MONTHLY JULY-AUGIST 2023
EQUIPMENT PROVIDERS BENEFIT FROM RISING GLOBAL DEMAND
NEW NORTH AMERICAN REGULATIONS
LITHIUM BATTERIES HAZARDS AT SEA
LPG TANKER FLEET IN GREAT DEMAND
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The UN decided in the 1950s that there was a need for consistent regulation of the international transport of dangerous goods, both to set a safety benchmark and to facilitate international trade. I am not convinced that those who took that decision had it in mind that the process would still be continuing nearly 70 years later – after all, there are only so many dangerous goods out there. Indeed, there have been times over the past couple of decades when senior regulators have floated the idea that the rules had become mature, covered almost any eventuality and would henceforth need only the occasional tinkering to keep them up to date. Any exceptions could be managed through competent authority approval.
I have to admit that, at times like those, I worried about my future employment prospects. If the regulations were so settled that there would be no need for further significant changes, who would need to consult a publication such as HCB?
I had no need to worry. As this month’s issue confirms, there is still plenty for the regulators to be chewing over, not least our old friends lithium batteries. There are constant complaints that the provisions relating to lithium batteries change too often and that they are extremely (and unnecessarily) complex. That may well be true but pity the poor regulator who is chasing a moving target, with constant advances in battery chemistries and the products that use them. Furthermore, given the growing use of reusable batteries in all manner of equipment, the volume of lithium batteries in global supply chains is still growing fast, as are
the hazards, as the maritime sector is now beginning to wake up to.
But there is more than that – and much of it relates to the energy transition and the move towards decarbonised fuels and electrified mobility. For example, when ADR was first developed, who would have thought that electric tricycles would be being used to distribute parcels – some containing dangerous goods – to urban households and businesses? This is happening now, which puts a question mark over the as-yet unincorporated Protocol of 1993 that will, unless it is amended, restrict the scope of ADR to vehicles with at least four wheels.
Then there is the issue of recycled plastics material and its potentially wider use in packagings for dangerous goods. Many of the regulatory authorities are agencies of the UN and need to take cognisance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, so they are being encouraged to make the use of recyclate easier. The US has recently opened a docket on the topic, seeking input from industry and the public.
Some decades ago, increasing computerisation raised the prospect of the paperless office. In the event, it actually seemed to generate more paper but maybe paperless is now possible. Electronic and automated exchange of information is becoming the norm and, while there are still a few issues in the logistics sector, documentation is increasingly being found on a screen rather than a paper document. This is creating other issues for regulators, whose provisions almost always include the need to keep a paper trail. Canada, the US and Europe are all looking closely at how they get around this in the digitalised world.
So it looks like my job – and yours – is safe for a while yet.
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TRADE, BUSINESS AND economics have been all over the place for the past three years, making life difficult for many in the chemical logistics area. On the other hand, many companies have also been doing quite nicely out of it. How different it seems reading the July 1993 issue, when business was still in the doldrums following the 1988 financial crisis, rising oil prices and restrictive monetary policies enacted in response to worries about inflation. Volatility and uncertainty, watchwords of the past few years, were unknown in 1993: it was just a day-after-day slog through the mire of weak demand.
Those economic conditions were bad news for the tank container industry, which was still finding its feet, particularly in North America – and in contrast to today’s market. HCB said in July 1993: “Yet another year of subdued demand has not been without its casualties in a battle-weary tank container industry” and that a rapid return to profitability was not on the cards. Pressure on rates impacted lessors’ abilities to invest in new equipment, which had led to some consolidation – Dolphin Containers had been bought by Trans Ocean and East Med Tanks was absorbed by Sea Containers. On the other hand, Cronos Containers came steaming into the sector, only to be swallowed itself by Seaco (formerly Sea Containers and by then owned by HNA) some years later.
Much the same could be said of the tank container operator sector in 1993, especially in Spain where there were a number of mergers and less formal arrangements, and elsewhere in Europe, with Groupe Samat acquiring Transport Coulier, for instance.
At the time, we said that the Far East offered some optimism; Japan’s economic downturn was expected to be short-lived – though that prediction turned out to be rather wide of the mark. Latin America was also identified as a potential growth market, with the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement expected to open up new north-south trade flows. In 1993 there was, though, one word noticeably absent from all this talk of tank containers: China. If would be some years before the country’s economy really started to open up and yet more before China’s vehicle manufacturers realised they had a major cost advantage in tank container manufacturing.
Elsewhere in the July 1993 issue, we reported on the session of IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in May, where several important decisions were taken, including the planned revision of the STCW Convention and several changes to Solas; IMO was planning to hold a one-day event in 1994 so that MSC and its sister body the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) could bring their respective expertise to bear on topics such as port state control, enhanced ship surveys and the International Safety Management Code.
MSC had also been charged with getting Amendment 27 to the IMDG Code ready so that it could enter into force at the same time as other international regulations, which was a tall order as it had been decided to begin the process of reformatting and consolidating the Code.
A small item mentioned that Dean Ricker had joined Skolnik Industries as market development coordinator; thirty years on, Dean is still with the company and has made it all the way to president.
THIRTY YEARS AGO, and despite the ongoing recession, HCB was sufficiently well staffed to be able to produce separate issues for July and August, despite the fact that much of continental Europe was away from its desk for pretty much the whole of August. Still, dangerous goods never sleep and there was always plenty to keep us busy.
For a start, the RID/ADR experts had redrawn the provisions for Class 6.2 substances, altering “out of all recognition” the original text relating to what were then called “infectious and repugnant” substances. As ‘HJK’ pointed out, when these requirements were originally drawn up, they related to such items as horses’ hooves being carried across Europe to be boiled down for glue, while the modern (1990s, anyway) needs were for text that could be applied to micro-organisms and diagnostic specimens. There were plenty of other changes that had been agreed and the meeting’s chair, Mr WJ Visser, provided his own wish-list for future development, stressing the need for ADR and RID to continue to move in lock-step. He also pointed out the relative lack of input from the transport sector compared to testing institutes and the chemical and packaging industries. Strangely, he did not mention the possibility of removing the use of ‘marginals’.
Elsewhere, there was still activity in the control of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, with the US Coast Guard weighing in with its own guidance. There had been much talk of this at the ILTA conference and exhibition, which had been held for the 13th time in June in Houston – this year’s event was held in late May, still in
Houston though now downtown rather than out on Westheimer at the Adam’s Mark Hotel – and HCB’s August 1993 issue carried a lengthy report on presentations. It also had a piece on the need for greater standardisation in chemical transfer systems by Alec Keeler, who was then a thrusting young buck of a marketing manager (judging by the accompanying photo, at least) at Emco Wheaton and is these days still in the game as boss of Carbis Loadtec.
Historians of the tank container industry would be interested in a piece by Martyn Gill of Stolt-Nielsen Leasing, reminiscing about the development of the beam tank concept by John Foster at Sea Containers. Like other companies, Sea Containers (nowadays Seaco Global) was keen to reduce the tare weight of its tanks so that they could carry more product; while some advances towards a lightweight tank had reduced average tare weights by more than 15 per cent to just over 4,000 kg, Foster believed there was more to be gained and worked in his own time to achieve his vision.
By eliminating non-structural parts of the ISO frame, and working with UK manufacturers, Foster managed to bring down tare weights even further, to under 3,500 kg. In 1986, Sea Containers acquired tank manufacturer UBH and started producing beam tanks, initially for the beer industry but later also for chemicals. Gill noted in the August 1993 issue that Stolt-Nielsen had just placed an order with UBH for 400 IMO I beam tanks, which he said was not only a tribute to John Foster – who had died at the age of 48 in 1988 – but also an excellent investment.
THE BANDWAGON EFFECT is a psychological phenomenon in which people do something primarily because other people are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs, which they may ignore or override. This tendency of people to align their beliefs and behaviours with those of a group is also called a herd mentality.
I am writing this column after a friend of mine pointed me to a recent article in the Dutch Financial Times (Financieel Dagblad). The director of Cepsa Spain announced plans to invest in hydrogen production and distribution facilities in southern Spain. In the article the journalist wrote that hydrogen is clean energy. The question which immediately came to mind was: is hydrogen really clean?
Let’s check this and ask an expert. Mark Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, warns that blue hydrogen is not really a climate-friendly option. Hydrogen fuel burns clean, so it has potential as a low-carbon energy source — depending on how it’s made.
