Dangerous goods move safely through global supply chains every day.
That does not happen simply because a shipment has the correct declaration or because a logistics platform has the right dangerous goods fields. Safe movement depends on the people handling the cargo understanding what their role requires and knowing when something is wrong.
That distinction is becoming increasingly important in 2026.
The IMDG Code continues to evolve alongside dangerous goods regulation, technology, cargo types, and international safety requirements. The 2024 edition incorporating Amendment 42-24 became mandatory on January 1, 2026, while the next edition incorporating Amendment 43-26 is expected to become available for transitional use in 2027.
For freight forwarders, shippers, warehouse teams, container packers, stevedores, vessel operators, and dangerous goods managers, this means IMDG knowledge cannot be treated as training completed once and forgotten.
It has to remain current, role-specific, and practical.
Why is Dangerous Goods Competence Becoming More Important?
The biggest dangerous goods risks are not always the shipments everyone already knows are hazardous.
The more difficult situations are often the ones where cargo has been incorrectly classified, declared, packaged, marked, documented, or handled somewhere earlier in the supply chain.
Once that happens, every party downstream may be working from incorrect information.
A container handler may not know special precautions are required.
A freight forwarder may accept documentation that is incomplete.
A vessel operator may receive cargo without the information needed for safe stowage or segregation.
This is why dangerous goods safety is not one person’s responsibility.
It is distributed across the supply chain.
Recent inspection data referenced by CargoWise reinforces the scale of the issue. In 2024, inspections conducted by seven governments identified deficiencies in 11.39% of the 77,688 containers inspected. Problems included placarding and marking, documentation, packaging, stowage, and securing.
Those are not purely system problems.
Many of them originate from operational decisions.
What does the IMDG Code Cover?
The International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, commonly known as the IMDG Code, provides the framework for transporting dangerous goods by sea.
It covers areas such as:
- Classification
- Packaging
- Marking and labelling
- Dangerous goods documentation
- Container packing
- Segregation
- Stowage
- Handling
- Emergency considerations
- Training responsibilities
For freight forwarders, the Code affects much more than preparing a dangerous goods declaration.
It influences how the cargo should be understood and handled throughout its maritime journey.
That is why knowing that the IMDG Code exists is very different from being able to apply it correctly.
A person preparing dangerous goods documentation does not perform the same function as someone packing the container.
A worker accepting cargo does not need exactly the same knowledge as a senior manager responsible for dangerous goods governance.
Effective training therefore has to reflect the job being performed.
What Changed with IMDG Amendment 42-24?
The 2024 edition of the IMDG Code, incorporating Amendment 42-24, became mandatory on January 1, 2026.
That means organizations involved in dangerous goods sea freight need to ensure their processes and training align with the current edition.
But dangerous goods compliance does not stop once one amendment becomes mandatory.
The 2026 edition, incorporating Amendment 43-26, is already the next point of attention and is expected to become available for transitional use during 2027.
This continuous cycle is important.
Companies cannot assume that dangerous goods procedures, internal training material, or operational knowledge developed several years ago will remain suitable indefinitely.
As classifications, requirements, interpretations, and international recommendations change, the people applying them need to change with them.
Why is Role-Specific IMDG Training Better than General Awareness?
One of the biggest mistakes in dangerous goods training is trying to teach everyone the same thing.
General awareness certainly has value, but it cannot replace function-specific competence.
Consider a freight forwarding operation.
One employee may prepare dangerous goods shipment details.
Another may check whether documentation is acceptable.
Someone else may physically pack a container.
A warehouse team may handle the cargo.
A manager may be responsible for ensuring the organization’s dangerous goods processes remain compliant.
Each person interacts with risk differently.
Training too broadly can overwhelm employees with information they rarely use. Training too narrowly can leave gaps exactly where practical decisions need to be made.
The better approach is to train people according to the function they actually perform.
This principle is reflected in the role-specific IMDG Sea Freight courses developed by DG Air Training Centre and delivered through WiseTech Academy.
The training covers different dangerous goods responsibilities, including preparation and acceptance of consignments, container packing, tank and bulk activities, vessel-related functions, and senior dangerous goods oversight.
Where do Freight Forwarders Face the Greatest IMDG Risk?
Freight forwarders often sit between several parties.
The shipper provides cargo information.
A carrier applies acceptance requirements.
A container may be packed by another company.
A port or terminal handles the unit.
A vessel operator eventually carries it.
Because forwarders operate in the middle of these relationships, they often depend on information generated elsewhere.
That creates risk.
If a shipper provides an incorrect classification, should the forwarder recognize that something does not look right?
If the packaging description does not align with the declared cargo, who challenges it?
If required marks or labels are missing, who stops the shipment from progressing?
