Increasing collaboration between interested parties is generating more reliable data on those cargoes that are liable to cause the most damage
Many parties active in the maritime transport of freight have information about incidents during transport and handling. In the past, it has been a source of frustration that these disparate interests have been reluctant to share that information, despite the increasing number of incidents aboard ships, often involving dangerous goods.
However, just a few years ago a number of industry bodies took the initiative to pool their knowledge, under the aegis of the Cargo Integrity Group. Initially, the Group’s focus was on spreading awareness of the Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units, the CTU Code, and developing a potted guide to the Code along with container packing checklists in a range of languages.
Continuing their mission to improve safety in the global supply chain, the Group has now identified a number of cargoes, commonly carried in containers, that under certain conditions can cause dangerous incidents. Some of these are obvious, others less so, but all can compromise safety in the container supply chain.
This list of problem cargoes is, the Group says, not exhaustive but each item illustrates a common type of hazard. Six present a reactive hazard, that is to say that they can catch fire and cause significant damage and casualties under certain conditions. These are typically cargoes that are subject to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, notable: charcoal/carbon, calcium hypochlorite, lithium ion batteries, cotton and wool, fishmeal and krill, and seed cake.
Secondly, there are commodities that can present a risk of spills or leaks if not packed properly, which can cause environmental damage or risks to the health of people involved in cleaning up the spill. Example cargoes are hides and skins, wine, bitumen, cocoa butter, waste (including recycled engines and engine parts), and vegetable and other oils, especially when packed in flexitanks.
In addition to this ‘dirty dozen’ of hazardous cargoes, the Group notes other cargoes that, when poorly or incorrectly packed or secured in a container, can lead to injuries to personnel or damage to nearby containers, property or other cargo. These cargoes, which are generally heavy, can also cause severe accidents on land through truck rollovers and train derailments. Example cargoes include steel coils, lumber, and marble and granite.
In the coming months the Cargo Integrity Group will publish additional guidance on the identification and safe handling of these cargoes, with particular emphasis on identifying potentially mis-declared shipments.
PULLING TOGETHER
The list compiled by the Group is based on data from, among other sources, the claims history of leading freight insurance provider TT Club; a report prepared by ICHCA International and submitted to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on incidents involving dangerous goods on ships or in ports, and from the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS), which collates information provided by its members on incidents involving dangerous cargo.
“The combined experience of our organisations has been harnessed to identify these categories and result in pin-pointing some commodities where the risks are perhaps less obvious,” says Peregrine Storrs-Fox, risk management director of TT Club. “While the potential dangers of transporting, for example, calcium hypochlorite or lithium ion batteries might be more widely appreciated, the combustible qualities of seed cake or the hazards associated with cocoa butter or vegetable oils, will be less well-known.”
“Every actor in the global container supply chain is responsible for the health and safety of not only their own people, but also of those at any onward stage of the container’s journey,” adds Lars Kjaer, senior vice-president of the World Shipping Council (WSC). “Complying with regulations and following the advice in the CTU Code saves lives, and we appeal to everyone shipping, packing and handling commodities that fall within the categories of these Cargoes of Concern to be particularly diligent.”
source: https://hcblive.com/containers-the-dirty-dozen/
