TT Club (TT) has called for a concerted effort from players in the global supply chain for improved communication between all parties for the transport of dangerous goods.
The occurrence of four major incidents aboard containerships – two in port and another two at sea within the last four months – has prompted TT to reiterate its long-standing message for shippers and those facilitating the supply chain to be more diligent over how their cargoes are classified, packaged, packed, declared and handled.
The list of both explosions and fires extends from the Northern Juvenile in the South China Sea in May, to the Maersk Frankfurt in the Indian Ocean to more recent incidents in quick succession, which involved the MSC Cape Town III in Colombo and the YM Mobility in Ningbo.
“The causes remain under investigation,” said TT’s Peregrine Storrs-Fox.
“However, there are strong indications that potentially explosive chemicals and fire accelerators, such as lithium-ion batteries, may be involved in at least two of the cases.
“As with historic incidents, it is likely that various errors occurred as the shipments were initiated and the exact nature of the cargoes was communicated to supply chain counterparties, giving rise again to ‘perfect storms’. Every participant in the process needs to act in the best interests of safety at every point in these cargoes’ journeys.”
As stated by TT, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has recently revised the ‘Guidelines for the implementation of the inspection programmes for cargo transport units’ in 2022 in response to concerns about inaccurate declarations. The amendment urges governments to inspect all types of cargo units, regardless of the declared contents.
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In addition, recent reports have highlighted increasing concerns about ‘Stowage and Securing’ issues within shipping containers, which is a core problem according to the CTU Code. This trend has been worsening over the past five years and has reached the most critical level since reports were first initiated in 2001, reported TT.
Another noteworthy trend is the increasing number of errors in documentation over the past five years, which is a key indicator of risk.
“In this regard, we applaud the recent statement by China’s Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) that underlined shippers’ responsibilities, in addition to those of the carriers’,” concluded TT’s Storrs-Fox.
“Such warnings and encouragements by regulatory authorities are to be welcomed. However, TT would reiterate the statement that regulations merely set the baseline.”
