Transport Canada has issued a two-year permit to certain members of the International Tank Container Organization (ITCO) allowing the entry into and use within Canada of certified UN portable tanks owned or operated by the members, according to ITCO information.
The permit for equivalent level of safety was issued to the members after consultations with ITCO. ITCO said that portable tank containers designed, manufactured, inspected, tested, marked, and repaired in accordance with the provisions of the 14th edition of the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods Model Regulations are transport units that are as safe in operation as those in compliance with the Canadian regulations. The permit was issued to ITCO members that applied for the exemption and showed their tank containers to be in compliance with the UN Recommendations.
ITCO said that in general, Transport Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations are aligned closely with those provisions in the UN Recommendations governing portable tanks. However, there are variances, such as those in Sections 5.10 and 5.14. ITCO is currently participating in a Transport Canada portable tank working group that is reviewing those areas where the domestic and international portable tank provisions differ with the aim of aligning them fully.
ITCO expects that such alignment can be achieved before March 2009 when the permits are due to expire.
For further information on this issue, contact Willy Freson, International Tank Container Organization (ITCO) at 32-2-676-0626; Fax 32-2-662-1108; mobile phone 32-475-798-194; or e-mail [email protected].