This judgment sets out a useful analysis of contracts where a court will examine the conduct of the parties and surrounding circumstances to reach a conclusion. Carriers should be alerted to the importance of knowing who they are dealing with, ensuring that the shipper on a bill of lading is correctly identified.

Non-declared or mis-declared cargo entered into the international supply chain, vastly increases the risk to cargo, property, the environment and most importantly the lives of all individuals moving the goods.

Apart from the recent devastating explosion in Beirut, there has been a spate of ro-ro/car carrier fires in recent months, leading to fresh calls for improvements, scrutiny and control in relation to dangerous goods (DG). Container ship fires are always in mind.

The use of standardised containers for much of global trade has become second nature; the range of cargo types utilising such units continues to expand. There is significant reliance placed by the various stakeholders on the overall integrity of the concept, some explicit and some implicit.

TT Club has previously reported on incident experience whereby containers have dropped from lifting equipment during handling operations. Recurrence appears, as previously, to have nothing to do with the intrinsic quality of the corner castings. The reliability of the lifting process is critical.

The smuggling of people has unfortunately become a major issue in certain parts of the world. Political imperatives in target countries have led to stricter immigration restrictions and increased government action. International clandestine migration has become a persistent threat to the unitised supply chain.

A previous article highlighted the exploitation of the global transport network by wildlife traffickers and the threats posed to the sector, including to human health and security. Here we revisit this important topic, considering wider risks associated with wildlife crime and their impact on the legitimate supply chain.

As consumer demand and manufacturing production slows in many parts of the world, cargo, either in containers or stripped from transport units, is building up in warehouses, port terminals and inland depots. International freight and logistics insurer, TT Club warns of the additional risk this is bringing operators. 

The smuggling of people has unfortunately become a major issue in certain parts of the world. Political imperatives in target countries have led stricter immigration restrictions and increased government action. International clandestine migration has become a persistent threat to the unitised supply chain.

The announcement of another fire on board a container ship early in January 2020 - the first publicised this year - reinforce the vital importance of increasing rigour around the transport of dangerous goods (and not just by sea).

1 January 2020 will witness the introduction of Incoterms® 2020. Revised every ten years, in common with previous editions, this latest revision has been assessed against current business practices, taking into account new technologies and challenges faced through the intervening period.