Carriage, Handling and Storage of Dangerous Goods along

122 RECOMMENDATIONS
With regard to guidelines for ports and terminals, reference should be made to the ILO Code of Practice
on Safety and Health in Ports, 2003 (see Chapter 6.2.4 of Volume I) and IMO Revised Recommendations
on the Safe Transport of Dangerous Cargoes and Related Activities in Port Areas, 2006 (see Chapter
6.2.5 of Volume I).
The relevance of each of these instruments for the Upper Mekong and the Lower Mekong as well as the
feasibility of implementing these instruments should be investigated further.
In Europe, a general tendency towards harmonisation of rules on the transportation of dangerous
goods by inland waterways has emerged, with a key role for the European Agreement concerning
the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways (ADN). The ADN was drafted by
the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), in close cooperation with the Central
Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR). Currently, 17 countries are party to the ADN.
The advantages of using the ADN as a basis for harmonised rules are:
• international transportation of dangerous goods is permitted if the conditions of the
annexed Regulations are met;
• riparian States retain the right to regulate or prohibit entry on their territory for reasons
other than safety during carriage;
• other regulations applicable to carriage of goods in general remain applicable;
• a possibility exists for derogations through bilateral/multilateral agreements; and
• a possibility exists for special authorisations.
The example of the Draft Prakas on Technical Requirements for Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland
Waterway in the Kingdom of Cambodia moreover shows that at least some countries in the Mekong
Basin are already familiar with the ADN.
The suitability of implementing the ADN Code should be investigated further, taking into account
the differences between the Upper Mekong and the Lower Mekong, institutional capacity, technical
standards of existing fleets and socio-economic development. The implementation of the ADN Code
would need to be undertaken in a feasible and practical manner.
As a separate action, capacity building with a view to raising awareness of international standards is
recommended.
5.3.4 Elaboration of Technical Guidelines
RECOMMENDATION
In addition to legally binding rules, harmonised non-binding technical guidelines for the transport
of dangerous goods along the Mekong River should be developed.
CHALLENGE
The Risk Analysis indicated that the current technical capacity, budget and resources of Member Countries
might stand in the way of the adoption of an elaborate set of binding rules. Therefore, it is recommended
that in addition to legally binding harmonised rules, harmonised non-binding technical guidelines
for the transport of dangerous goods along the Mekong River are developed. These guidelines
could set out best practices, referring to international standards. Also, they should be updated on a
regular basis.