In 1981 it was decided that the Permanent Technical Committee II of the Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses – PIANC -should produce a guide for designers of ports where large quantities of dangerous substances are to be handled and stored. Very soon it became obvious that there is a strong need not only for a guide to port design~rs but also to port operators as it was experienced that dangerous goods are handled and stored in many different ways allover the world. Some of these ways do create unsafe situations. As shipping is an international movement it is of international interest that the safety rules in the ports are the same all over the world.
A Working Group was set up to write the guide and in order to give the group some guidance on its work, terms of reference were submitted. These terms of reference read as follows :
The Working Group should prepare a guide to port designers and port operators in order to indicate preventive measures and/or safety distances for the safe transport, handling and storing of dangerous goods. This with regard to harbour activities, to housing-, industrial- and other areas and/or activities.
The guide should not deal with radioactive goods as these are covered by existing regulations””. “
