Environment Inventory of Hazardous Materials

An IHM is an integral part of the Hong Kong Convention, adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2009. Though not yet in effect, this convention stipulates that every ship must have an inventory of hazardous materials onboard. This convention was designed to make certain that ships and offshore platforms are dismantled without any risk to people or the environment. The IHM has the added advantage of improving safety while vessels are in use.

What are the benefits of an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM)?

SGS experts can perform full IHM for your vessel(s), enabling you to:

• Ensure the safety of all people onboard
• Identify any dangerous substances on a ship, such as asbestos, mercury, lead-containing paints or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Meet mooring requirements

About the inventory

An IHM not only states what types of hazardous materials are present on board, but also in what quantities they occur and what their specific properties are. For example, tests are performed to establish the presence of asbestos, PCBs, mercury (compounds), cadmium (compounds), radioactive substances and chromium-6. An IHM consists of research as well as onboard testing, during which a certified inspector collects samples for analysis in an accredited laboratory.

Why choose IHM services from SGS?

Flexible, fast and independent, our experts are certified to perform IHM analyses. We are on standby 24 hours a day and, if needed, we can fly our inspector to your ship so that analyses can be performed as you continue your journey while the samples are analyzed in our own laboratory. This means that the results can be made available to you in the shortest time.

Active in the maritime sector and present in almost every major port around the world we offer a variety of environmental studies and analyses to support your operations, ranging from an IHM to scrubber analyses and the testing of ballast water.

Allow us to provide you with fast and expert service, contact your local SGS office to find out more.