Today, most hydrogen is known as ‘grey’ hydrogen. It’s derived from natural gas using an energy-intensive process that emits a lot of carbon dioxide. ‘Blue’ hydrogen is sometimes touted as a clean alternative. It’s essentially the same as grey hydrogen, but the carbon dioxide emissions are captured during production, so they’re kept out of the atmosphere. That’s partly because it still relies on natural gas. And producing and piping natural gas is a major source of climate-warming methane leaks.
However, Jacobson says there is a better way to make hydrogen fuel. “The easiest way to produce hydrogen is just to pass electricity through water,” he says. “And if you generate the electricity with clean
renewable energy like wind or solar power, then the whole process of producing the hydrogen is clean, and that’s called ‘green’ hydrogen.”
As solar and wind power get cheaper, so will the cost of green hydrogen. So Jacobson says it’s a more promising path forward than grey or blue. However, we can’t just all jump on the bandwagon without asking questions such as:
• Who will be paying for this? Answer: Cepsa will only invest if the State subsidises the transition (OPM, Other People’s Money i.e., the tax payer)
• What are the expected ‘externalities’ and who will be paying for them? The costs to social cohesion, the environment and life?
• How much mineral resources, forever chemicals, and other rare earth materials are needed to build such a structure?
The danger of the bandwagon effect is that it easily leads to ‘path dependency’. It then becomes an ideology which can only thrive when/ if contradictory information is suppressed. As an information theorist, there is a method to predict the outcome of a path-dependent ideology, which is that it cannot be achieved without becoming harmful. Potential harm consists of information which must be included in the plan. If this is not done, the goal would lack the information which is equivalent to the energy to do the work needed to succeed. This is physics. It causes a larger risk: political enforcement.
This is the latest in a monthly series of articles by Arend van Campen, founder of TankTerminalTraining, who can be contacted at arendvc@ tankterminaltraining.com. More information on the company’s activities can be found at www.tankterminaltraining.com.
include not only those emanating from the UN Model Regulations – which range far and wide across the regulations – but also the ICAO Technical Instructions, including quantity limitations and lithium battery provisions specific to air transport, as well as vessel stowage requirements taken from the IMDG Code.
Although these proposed changes make a lot of sense for those involved in the international transport of dangerous goods, PHMSA is also speaking to a political audience at home and has to make the case for the amendments. It says in its preamble to the NPRM that the adoption of the proposed amendments “will maintain the high safety standards currently achieved under the HMR” and also that “harmonization of the HMR with international regulations and consensus standards could reduce delays and interruptions of hazardous materials during transportation”, which may also lower greenhouse gas emissions and safety risks to “minority, low-income, underserved and other disadvantaged populations and communities in the vicinity of interim storage sites and transportation arteries and hubs”.
THE PIPELINE AND Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), an agency of the US Department of Transportation (DOT), has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) under docket HM-215Q. Those who follow the passage of regulatory change in the US will know that the ‘215’ series represents PHMSA’s biennial update to maintain harmonisation – insofar as is deemed desirable – between the US Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) and the international modal regulations.
HM-215Q represents PHMSA’s response to the amendments found in the 22nd revised edition of the UN Model Regulations, as reflected in the 2023-2024 edition of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s
(ICAO) Technical Instructions, which is already in force, and Amendment 41-22 to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, which becomes mandatory on 1 January 2024.
HM-215Q was published in the Federal Register on 30 May; PHMSA is inviting comments by 31 July, after which it will aim to produce a final rule as quicky as possible. It is notable that the agency has managed to catch up somewhat with the international regulatory biennium, having falling behind during the years of the Trump administration, when it needed to provide more detailed justification for its proposals.
HMR is a multimodal regulation, so the amendments being proposed in HM-215Q
Despite the above, and also the fact that the US holds the chair of the UN Sub-committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG), which is responsible for drawing up the amendments to the UN Model Regulations, PHMSA has chosen not to adopt a number of updated international regulations. It says it has done this either because the structure of HMR makes adoption unnecessary or that it deems it safer to authorise certain transport operations by means of special permits rather than allow for general applicability by amending HMR. Use of special permits provides greater oversight and gives time to assess the safety implications of regulatory change before potentially incorporating the changes into HMR at a later date.
This time around, PHMSA has identified three specific amendments that it will not be adopting immediately. Firstly, the latest UN Model Regulations and IMDG Code include provisions for the design, construction,
USA • PHMSA’S LATEST BIENNIAL PROPOSALS FOR INTERNATIONAL HARMONISATION HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED. DUTYHOLDERS SHOULD BE ALERT TO SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES COMING TO HMR
approval, use and testing of UN portable tanks with fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) tank shells. PHMSA believes that further research is needed in such areas as metal fatigue, suitability of the pool fire test and impact testing, as well as identification of the most appropriate non-destructive test methodology. Pending such research, PHMSA is proposing to adopt a change to §171.25 to allow the limited import and export of FRP UN portable tanks within a single port area but not to allow general use of such tanks.
A second variation from international regulations relates to several amendments to the definitions and requirements for assessing conformance of UN cylinders built to ISO standards. PHMSA says that, as the terminology used in international standards differs from that in HMR, further evaluation is needed to determine the full impact of the changes; it may consider making relevant changes in a future rulemaking.
Finally, international regulations have adopted maximum internal pressure limits for aerosol containers. PHMSA welcomes this additional safety measure for the transport of aerosol containers, as it makes aerosol containers constructed and filled in accordance with international standards more consistent with existing domestic requirements for aerosol containers, which are subject to internal pressure limits as part of the performance standards for their construction and use. HMR already includes a definition for aerosols and performance standards for their construction and use; harmonising this approach with maximum pressure limits would entail a complex review and evaluation, which is beyond the scope of the HM-215Q rulemaking.
One of the significant changes being proposed in HM-215Q in fact goes back six years; in the
HM-215N final rule, PHMSA added four new entries under Division 4.1 for polymerising substances, along with defining criteria, authorised packagings and safety requirements, including stabilisation methods and operational controls. At the time, PHMSA put a time limit on the validity of the changes, to 2 January 2019, to enable it to review and research the amendments. In 2020, as part of the HM-215O final rule, that limit was extended to 2 January 2023 to allow for further research. In HM-215Q, having completed its research to its satisfaction, PHMSA is proposing to remove the phaseout date entirely so that the transport provisions for these polymerising substances can be applied indefinitely.
PHMSA identifies as another highlight of HM-215Q the proposed adoption of the new UN 3550 entry for cobalt dihydroxide powder, introduced into the UN Model Regulations to allow the continued transport of the product (notably from South Africa) in flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) subsequent to its identification as a having a toxic by inhalation hazard. PHMSA notes that cobalt is a key strategic mineral, used in
various advanced medical and technical applications, including various types of batteries, and it is therefore important to keep global supply chains open. It is also proposing to include relevant packaging provisions.
Elsewhere, PHMSA is proposing to remove the exceptions provided for small lithium cells and batteries in air transport. This is consistent with the removal of similar provisions from the ICAO Technical Instructions.
There is a follow-up amendment in §171.12(a), where PHMSA had in HM-215N expanded the recognition of cylinders and pressure receptacles (including certificates of equivalency) approved in accordance with Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR). At that time, it did not include any Canadian acetylene cylinders corresponding to DOT-8 and DOT-8AL cylinders, primarily due to concerns over some differences in calculations and methods of construction for TC-8WM and TC-8WAM cylinders. PHMSA has since conducted a further comparative analysis and concluded that its initial concerns were unwarranted. It is therefore proposing to add those Canadian
specifications as comparable cylinders in the table in §171.12(a)(4)(iii).
