Following questions in the Netherlands Parliament, a number of Government Departments in that country have combined to implement an agreement on the joint monitoring of hazardous gases in import containers.
Approved by IMO's Maritime Safety Committee last May, Amendment 35-10 of the IMDG Code, entered its transitional year in January 2011 (meaning that operators are able to apply its provisions) and will come into mandatory force on 1 January 2012.
This item looks at two of the nastiest undersides of modern smuggling, people and drugs, which potentially impact on anyone involved in international transport. For reasons of space, we concentrate on the United Kingdom; we will look at the international position in a future edition.
The Club was recently asked for its opinion on the carriage of single rough hewn blocks of marble in 20' dry units. It also appeared that the true mass of the cargo is generally estimated - frequently inaccurately - at values in excess of 20 tonnes. The loading operation was primitive. Some blocks were loaded directly onto the container floor. At best bearers up to a maximum of 6m long by 200mm square were inserted.
Readers may recall being invited to take a quick survey in Edition 133 on 21 September 2010 in relation to compliance with the shoreside training requirements mandated in the IMDG Code from 1 January 2010.
Traffic management issues contribute to 87% of the costs of major injuries and fatalities occurring at port and terminal facilities. This is one of the findings from an analysis of such claims costing over US$100,000 insured by the TT Club globally over the last four years.
