The risk of injury at the work place should be of highest concern to any entity, but injuries still account for almost a third of insurance claims costs for ports and terminals according to TT Club analyses. Over 90% of these incidents are caused by operational issues, with a further 7% related to maintenance failures and less than 1% caused by natural events.

While not often receiving much publicity, the need for ships in distress to find a safe refuge is all too common. Clearly this is an important area of responsibility in the maritime interface.

In a week during which yet another cargo-related containership fire took place, it is timely to draw attention to on-going industry developments to improve controls in the carriage of dangerous goods by sea.

Engaging with governments globally, TT Club and ICHCA have drawn attention to the state of packing in the intermodal supply chain and the need for greater rigour by all stakeholders to improve safety.

Cargo theft remains one of the most significant causes of disruption in the supply chain and claims cost to the Club, accounting for around 10% by volume and cost of all reported claims in the last ten years.

Freight is arguably most exposed to theft risk during road carriage. Clarity of contracting and instructions are inevitably key mitigations.

Few in the international freight supply chain can be unaware of the 'NotPetya' cyber event that struck at the end of June 2017. The repercussions should have caused organisations to review every existing assessment of the risk exposures arising from cyber activity.

Recent actions in the maritime sector in relation to containing cyber risks offer some useful lessons for the remainder of the intermodal supply chain. Embrace and apply the principles accordingly.

The risks involved in seeking electronic simplification in international trade reach far beyond the technological challenges; here is an assessment of integrating into existing contractual practices.

Concerns have been raised over recent years that the movement of shipping containers facilitates the spread of pests adversely impacting sensitive environments. Both the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have now given endorsement to joint industry guidelines concerning container cleanliness.

In 2011 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed a two-year output on 'Development of measures to prevent loss of containers', in part arising from the

The replacement of solvent based paints with environmentally friendlier waterborne paints will have a number of consequences to container owners.