A potentially significant amendment is being proposed in §171.23, relating to the authorised use under specific conditions of pi-marked pressure receptacles that comply with the provisions of ADR and the EU Directive 2010/35/EU. When this provision was first adopted into HMR, it was intended only to apply to cylinders, which are specifically referred to in §171.25(a)(3)(iii); however, the EU system applies to a wide range of pressure receptacles – including tubes, pressure drums, closed cryogenic receptacles, bundles of cylinders, etc – some of which have comparatively large capacities, and the paragraph as it stands appears to include authorisation for their use in the US. PHMSA is now proposing to replace the words “pressure receptacles” in that paragraph with “cylinders with a water capacity not exceeding 150 L”, to provide additional clarity. PHMSA says, though, that it understands there is growing interest in the use of some larger pressure receptacles and it plans to address that in a separate future rulemaking. There is a major amendment proposed for §173.167, which contains the packaging
instructions and exceptions for ID8000 consumer commodities, which was added to HMR in HM-215K in order to align HMR with the ICAO Technical Instructions for the transport by air of limited quantities of consumer commodity material. Inquiries from shippers and carriers have revealed some confusion over the applicability of the provisions of this section when consumer commodity material is moved by transport modes other than air and the agency issued letters of interpretation in 2012 and 2017, giving the opinion that, when transported by surface modes, the standard limited quantity mark (without the ‘Y’) could be applied. Last year, the Council on Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles (COSTHA) petitioned for a rulemaking to clarify the situation and PHMSA is responding to that within HM-215Q. Specifically, it is proposing to rename the section to distinguish it from the former ORM-D consumer commodity entry, which was phased out at the end of 2020. More significantly, PHMSA is proposing to revise the structure of the section to provide clarity to shippers regarding the hazard communication and pressure differential requirements for all shipments of ID8000
consumer commodity packages and to ensure that such packages, wherever they are in the transport chain, meet the requirements for air transport. COSTHA had entered two other petitions relating to limited quantity consignments, which PHMSA says it will address separately.
All the other amendments being proposed by PHMSA should be familiar to HCB readers, as they are line with those included in the 22nd revised edition of the UN Model Regulations and the international and regional modal regulations that have entered into force this year. There are, for instance, a fairly large number of changes in the Hazardous Materials Table in §172.101, mostly derived from the UN Model Regulations. There are in addition a few corrections, relating to UN Nos 3129 (water-reactive liquid, corrosive, nos), 3148 (water-reactive liquid, nos), 0512 (detonators, electronic programmable for blasting), 3380 (desensitized explosive, solid, nos) and 1791 (hypochlorite solutions).
There are also a great many updated references to ISO standards, not least in Part 178. Some of these have had consequential amendments both within the relevant sections of that Part and elsewhere in HMR.
PHMSA is also proposing a revision to §178.706(c)(3) to allow the use of recycled plastics material in the construction of rigid plastics IBCs and a corresponding revision in §178.707(c)(3)(iii) for the inner receptacles of composite IBCs. These follow on from similar changes in the UN Model Regulations but PHMSA is proposing to require approval of the Associate Administrator, consistent with the existing requirements for the construction of plastics drums and jerrycans. This will, PHMSA says, allow it to maintain oversight of procedures, such as batch testing, that manufacturers will use to ensure the quality of recycled plastics.
All those subject to HMR are advised to check the proposals contained in the HM-215Q NPRM closely and, if they have comments or concerns, to transmit those to PHMSA without delay. HCB will return with a closer reading of the rulemaking once it reaches the Final Rule stage.
THE US DEPARTMENT of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed a new rule that would require the availability of train consist information in real time. A notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) issued in June under docket HM-263 seeks to amend the US Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to require all railroads to generate in electronic form, maintain, and provide to first responders, emergency response officials, and law enforcement personnel, certain information regarding hazardous materials in rail transportation to enhance emergency response and investigative efforts.
The proposal responds to a safety recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and statutory mandates in The Fixing America’s
Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. It will complement existing regulatory requirements for the provision and maintenance of similar information in hard copy form, as well as other hazard communication requirements.
One important element in the proposals is that, in the event of an incident, railroads would be required to ‘push’ information out to authorised local first response personnel, rather than waiting to be contacted.
One trigger for the NPRM at this point in time is the February 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train in East Palestine, Ohio (below), where firefighters responding to the incident initially could not determine what products were in the derailed cars. The proposals also go further than the mandate provided by the FAST Act, which was limited to Class 1 railroads; PHMSA believes
that it is important to extend the proposed requirements to all railroad classes, requiring them to proactively notify local first responders in the case of an accident or an incident involving a release or suspected release of a hazardous material.
The proposals have been welcomed by firefighters. Edward A Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), says: “Firefighters are often the first to show up at many emergencies, including train derailments and hazmat incidents. Accurate, up-to-date information about train contents is critical to keep first responders and the communities they serve safe. The IAFF strongly supports DOT’s new rule that would give firefighters real-time data allowing for safer responses. We applaud the DOT for prioritising firefighter and public safety.”
“On-demand access to key information about hazmat shipments, coupled with proactive information sharing will enable first responders to better prepare for the risks present at the scene of an incident BEFORE they arrive on scene,” adds PHMSA’s Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown. “This will improve safety for firefighters and first responders, and the communities they so courageously serve.”
PHMSA says it understands that the availability of electronic real-time train consist information may not have changed the outcome of the recent derailment in East Palestine, but says that accident and similar events that have occurred in recent years highlight the importance of providing emergency response personnel with timely, complete and accurate information regarding hazardous materials within a train, as any additional time for responders to prepare for what they will encounter may reduce risks and result in significant public safety, commercial, and environmental benefits.
PHMSA also adds that railroads are already generating and managing train consist information electronically and that making such information readily accessible by responders will not impose any significant burden.
PHMSA is accepting comments on the proposals contained in the NPRM by 28 August.
THE CANADIAN GENERAL Standards Board (CGSB) has been busy lately, finalising two new safety standards relating to rail transport and issuing two new draft updates to existing standards.
The new standards are CAN/CGSB-43.147, Containers for transport of dangerous goods by rail, and CAN/CGSB-43.149, Ton containers for the transportation of dangerous goods. These will, once incorporated by reference into Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR), replace the existing Transport Canada standard TP14877 Containers for transport of dangerous goods by rail.
The most salient impact of the approach taken by CGSB is to separate the provisions for ton containers out from the general
provisions. For those unfamiliar with the term, ton containers are cylindrical steel containers, with a capacity equivalent to two standard drums, used for the transport of liquids and gases and normally transported in a horizontal orientation.
CAN/CGSB-43.149 also introduces some new definitions to clarify terms (such as ‘fusible plug’) that are used in the standard, and incorporates a quality management system requirement for ton container manufacturers. In addition, it revises the dangerous goods list for consistency with the TDGR and with the US Hazardous Materials Regulations.
CAN/CGSB-43.147, which was published in March, also updates the dangerous goods list but, more significantly, incorporates new tank
car specifications and removes outdated specifications. Specifically, this includes a phase-out schedule for legacy tank cars in toxic-by-inhalation (TIH) service and the introduction of the newer improved specifications for TIH tank cars; there are enhanced specifications for Class 113 tank cars in flammable cryogenic liquid service; and it removes TC114 as an option for the manufacture of new tank cars. Also, in effect, CAN/CGSB-43.147 incorporates the provisions included in Protective Direction No 39, issued in 2018, that brought forward the removal of unjacketed tank cars from crude oil and condensate service.
CGSB has also recently published two new draft updates for public comment. Safety standard CAN/CGSB-43.151, which sets out the requirements for packaging, handling, offering for transport and transport of explosives, was published on 19 June with the comment period due to close on 18 August. It updates the 2019 edition of the same standard, with a revised list of explosives, special provisions and packing instructions to
CANADA • OTTAWA’S DANGEROUS GOODS EXPERTS HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD LATELY, WITH A LONG LIST OF NEW STANDARDS AND REGULATORY CHANGES PLANNED FOR THE COMING YEARS
align with the 22nd revised edition of the UN Model Regulations and to update references to other dangerous goods packaging standards. The 2023 edition will also add requirements on the reuse of packagings and use of partially filled packagings to transport Class 1 explosives; prohibit the use of lightweight intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) for the transport of Class 1 explosives; and update the decontamination requirements.
A draft of the revised CAN/CGSB-43.126, which sets out the requirements for reconditioning, remanufacturing and repair of drums for the transport of dangerous goods, was published on 22 June with a comment period open until 21 August. The new version does not impose any new technical requirements not already in the 2019 edition so is in effect a reaffirmation of the existing provisions.
Both of these drafts will in due course be incorporated by reference in the TDGR and will then come into force, with a six-month transitional phase-in period.
Not all Canadian rulemakings rely on CGSB; Transport Canada itself has been doing a lot of work in the TDGR area lately and there are currently four rulemakings that have been published in Canada Gazette Part I for comment and consultation. The oldest and potentially most far-reaching of these aims to make changes to the training provisions in Part 6 of TDGR, in particular by the adoption of a competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) approach, mirroring the new provisions in the international air transport regulations.
