The regime governing maintenance and inspection of ships' lifting appliances (SLA) has been found less than adequate, resulting in incidents that should have been avoidable. Legislative change will take time; in the meantime, operators and supervisors need to take care. See

It is not uncommon during terminal operations - in the yard and on the ship - for the spreader, or the container attached thereto, to collide with stacked containers. Often resulting from operator error, such incidents can be extremely costly and cause serious operational difficulties. This is another hazard which has now been effectively engineered out through the development of stack profiling technology.

Boom anti-collision electronic sensor technology has been readily available for use on quay cranes for a number of years. The introduction of such technology has undoubtedly been a positive development in terms of both safety and mitigating potential losses.

TT Club welcomes the initiative of the World Shipping Council (WSC) in its recent publication of guidelines to the industry in relation to implementing the SOLAS requirements that become mandatory on 1 July 2016.

The simplicity of the revision to mandate verification of gross mass is typical of the nature of the 'box'. There are multiple parties who bear levels of responsibility to ensure that the venture is successful, many of whom have little perception of all the other parties and how they may rely on each other. Weighing may be more than first meets the eye.

As should be expected when regulations are tightened, attention is turning to solution providers to deliver accurate measurement of gross mass at various points through the container supply chain. TT Club would welcome hearing from potential providers so as to keep its membership informed.

Speaking at the TOC Container Supply Chain Conference in Rotterdam last week, freight insurance specialist TT Club's Kevin King called for all parties to take responsibility for minimising the risks inherent in container freight transportation.

Returning to a subject that has been covered not infrequently in this newsletter* as the industry approaches the twelve month mark before mandated verification of gross mass of containers enters into force on 1 July 2016, we provide commentary on emerging good practice.

Have you felt nervous driving next to a truck on a bend or roundabout? Your apprehension could well be justified. There are too many incidents where trucks, especially those carrying containers, overturn when cornering and discharge unwanted gifts on adjacent vehicles. Unfortunately fatalities often result. Never.never drive next to a truck on a roundabout!!!

Speaking at the Trans Middle East Conference in Doha, Qatar last month, Julien Horn, TT Club's Middle East Regional Executive and Director of TTMS (Gulf), the Network Partner based in Dubai, lay particular emphasis on the role human error plays in creating damaging incidents at cargo handling terminals and other facilities.

International freight insurer TT Club convened a special seminar at the recent conference on transport and logistics, Trans Russia in Moscow. Lead by TT Club's General Manager, EMEA, Kevin King and Kirill Berezov from the insurer's long-established Russian network partner Panditrans, the seminar outlined both the changing nature of the transport operator's liability in Russia and the idiosyncratic nature of insurance conventions applicable in the region.

Motivated by claims experience and changes in Chinese law and practice, TT Club has added to its range of model conditions an International Freight Forwarding Agency Agreement, produced in both Chinese and English. This is freely available to TT Club Members.