Highlighting incidents of concern regarding coal shipments from the north-east Coast of the United States (US), based on Marine Safety Alert 07-25 issued by the US Coast Guard (USCG).
On occasion, coal loaded from ports on the north-east coast of the US has shown methane (CH₄) readings in cargo holds exceeding 20% of the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) during voyages, even when the shipper’s cargo declaration did not indicate that the cargo was liable to emit methane.
According to the IMSBC Code Schedule for Coal, the shipper shall provide in writing the characteristics of the cargo, especially whether the cargo is liable to emit methane.
Full advisory at the following link.
https://britanniapandi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Coals-Emitting-Methane-Update.pdf