This rulemaking in fact also relies on a CGSB standard, CGSB-192.3, which was published in November 2020. This too will be incorporated by reference in TDGR once the due process has been completed. Transport
Canada issued its planned revision in Canada Gazette Part I on 11 December 2021 and anticipates the final rule appearing in Canada Gazette Part II late this year; it will be accompanied by a one-year transitional period following that publication before it becomes mandatory.
Transport Canada published a proposed amendment to Part 17 of TDGR in June 2022, with the aim of creating an accurate and reliable inventory of regulated parties and sites where dangerous goods are imported, offered for transport, handled or transported in Canada. Publication of the final rule in Canada Gazette Part II is expected before the end of the year, after which regulated parties will have a one-year period to complete their initial registration in the new database.
An important change to the air transport provision in Part 12 of CDGR was proposed in Canada Gazette Part I on 26 November 2022. This will modernise some outdated domestic requirements and align TDGR more closely with the international provisions published by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA). Publication of the final rule
in Canada Gazette Part II is now anticipated around third quarter 2024.
A simpler proposal was made this past 25 March, which will introduce new fees and service standards for the TDG Means of Containment (MOC) Facilities Registration Program, which is currently funded through the public purse. Transport Canada is of the opinion that the regulated community should make a contribution and, in return, it will establish some standards of performance. Publication in Canada Gazette Part II is expected around the second quarter of 2024.
Canada’s Treasury Board opened a consultation on 27 March for a 60-day period on the Annual Regulatory Modernization Bill (ARMB), which is designed to give the government the opportunity to make “common sense” changes across many pieces of legislation simultaneously to address complicated, inconsistent or outdated requirements. The previous ARMB, which was introduced in parliament on 31 March 2022, included inter alia new provisions to facilitate digital interaction between stakeholders and
TON CONTAINERS ARE WIDELY USED IN NORTH AMERICA FOR THE TRANSPORT OF LIQUID AND GASEOUS DANGEROUS GOODS AND STANDARDS NEED TO REFLECT THIS
the government, exemptions from certain regulatory requirements for the testing of new products, and the promotion of cross-border trade by establishing more consistent and coherent rules across jurisdictions. This year’s ARMB may well reflect temporary measures that were put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic.
More specifically, Transport Canada is also planning to introduce a Miscellaneous Amendment Regulation, to bring forward some administrative changes to TDGR. This will be exempt from the consultation process and will go directly to Canada Gazette Part II, probably during the summer of 2023.
A broader update of TDGR is also planned, which will aim to align with new industry practices and address some comments received in recent years. This will appear in Canada Gazette Part I later this year, with a 75-day comment period. Publication in Canada Gazette Part II is not yet scheduled. Canada’s House of Commons has already held a first reading of Bill C-33, the Marine and Rail Transportation Modernization Act, this past November. The Bill includes a number of reforms to the Railway Safety Act,
Canada Marine Act, Canada Transportation Act, Marine Transportation Act, Customs Act and Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act; those relating to the latter are mostly administrative in nature, clarifying the applicability and scope of the Act and, therefore, TDGR. The text of the Bill can be consulted at www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/ en/44-1/bill/C-33/first-reading.
Transport Canada is also planning to tidy up its regulatory portfolio with the repeal of certain specific instruments, namely the Ammonium Nitrate Storage Facilities Regulations, the Anhydrous Ammonia Bulk Storage Regulations, the Chlorine Tank Car Unloading Facilities Regulations and the Handling of Carloads of Explosives on Railway Trackage Regulations. Transport Canada says this will provide clarity to stakeholders by removing any ambiguity between these regulations and later federal regulations; the move should also strengthen the current oversight regime by removing duplicative and redundant provisions. This proposal will be exempted from the consultation process and go directly to Canada Gazette Part II, likely in mid-2025.
Transport Canada also notes the outcome of its ‘Regulatory Sandbox’ project on the use of electronic shipping documents, which involved a two-year period of testing that came to an end in March 2022. “While challenges emerged in trial-testing the conversion of hard copy shipping documents to digital, it was realised many benefits could be gained - including enabling first responders to access information without approaching potentially hazardous situations, enabling faster sharing of information, improving accuracy, and significantly reducing paper and ink usage,” Transport Canada says. It is now allowing the use of electronic shipping documents, though carriers interested in using them must apply for an equivalency certificate. The executive summary of the project’s findings, together with other relevant information, can be found on the Transport Canada website at https:// tc.canada.ca/en/dangerous-goods/electronicshipping-documents.
Transport Canada is now beginning work on a proposal to amend Part 3 of TDGR, which deals with documentation, to allow the use of electronic shipping documents for the transport of dangerous goods by rail and by remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs), and modify the format of the shipping document by eliminating unnecessary information. Publication in Canada Gazette Part I is expected in mid-2025, with a 75-day comment period.
More work on RPAs – otherwise known as drones – is also underway, with proposals being worked on to develop specific requirements for their use in the transport of dangerous goods while minimising safety risks. Transport Canada expects publication of its proposals in Canada Gazette Part I in the second half of 2024 with a 60-day comment period.
Transport Canada is also working on a change to Part 5 of TDGR, which deals with MOCs, with the aim of establishing requirements for MOC facility registrations; it will also include a long-overdue update to Part 5. Publication in Canada Gazette Part I is anticipated in late 2024 with a 75-day comment period.
CONFERENCE REPORT • COSTHA WAS PROUD TO BRING ITS ANNUAL FORUM BACK TO AN IN-PERSON EVENT THIS YEAR. THEIR STEP WAS REWARDED WITH A BIG CROWD EAGER TO CATCH UP
IT SHOULD BE clear by now that, by and large, we are getting used to a post-pandemic world and things are getting back towards some kind of normal. Anyone in any doubt of that would have had their minds changed by turning up to the 2023 Annual Forum of the Council on Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles (COSTHA), which took place in person, with some online participation, in Frisco, Texas this past 30 April to 4 May, with training continuing on and off for the following three weeks. In total, well over 250 took part in the Forum, with numbers back to where they had been before the pandemic hit.
That COSTHA retains its power to attract a large crowd is down primarily to the energy of
Jack and Lara Currie, who ran the Council for decades until their recent retirement, along with the team they built up. No Annual Forum will now take place without some thoughts of them, especially Jack, who died too young last year.
The COSTHA Annual Forum continues to offer a very worthwhile combination of presentations on hazardous materials and dangerous goods regulation around the world; although the Council’s membership is predominantly North American, its value is also understood by shippers and carriers in other parts of the world, and that is reflected in the Forum’s agenda. This year saw presentations on developments in China,
South Africa, India and Latin America, as well as sessions on topics of general interest, such as best management practices, enhancing the image of the hazmat professional and sector-specific roundtables.
This first part of HCB’s report on the Annual Forum will concentrate on North American issues.
One salient aspect of the post-pandemic world is that there are a lot of new people around; some of the older generation have retired and sailed off into the sunset, while others have more important jobs to do. So the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the prime agency for hazmat regulation in the US, was represented by a new face, belonging to Matthew Nickels, senior regulations officer in the Standards and Rulemaking Division of the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS). Matthew is, indeed, far from the only new face at PHMSA and he began his presentation by introducing four new transportation specialists who have just joined the agency.
Matthew also explained a potentially significant administrative change; the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will henceforth only bother themselves with ‘significant’ rules – i.e. those that involve a lot of money or are otherwise high profile. This implies that there will be a lot more ‘nonsignificant’ rulemakings; at PHMSA, these will pass straight from the boss’s desk to publication in the Federal Register, though the well-worn comment and consultation period will remain unchanged.
The four priority rulemakings for 2023 are by now familiar to most: the HM-224I final rule on the transport of lithium batteries by air was published in December 2022 and took effect on 20 January 2023; the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for HM-215Q, the biennial international harmonisation rulemaking, was to be published soon after the COSTHA Annual Forum (see page 8); the NPRM under HM-263 to require real-time train consist information was also expected to appear soon after the Forum (see page 11); and an NPRM under HM-208J to potentially
adjust PHMSA’s mandated registration and fee assessment programme is expected later in the year.
