The recent tragic events in Tianjin have amply shown the importance of correct and effective segregation of dangerous goods. But those involved in the movement of dangerous goods have far more to consider, and the industry as a whole should make a sanguine risk assessment of all aspects of the supply chain to engender safety.
The use of flexitanks for transporting bulk liquid cargo has grown rapidly over the last decade, and this has been projected to continue with perhaps 15% per annum, reaching 1 million shipments in 2018. Products carried include wine and other foodstuffs, traditionally supplemented by latex and dispersions. The latter, together with newer products such as base oils, edible oils and chemicals, can cause problems if a failure occurs in the supply chain and regulators are concerned.
For the unit load industry, the IMO's twin approval of amendments to Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) for the verification of gross mass of containers and the IMO/ILO/UNECE* Code of Practice for packing cargo transport units (CTU Code) are welcome and important; the next mountaintop is now in sight.
Cargo breaking loose within a Cargo Transport Unit really is preventable, by following good packing practice. Equally, complete and accurate information, and correct marking, will substantially assist anyone responding to an incident.
The TT Club has issued its updated guide to risk management in relation to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, based on amendment 34-08.
Leading insurance provider to the transport and logistics industry, TT Club has issued its updated guide to risk management; the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code's (IMDG Code - amendment 34) classification of dangerous goods.
Specialist insurance mutual, TT Club has long sought to guide those involved in international supply chains through the complexities of owners' and carriers' liability for goods in transit. Logistics operators and freight forwarders in particular will benefit from TT Club's latest advisory handbook
Mike Compton of ICHCA International reports on the IMO sub-committee meeting, which took place 17-21 September 2007. Most of the IMDG Code has been mandatory since 1 January 2004. However, one small part is not and that is concerned with shoreside training of those persons who are involved in any way with the generation of packaged dangerous goods to the port and the ship. Similar training for ships' crews is mandatory but the reasoning for the difference is that IMO's remit does not extend ashore beyond the immediate ship/shore interface.
Writing in Inbound Logistics magazine, our colleague Dan Negron in New Jersey reports on a recent appeal for help from a member in the United States. He was handling an importation of roof tiles for a client, but it had been held up by the Customs & Border Protection service. There was nothing wrong with the tiles themselves, but the wood used in the crates did not bear a "permanent and legible mark" that it had undergone appropriate treatment against infestation.
The Club has been running a related initiative raising awareness of carriage of dangerous goods in containers. It has recently published a new Stop Loss information sheet entitled 'Guidance on the Transport of Packaged Dangerous Goods by Sea'.
