The 1990 Conference on International Co-operation on Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response invited IMO to initiate work to develop an appropriate instrument to expand the scope of the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation, 1990, to supply, in whole or in part, to pollution incidents by hazasrdous substances other than oil and prepare a proposal to this end.
Innovations and developments in the types of cargoes carried in freight containers have allowed heavy, bulky items which were traditionally loaded directly into the ships' hold to be carried in cargo transport units (CTUs).