And there’s more: two rulemakings relating to LNG transport (which will see HM-264A superseded by HM-264B) are in progress; PHMSA is continuing with its process of incorporating longstanding special permits into the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) and will issue new proposals under HM-233G; alignment with international regulations on radioactive materials will be proposed in HM-250A; and there is a more open advance notice of proposed rulemaking on regulatory reform initiatives that has since been published (see page 26).
PHMSA is, though, not all about rulemakings, and Matthew ran through some recently issued notices and policy papers, including three safety advisories issued in the wake of the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio in February. It has also issued a request for information with ideas for revising the definition of ‘recycled plastics material’ so that a broader range of recyclate can be used in the manufacture of packagings for dangerous goods.
In common with its counterparts north of the border, PHMSA is looking into the potential use of electronic means of hazard communication; it issued a request for information in July 2022 and received more than 40 comments from stakeholders, including emergency responders. PHSMA is now planning to hold a public meeting this summer to discuss the information it received.
If Matthew was a stranger to many when he started his presentation, the audience was on more familiar ground when James Simmons came forward with an update on activity by the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA). James, senior transportation specialist in FMCSA’s Hazmat Division, is an old hand at the COSTHA Annual Forum and clearly knew his audience well. He noted that trucking is responsible for moving some 93 per cent of all hazmat in the US and that these goods are worth some $1.1 trillion. Between 2012 and 2017, the quantity of hazmat shipments by truck increased by 19 per cent
and, over the same period, hazmat ton-miles increased by around 31 per cent. Therefore, he reasoned, the likelihood of a hazmat crash or incident, and a catastrophic consequence, is higher than it was. It is FMCSA’s vision to prevent all crashes, not just those involving hazmat, but it is giving the hazmat sector some special attention.
Firstly, FMCSA’s hazmat programme is being retooled to target, reduce and prevent hazmat crashes, injuries and fatalities. The aim is, by using data on incidents and safety performance, to prioritise and allocate FMCSA resources to address the risks associated with the transport of hazardous materials by highway. Compliance initiatives will be more dependent on data to manage and monitor FMCSA resources and to gauge and measure the effectiveness of the hazmat strategic plan in preventing crashes, injuries and fatalities.
As an illustration of just how the use of data is filling in gaps in knowledge, James gave an update on the Hazmat Safety Permit
programme, which was initiated in 2005; there are now 861 active permanent permits and 47 active temporary permits issued under the programme and another 132 applications outstanding. Only a handful of permits have been suspended or revoked, he said. FMCSA gives very clear threshold figures for crash rates and out-of-service rates that qualify or disqualify a carrier for a Hazmat Safety Permit, which gives visibility to all stakeholders.
Better data is also being used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) across its remit; Walter McBurrows, deputy director of FAA’s Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (AXH), explained what this means in terms of the carriage of lithium batteries in air transport. FAA has gathered some rather scary numbers together, with 442 total verified ‘thermal incidents’ involving lithium batteries between March 2006 and March 2023; of those, more than 70 per cent involved passengers’ own
equipment – most often battery packs but increasingly also e-cigarettes/vapes, mobile phones and laptops.
FAA has responded imaginatively, with new messages to get across to passengers through its PackSafe programme, including the ‘Vapes on a Plane’ idea, and is making resources available to air carriers. FAA has also updated its 120-80B guidance on fighting lithium battery fires involving portable electronic devices in the cabin of an aircraft and is encouraging air carriers to update their training programmes accordingly.
There were more familiar faces when it came to the maritime update, with the US Coast Guard’s (USCG) Dr Amy Parker and Hillary Sadoff, both from the bulk solids and packaged hazardous materials unit in the Hazardous Materials Division, on hand to let the audience know the latest. As with FAA, USCG is currently struggling to deal with the increasing number of incidents involving lithium batteries in cargo; it is trying to increase awareness of maritime-specific concerns, develop appropriate requirements and ensure consistency in regulation, policy and enforcement. As such, USCG is now participating in inter-agency and non-
governmental forums where lithium battery standards are discussed, and is supporting the work of the National Chemical Transportation Safety Advisory Committee’s lithium battery sub-committee. Through its field units, USCG is also drafting and publishing safety alerts.
In fact, lithium batteries represent just one problem; USCG’s hazmat specialists are also participating in the Undeclared Hazmat Working Group, the Misdeclared Cargo Information Exchange, the Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation Security Working Group, and a number of PHMSA-led initiatives to coordinate intermodal transport safety.
USCG also represents US interests at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and it is apparent that Amy and Hillary are racking up the air miles heading to and from London this year. The calendar for 2023 includes two week-long sessions of the Editorial & Technical (E&T) Group on the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, a week-long meeting of the Sub-committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR), which had taken place the week before the COSTHA Annual Forum, a two-week session of the Sub-committee on Carriage of Cargoes
and Containers (CCC) as well as the annual meetings of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) and the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).
One item that Amy and Hillary highlighted from the PPR meeting was the first outcomes from a correspondence group set up last year to consider ways to reduce the risk to the marine environment of the transport of plastics pellets. In the short term, IMO is considering a draft circular but may also agree specific packaging and stowage provisions in order to reduce the likelihood of such goods escaping to the environment. One question still to be finalised is whether plastics pellets should be added to the IMDG Code as a ‘harmful substance’ or should be covered by a new chapter to Annex III of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Marpol) to prescribe transport requirements without classifying the cargo as dangerous.
Amy and Hillary spoke further about some discussions that will inform future amendments to the IMDG Code; these will be covered in more detail in the September issue of HCB, along with reports of some other presentations during the COSTHA Annual Forum.
ADR • WP.15 CRAMMED A LOT INTO THREE DAYS AT ITS MAY MEETING, WITH MANY DECISIONS BEING TAKEN THAT WILL BE REFLECTED IN THE TEXTS OF ADR THAT WILL TAKE EFFECT IN 2025
THE UN ECONOMIC Commission for Europe’s (ECE) Working Party on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (WP.15) held its 113th session in Geneva this past 15 to 17 May; the session had originally been planned to last five days but, following on quickly from the spring Joint Meeting of RID/ADR/ADN Experts and with few other papers submitted, there was a relatively short agenda facing delegates.
The session was chaired by Ariane Roumier (France) with Alfonso Simoni (Italy) as vice-chair; it was attended by representatives of 21 contracting states and Zimbabwe, the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) and five non-governmental organisations.
Having already begun work on the 2025 text of ADR, the agreement covering the international transport of dangerous goods by road within Europe and, increasingly,
elsewhere in the world, the 113th session’s primary focus was on the adoption of amendments agreed by the earlier Joint Meeting, although this is never simply a matter of rubber-stamping changes already agreed. There were in addition some challenging proposals and discussions.
The Working Party endorsed the amendments adopted by the Joint Meeting at its spring 2023 session, with some editorial changes, for entry into force on 1 January 2025. These are as follows:
• In 1.1.3.1, paragraph (a) becomes (a)(i) and a new (a)(ii) is added:
The carriage of dangerous goods by private individuals in the limits defined in paragraph (a)(i) intended initially for their personal or domestic use or for their leisure or sporting
activities and which are carried as waste, including the cases when these dangerous goods are no longer packaged in the original package for retail sale, provided that measures have been taken to prevent any leakage under normal carriage conditions;
• In 1.4.2.1.1(e), “bulk containers” is replaced by “containers for carriage in bulk”
• In Table A of Chapter 3.2, for all entries of UN 2037, “V14” is added in column (16); for UN 2073, “532” is deleted from column (6); for UN 2672, “543” is deleted from column (6); and for UN 3550, “MP18” is added in column (9b)
• In Chapter 3.3, special provisions 532 and 543 are deleted; the introductory sentence of SP 668 is amended to read:
Substances for the purpose of applying road markings and bitumen or similar products for the purpose of repairing cracks and crevices in existing road surfaces, carried at elevated temperature, are not subject to the other requirements of ADR, provided that the following conditions are met:
• In Table 4.1.1.21.6, against UN 1779, “C3” is replaced by “CF1” in column (3b)
• In packing instruction P200(10), special packing provision p, “fitted with pressure relief devices or” is deleted from the second sub-paragraph and the last subparagraph is also deleted
• In the Table in 4.3.4.1.2, a new row is added for tank code LGBV, reading “5.1 | OT1 | III”; the second row for tank codes L1.5BN and L4BN are deleted; for tank code L4BN, in the row “5.1 | O1”, “I” is deleted from the packing group column, and in the row “5.1 | OT1”, “I” is replaced by “II” in the packging group column
• In 5.4.0.1 a new second sentence is added: The information prescribed in this Chapter related to the dangerous goods carried shall be available during carriage in such a way that the goods per vehicle and the vehicle which is carrying them can be identified in the documentation.
