipped from overseas, so the digital edition, delivered by email, usually reaches you faster. That matters when a compliance deadline is close.

See also: IMDG Code 2024: What It Is and Who Needs It, and SOLAS Consolidated Edition 2024.