Technology can support those checks, but the person using the system still needs enough dangerous goods knowledge to interpret what they are seeing.
That is where competency matters.
A system can highlight a missing field.
It cannot replace professional judgment when the underlying cargo information itself is wrong.
Why are Undeclared and Misdeclared Dangerous Goods so Dangerous?
Declared dangerous goods can be managed because everyone knows the risk exists.
Undeclared or misdeclared goods are different.
They may move through the supply chain as ordinary cargo even though they require specific handling, segregation, packaging, or emergency procedures.
Industry bodies such as ICHCA continue to highlight the danger of inaccurate descriptions and documentation because incorrect information means downstream handlers may never know what risk is inside the container.
That is why commodity descriptions matter.
Classification matters.
Documentation matters.
Packing matters.
And training matters.
The earlier an error is recognized, the easier it is to correct.
Once the container has entered the port, been loaded aboard the vessel, or moved internationally, the consequences become considerably more difficult to manage.
How can CargoWise Support Dangerous Goods Processes?
CargoWise can help logistics companies structure dangerous goods information and operational workflows, but the quality of the result still depends on correct inputs and configuration.
A forwarding system may capture shipment details, dangerous goods information, documents, milestones, and operational instructions.
Workflows can also help ensure important steps are not overlooked.
But technology should support knowledgeable operators, not substitute for them.
If users do not understand what they are checking, a required field can easily become nothing more than a box to complete.
The strongest CargoWise dangerous goods processes therefore combine three things:
Correct system configuration, reliable operational data, and properly trained people.
When those three work together, compliance becomes part of the shipment process rather than something checked at the end.
Why should Companies Review Their Dangerous Goods Processes in 2026?
The transition to Amendment 42-24 provides a practical reason for organizations to look again at their dangerous goods operations.
Businesses should ask questions such as:
Are staff working from the current IMDG requirements?
Does training match the functions employees actually perform?
Have responsibilities changed since employees were originally trained?
Are dangerous goods workflows consistent across branches?
Do users understand when a shipment needs specialist review?
Are internal checklists and CargoWise processes aligned with current operations?
How are refresher requirements managed?
These questions become particularly important for organizations that have grown quickly or expanded across countries.
A dangerous goods process that worked when one small team handled all shipments may no longer be sufficient when multiple branches and departments are involved.
Why does IMDG Knowledge Still Matter in a More Automated Logistics Industry?
Logistics technology is becoming increasingly automated.
AI can assist with product research.
Workflows can identify missing information.
Documents can move electronically.
Compliance systems can perform automated checks.
But dangerous goods transport remains an area where human competence is critical.
Automation can make information easier to access.
It can make errors easier to detect.
It can make workflows more consistent.
What it cannot do is remove the responsibility of the people preparing, accepting, packing, handling, or overseeing dangerous goods.
In fact, as systems automate routine tasks, specialist knowledge may become even more important because people increasingly focus on the unusual situations and exceptions that automation cannot confidently resolve.
The future of dangerous goods compliance is therefore not technology or people.
It is technology supported by people who understand what the information means.
How Elicit Helps CargoWise Users Strengthen Dangerous Goods Workflows?
For companies operating CargoWise, dangerous goods capability involves more than user training alone.
The system itself needs to support the way the organization manages regulated cargo.
As an official CargoWise Service and Business Partner, Elicit Technology helps freight forwarders review and optimize CargoWise workflows around their operational and compliance requirements.
Our certified consultants can support CargoWise forwarding configuration, dangerous goods workflows, registry setup, document customization, automation, validation processes, integrations, and ongoing system optimization.
The objective is to make sure CargoWise helps reinforce the right operational behavior.
For example, organizations may need better controls around dangerous goods information, clearer workflow responsibilities, more structured exception handling, or more consistent processes across branches.
Training gives people the knowledge.
Good CargoWise configuration helps make that knowledge part of the daily workflow.
Conclusion
Dangerous goods safety depends on far more than producing the correct document before a container reaches the terminal.
It depends on the decisions made throughout the shipment lifecycle.
The IMDG Code continues to evolve, with Amendment 42-24 now mandatory and Amendment 43-26 already approaching the next transitional stage. At the same time, inspection results continue to show problems involving documentation, packing, marking, stowage, and securing.
That makes role-specific dangerous goods competence more important, not less.
Freight forwarders need people who understand the requirements attached to their own function, can recognize when something does not look right, and know when specialist intervention is required.
CargoWise can help structure and control the process, but the strongest dangerous goods operation combines current knowledge, clear responsibilities, and properly configured technology.
For CargoWise users managing dangerous goods at scale, that combination is what turns compliance from a checklist into a controlled operational process.