• 5.4.1.1.21 is amended to read: Information required in specific cases defined in other parts of ADR Where in accordance with provisions in chapters 3.3, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 5.5 information is necessary, this information shall be included in the transport information.
• In 6.2.4.1, new rows are added for EN ISO 9809-4:2022 and EN 13110:2022
(both under “for design and construction of pressure receptacles or pressure receptacle shells”) and EN 14129:[2023] under “for design and construction and closures”; existing references to earlier editions of these standards are amended with a cut-off date of 31 December 2016
• In 6.8.2.1.23, a new NOTE is added after the first sub-paragraph, reading: When 6.8.5 is applicable, the impact-strength tests carried out for the qualifications of the welding process shall comply with the requirements of 6.8.5.3.
• In 7.2.4, “and gas cartridges” is added after “Aerosols” in V 14
• In 7.3.3.2.7, a new AP 11 is added to present the requirements and standards relating to the carriage in bulk of molten aluminium.
An amendment to 6.8.2.2.11 has been kept in square brackets, along with two new transitional measures, pending confirmation at the next session of the Working Party following further discussion at the autumn Joint Meeting. At present, 6.8.2.2.11 will read:
Level-gauges shall neither be part of, nor fitted to shells, if they incorporate transparent material which can, at any time, come into direct
contact with the substance carried in the shell.
The Working Party accepted a new transitional measure proposed by Germany, which will appear as 1.6.1.54:
Vats for the carriage of molten aluminium of UN No. 3257 which have been constructed and approved before 1 July 2025 in accordance with the provisions of national law but which do not, however, conform to the construction and approval requirements of AP11 in 7.3.3.2.7 applicable as from 1 January 2025 may continue to be used with the approval of the competent authorities in the countries of use.
Background information on these changes was included in HCB’s report on the spring Joint Meeting: see HCB May 2023, page 60 and HCB June 2023, page 56.
Among new proposals to be considered by the Working Party were several dealing with the construction and approval of vehicles. The UK submitted a proposal on the rear protection of tank vehicles, following up on earlier submissions and discussions about how best to ensure a clearance of 100 mm between the rear wall of the tank and the rear bumper,
including amended text to appear in 9.7.6.
The Netherlands, which had been very involved in the earlier discussions, pointed out some shortcomings in the UK’s proposal and, following discussion, it was decided that the issue would be carried over to the next session. Delegates were invited to share their opinions.
The Netherlands also reported on the work of the Informal Working Group on Electrified Vehicles, which it is chairing, explaining that progress has been slower than deemed desirable in the face of ongoing technological development. Work has been devolved to five separate discussion groups, some of which have delivered initial proposals.
One of those involved the battery master switch, although IWG-EV felt that this term was too restrictive and preferred ‘measures’ to de-energise the electrical system. The Working Party agreed to change the terminology in 9.2.1.1, 9.2.2.9.1 and 9.2.2.9.2.
IWG-EV noted that it takes a certain period of time to de-activate electrical circuits and ADR 9.2.2.8.3 currently expects this to happen within 10 seconds; it was felt that 30 seconds is more appropriate, and put forward a proposal to amend the existing text of 9.2.2.8. The Working Party accepted the proposal with some amendments so that this section will now read as follows:
9.2.2.8 De-energizing electrical circuits
[NOTE: The feature shall only be used when the vehicle is in standstill.]
9.2.2.8.1 Features to enable the deenergization of the electrical circuits for all voltage levels shall be placed as close to the energy sources as practicable. In the case the feature interrupts only one lead from the energy source, it shall interrupt the supply lead.
9.2.2.8.2 A control device to facilitate the de-energizing shall be installed in the driver’s cab. It shall be readily accessible to the driver and be distinctively marked. It shall be protected
against inadvertent operation either by adding a protective cover, by using a dual movement control device or by other suitable means. Additional control devices may be installed provided they are distinctively marked and protected against inadvertent operation. If the control devices are electrically operated, the circuits of the control devices are subject to the requirements of 9.2.2.9.
9.2.2.8.3 The de-energization shall be completed within 30 seconds after the activation of the control device.
9.2.2.8.4 The feature shall be installed in such a way that protection IP65 in accordance with IEC 60529 is complied with.
9.2.2.8.5 Cable connections on the feature Systems with a voltage that exceed 25 V AC or 60 V DC and systems under the scope of UN Regulation No. 100¹, shall comply with the requirements of the said regulation.
Systems with a voltage up to 25 V AC or 60 V DC shall have a protection degree IP 54 in accordance with IEC 60529. However, this does not apply if these connections are contained in a housing which may be the battery box. In this case, it is sufficient to insulate the connections
against short circuits, for example by a rubber cap.
The Note is kept in square brackets for review at the next session. The Working Party noted with satisfaction that the adoption of these new provisions represented a first step towards allowing the adoption of provisions for the use of battery electrified vehicles for category FL.
The Netherlands and the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) reported that the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) adopted an amendment in March 2021 to the 11th series of UN Regulation No.13, introducing new tests for endurance braking systems. One outcome of this is that electric-powered vehicles with regenerative braking systems may supplement friction-type service brakes; however, when a vehicle’s batteries are charged to a level where they cannot accept any further electrical energy, the service brakes will need to be able to cope alone.
This will have some impact on Chapter 9.2 of ADR and an informal document from the
Netherlands, supported by data from OICA, sought to prompt a discussion among the Working Party on what action, if any, was needed. The Working Party agreed that the current provisions of ADR concerning braking should remain unchanged for the time being, though it may be necessary to return to the subject in the future.
The UK had been looking closely at the requirements in 9.1.3 for the Certificate of Approval to see if it may be issued in an electronic format, as part of its general move to issue documents electronically wherever possible. The UK already issues some comparable certificates in electronic format and this allows certificates to be easily verified via a publicly accessible database. However, it would appear that ADR allows only paper copies of the Certificate of Approval and in a very specific format. Should this be changed?
Some delegations indicated that the approval bodies in their countries could already issue certificates in electronic form, but that a printed version in accordance with
the format in 9.1.3 had to be carried on board the vehicle. In general, there was support for new provisions that would allow for the use of digitised certificates, including arrangements certificates. The UK was invited to continue
The Netherlands sought the Working Party’s opinion on the position regarding sensors for tyre pressure monitoring system, which are generally energised by a small battery. This
However, if the sensor is on an EX/III or FL
should comply with the IEC 60079 series of standards as appropriate in 9.2.2.9 (as they cannot be de-energised). Is this interpretation correct? Would it be feasible to require the tyre pressure sensor to be located within the pressure chamber formed by tyre and rim
The Working Party confirmed the Netherlands’ reading of the requirement but did not feel that any action was necessary.
Germany had spotted that the earth symbol used in 6.8.2.1.27 is incorrect – and probably has been incorrect since 1999. It proposed adopting the symbol as commonly used in the electrical engineering field, which was readily accepted, though some felt a reference to an IEC standard would be useful. There was also the question of whether a transitional measure was needed; it seems that the correct symbol is already used to identify earthing points on tank vehicles but delegations were invited to check the situation in their own countries prior to the next session.
The Secretariat had noticed that, following the introduction of the new list of abbreviations in 1.2.3 of the 2023 edition of ADR, there was a need to amend the title for Chapter 1.2 in 1.1.2.2. This minor editorial matter was also accepted.
Switzerland sought the Working Party’s opinion on the maximum number of teaching units per day for the training of drivers, which would help define what ADR means by
“normally” in 8.2.2.3.7. Section 8.2.2 seems to indicate a maximum of six hours teaching per day, whereas Switzerland would like to allow up to 7.5 hours. The general feeling of the Working Party was that “normally” indicated that the six hours of teaching could be exceeded in exceptional circumstances but there was no appetite to stretch the normal day to ten 45-minute sessions as Switzerland proposed.
Belgium had identified what it considered a discrepancy between RID and ADR, following the adoption of proposals by the September 2021 session of the Joint Meeting relating to the country of registration of type examination and initial approval of tanks. It felt that the Notes in 6.8.1.5.1 and 6.8.1.5.4 should only apply to tank-vehicles, not to containers and thus should not appear in the right-hand column, nor in RID. This being a multimodal issue, the Working Party suggested that the matter would best be addressed to the Joint Meeting’s Working Group on Tanks.
The International Association of Dangerous Goods Safety Advisers (IASA), in an informal document, suggested adding 8.2.3 to the list of sections given in 3.4.1 for those requirements of RID/ADR that remain valid for carriage in accordance with Chapter 3.4.
Without this, IASA felt, there is no requirement to train drivers who only transport dangerous goods packed in limited quantities.
There was a difference of opinion within the Working Party; some agreed with IASA that a specific reference would clarify the issue, while others felt that the reference to Chapter 1.3 suffices. IASA was invited to present an official document for the next session so that a decision could be made.
Given the increasing decarbonisation of transport activities, the Secretariat had been examining how ADR applies to road vehicles other than those normally thought of as being in scope. In particular, and in view of the need to observe the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Working Party needs to decide whether ADR applies to two- and three-wheeled vehicles or not. Some delivery companies have started using such vehicles, particularly in urban operations, and although this is mostly a local issue it could involve international transport in border towns.
As it stands the text of ADR does not explicitly prevent dangerous goods being carried by powered cycles or motorcycles; however, the provisions in the Annexes to ADR have never been designed to apply to two-wheeled vehicles and therefore some interpretation would be needed, which might vary from country to country. Another issue is that the Protocol of 1993, once it enters into force, will specifically limit the applicability of ADR to vehicles with at least four wheels.
At the last session, some delegations raised the fact that, when this protocol of amendment was adopted by the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the ADR in 1993, the question of deliveries with vehicles/ devices other than regular trucks or vans was not even foreseen. Delivery companies have only recently been introducing light vehicles with three or two wheels for last mile deliveries and most delegations felt that these should be in scope of ADR if they are carrying dangerous goods.
Several delegations presented how cycles and other cargo transport units not covered by ADR are regulated in their countries and it was felt these should be collected by the
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Secretariat. The Working Party also noted that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has been having similar discussions regarding deliveries by remote-controlled
Several delegations were in favour of continuing the discussion at future sessions in order to study the possibilities of revising the scope of ADR and adapting the technical provisions of annexes A and B in order to allow the safe and secure transport of dangerous goods by micromobility vehicles and by cycles. The Working Party noted that this would contribute to achieving the UN
is not made explicit in ADR and, indeed, the first paragraph of 5.4.1.4.2 states that, if the size of a consignment is too large to be loaded in its entirety on a single transport unit, then the same documentation shall accompany
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Finland raised some issues relating to the identification of dangerous goods during transport; according to 5.4.0.1, any goods carried under the provisions of ADR must be accompanied by the documentation prescribed in Chapter 5.4; it is generally understood that the documentation on a transport unit corresponds to the dangerous goods carried on that transport unit, but this
It seems that if a load consisting of several packages needs to be divided for carriage on different transport units it is sufficient that a copy of the single document covering the whole load is on each transport unit without specifying which goods are on each transport unit. Separate transport documents are required for each vehicle only in the case of prohibition on mixed loading. This is of no help to rescue services in case of an accident,
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However, in light of the increasing use of electronic transport documents, it should be easier to specify which goods are on which transport unit, so long as those documents are accessible in an emergency. The Working Party confirmed that the amendment already adopted for 5.4.0.1 (see above) addresses part
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of Finland’s query. It also agreed that the wider use of electronic data would facilitate the identification and tracking of goods unloaded or transferred from one vehicle to another during a delivery operation.
The Netherlands sought confirmation from the Working Party of the opinion expressed at the Joint Meeting in response to its query about the applicability of 1.1.3.1 to the transport of dangerous goods that have been recovered and collected by police and other authorities from public places; the Joint Meeting’s opinion was that such activities are covered by 1.1.3.1(d) and (e), notwithstanding that police may use specialised transport companies to actually move the goods in question.
The Working Party confirmed the Joint Meeting’s interpretation that public services (e.g. police, customs officers and other enforcement personnel) may carry dangerous goods as part of their duties to protect the public. An interpretation to that effect will be published on the ECE website.
The Working Party did, though, feel that it might be useful to spell this out in detail in
1.1.3.1 and invited the Netherlands to reconsider the question.
IASA asked for help in interpreting the requirements of 1.1.3.6.3 in relation to machinery and equipment. At present, this requires the total quantity of dangerous goods contained in machinery and equipment to be used in calculating the applicability of the exemptions provided in 1.1.3.6. IASA had been doing its research and noted that, when the provisions were first introduced in 2007, a selection of UN entries was offered as the types of machinery to which the working might apply. However, IASA said, in reality there are very different interpretations of the provision among different member countries. Furthermore, it is not always easy to distinguish between an article and machinery or equipment.
The Working Party confirmed that it is the net mass of dangerous goods that should be taken into account, not the gross mass of the machinery or equipment. As to the issue of articles, IASA was invited to contact the Spanish delegation, which has already prepared proposals on the classification of
articles and dangerous goods in machinery and equipment, which may be submitted to the Joint Meeting.
Ireland raised an issue regarding the transport of solid waste from pharmaceutical and medical device industrial sites, normally consisting of a mixture of solids such as liners, personal protective equipment (PPE) and wipes contaminated by flammable liquids. These are classified as UN 3175, for which carriage in bulk is permitted according to Chapter 7.3. However, some wastes have additional hazards, such as PPE contaminated with active pharmaceutical ingredients or corrosive materials. These wastes tend to be consigned under UN 2925 or 2926, neither of which are permitted for carriage in bulk, resulting in the need for costly and cumbersome packagings. Ireland pointed out that it is in the process of issuing an approval under the provisions of 2.1.2.8 that will permit the carriage of waste under UN 3175 with additional hazard communication to reflect the addition of toxic and/or corrosive hazards.
Ireland sought the experience of other delegations on this issue and their opinions on whether additional UN entries to cover such shipments might be valuable.
The Working Party was not unsympathetic but felt this was an issue firstly for the Joint Meeting’s informal working group on the transport of hazardous waste and then, if appropriate, the UN Sub-committee of Experts, who could make an amendment to the Dangerous Goods List.
Ireland had another query about waste, this time regarding empty uncleaned packagings. Again, it has used competent authority approval to overcome some obstacles that had been encountered in applying the provisions of ADR. Similarly, the Working Party’s advice was to pass the matter on to the informal working group on the transport of hazardous waste.
The 114th session of WP.15 is scheduled to take place in Geneva from 6 to 10 November 2023. Before then, the Joint Meeting of RID/ ADR/ADN experts is scheduled to hold its autumn session from 19 to 29 September, also in Geneva.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published a second addendum to the 64th edition of its Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), which is in force this year. The bulk of the six-page document is taken up with new carrier variations, most of which relate to lithium batteries. There are also two amendments to the Regulations themselves, again both involving lithium batteries. The first is an addition to 2.3.5.8.1 on portable electronic devices containing batteries, and the second amends packing instruction 952(b).
Both addenda to the current DGR, in all five official languages, can be downloaded from the IATA website at https://www.iata.org/en/ publications/dgr/ (links are near the bottom of the page).
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a notice seeking information on the use of recycled plastics resins in the manufacture of packagings for use in the transport of hazardous materials. PHMSA hopes that any information that can be provided will help guide its future rulemaking and approvals activities in relation to specification packagings, ensure transparency in its current policies, and ensure that safety levels are not compromised.
While PHMSA is committed to increasing the use of recyclate, its current policy requires approval or a special permit for such materials to be used in hazardous materials packaging; it has only issued ten such approvals since 1997, with strict conditions attached, and these only allow the use of packagings containing recycled resin for the transport of Packing Group II and III materials. However, it is also aware of the need to reduce the manufacturing of virgin resin, particularly in light of incoming restrictions on PFAS.
PHMSA’s notice on the subject was published in the Federal Register on 14 April; comments were invited by 13 July.
PHMSA has also published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to solicit feedback from stakeholders on initiatives it is considering to modernise the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). In the notice, published on 5 July, PHMSA lists 46 distinct topics, many of which emerged through a notice issued in October 2017 by the Secretary of Transportation, inviting input on existing rules and other actions that are candidates for repeal, replacement, suspension or modification. PHMSA has already addressed a number of those suggestions under its regulatory reform programme in separate rulemakings.
The ANPRM seeks to wrap up remaining ideas and it includes a very lengthy list of topics and specific questions. PHMSA has provided a three-month comment period, ending on 3 October.
PHMSA has also issued a lengthy list of explosive (EX) classification approvals that it has terminated, after holders failed to provide proof that the approved explosives have successfully completed the UN Test Series 6(d). PHMSA issued a notice requiring proof in May 2021, after an amendment to special provision 347 was included in the HM-215O
rulemaking, which affected Division 1.4S hazardous materials; approvals were terminated in June 2021.
PHMSA has also issued a notice of enforcement policy following the discovery of some 10,000 DOT-specification cylinders that were over-pressurised during requalification by BJ MedQuip Repair Services between May 2018 and May 2023. As such, the cylinders are presumed to be unsafe and are not authorised for filling with hazardous materials nor for transport. These cylinders do, however, need to be transported to a safe place for disposal, and PHMSA finds that it is in the public interest for these cylinders to be transported to appropriate facilities to be vented and condemned. Therefore, PHMSA will not take enforcement action against any trained collecting personnel who transport any cylinder identified in this notice for the purpose of recovery and condemnation, including venting. Persons in possession of such cylinders are invited to contact BJ MedQuip in Mannford, Oklahoma for further guidance.
Australia’s National Transport Commission (NTC) has begun publishing proposals for amending the Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code as the final stage of its
comprehensive review of the Code that started in 2021. It has now published six discussion papers, which seek feedback on its proposals, covering the classification of dangerous goods (Part 2 of the ADG Code); the dangerous goods list; the approval of tanks, bulk containers and vehicles; safety equipment; fire extinguishers; and consignment procedures.
Some of these papers seek to align the ADG Code more closely with ADR, where NTC feels that ADR has a better way of approaching issues such as the classification of dangerous goods and consignment procedures.
The discussion papers came with quite brief comment periods and the last of these, relating to consignment procedures, closes on 24 July. NTC does, though, invite additional feedback.
The process is the first comprehensive review
of the Code since the seventh revised edition was published in 2007; since then, there have been biennial updates to keep in step with relevant international provisions, the latest of these was edition 7.8, published in July 2022. The product of the current review will be issued as the eighth revised edition of the ADG Code. Full information on the process as well as links to the discussion papers and other documents can be found on the NTC website at www.ntc.gov.au/transport-reform/ntc-projects/ comprehensive-review-australian-dangerousgoods-code.
Denmark and Sweden have countersigned multilateral agreement M352 under ADR, initiated by Norway in March, relating to the
transport of UN 1965 liquefied gas mixtures in tank-vehicles. M352 was drawn up to replace M320, which was due to expire in May 2024 and has now been revoked, and which in turn had replaced M278.
These agreements were designed to provide a transitional period following the introduction of special provision 667 in ADR 2013, following which many refineries and gas processing plants began shipping propane as UN 1965 rather than UN 1968, but the tank vehicles in use could not meet the requirements of UN 1965. The multilateral agreement provides a derogation to allow the continued use of these tank vehicles, to avoid the need to dispose of otherwise usable equipment and to avoid a shortage of carrying capacity, which particularly affects the Nordic countries.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE • AFTER 18 MONTHS WORKING TOGETHER TO PROVIDE A GLOBALLY INTEGRATED RESPONSE SERVICE, OURAY AND NCEC LOOK BACK ON WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED
IN JANUARY 2022, Colorado-based Ouray, a globally operating environmental, engineering, manufacturing, and chemical services company, partnered with NCEC, the chemical experts at Ricardo, to provide a full-service integrated response solution for global organisations. Customers were provided with telephone emergency response (‘Level 1’) by NCEC’s best-in-class emergency response service, with on-site expert advice (‘Level 2’) and on-the-ground response (‘Level 3’) services by Ouray.
“Taking something new and unique like this to the market has been a fascinating experience,” says Ouray. “Since the launch, there have been countless conversations globally about the role of integrated emergency response within our customers’ transport and downstream supply chains. And while helping organisations better manage the
risks that they were exposed to, it has become clear to us that no other organisation can provide a global integration solution in the way that Ouray’s service can when coupled with NCEC’s.”
Those conversations have generated a number of important learnings that Ouray is keen to share with emergency responders around the world.
During an incident, speed and accuracy of the response is key to a successful resolution. Delays in passing information between parties, deciding which contractor to use (if not on a retainer) and agreeing contracts, understanding the context and making the decision to activate the response, can have considerable ramifications on the speed and, therefore, the impact of the response.
Pilot discussions show that the ‘time to activation’ of an on-site response can be dramatically reduced, meaning the incident can be controlled and the overall impact on the environment - and business reputationcan be managed. That is why those organisations who have started on a journey towards an integrated response are realising and recognising the benefits of an integrated response soon after implementation.
Ouray and NCEC discovered quite early on that many organisations are using a Level 2 or 3 responder to supplement their Level 1 response. In situations where the Level 1 responder is limited in the response they can give (e.g. they are only able to provide/read from the safety data sheet (SDS) and need more support to turn this into actionable advice), they often end up transferring the call to a Level 2/3 provider to give that advice –even for incidents where no on-the-ground response is required.
Not only does this call transfer cause delays, it is also difficult to replicate globally, especially when different languages and customs are involved. Simply receiving a call and transferring it to the manufacturer is not an effective role for a Level 1 responder.
NCEC’s Level 1 element provides real actionable advice, going beyond the SDS to support those at the scene understand the risks and, when safe, directly intervene to gain control, mitigate the impact and fully respond. This provides Ouray with the chance to focus on deploying its expertise to on-site incidents where the risk is great and those at the scene cannot safely respond.
Most organisations can quickly identify and arrange for a Level 3 response in Western Europe or North America. While this does take time (and often costs more than if there are pre-existing arrangements) it is not as challenging as it is in other regions of the world, especially in Asia. In such a growing market, the ability to respond effectively and consistently across this region to chemical incidents is limited, and the risks to the business are arguably even greater than they are in the West.
Having an emergency response programme that is ‘fine’ in the US and is not effective elsewhere is not a robust emergency response programme. Ensuring that your risk is managed consistently, reported evenly, and handled effectively across your entire global operations must be a key consideration.
Ouray and NCEC have spoken to many organisations who think that their response is ‘acceptable’. However, as those discussions continued, it became clear that in many instances there is a disconnect between the expectation of the response capability and what happens in reality. This could be as a result of having an insufficient global network, limited language capabilities, or a reliance on the original manufacturer to provide advice beyond what an SDS says.
To truly understand how effective your emergency response network is, it is important to take the time to design and
implement an emergency response exercise. Most organisations do this regularly on site, but rarely in their supply chain – where the business risks, particularly to reputation, can be considerable.
(NCEC can provide some advice on how to conduct such an exercise; see https:// the-ncec.com/en/resources/how-to-exerciseyour-emergency-response-arrangements.)
One of the main barriers to change is the perspective that migrating from one provider to another is a complicated, time consuming and costly process. NCEC has decades of experience working with organisations to design and implement group-wide and global emergency response programmes, including migrating from multiple providers. Ouray has lots of best practice advice and support to help organisations manage the transition. In reality, those that have come onboard with
the Ouray and NCEC joint solution have recognised a relatively pain-free migration process – the opposite end of the scale to their original perception going in!
Ouray’s integrated emergency response service, supported by NCEC, remains the first and only response service of its kind that can provide consistent and high quality emergency response globally.
Organisations who are looking for a complete emergency response solution or to improve their combined emergency response should contact OURAY at info@ourasyervices. com or NCEC at ncec@ricardo.com.
Ouray is holding a four-day Transportation & Response Symposium in Denver, Colorado this coming 24 to 27 September, designed for its clients and selected partners; more information can be found at www.ourayservices.com/trs2023.
https://the-ncec.com
www.ourayservices.com
WHEN ON-THE-GROUND RESPONSE IS REQUIRED, IT IS IMPORTANT TO ENGAGE AN ORGANISATION WITH THE EXPERIENCE TO HANDLE ALL POSSIBLE EVENTUALITIES
the batteries that power them actively into the debate,” Storrs-Fox added. “Their ambitions for the development of more powerful, lighter and diverse battery cells must not be allowed to outstrip prioritising safety concerns surrounding their future transportation around the globe.”
Such concerns regarding the battery packs within EVs have been raised in the US and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has carried out a study. The forum heard that EVs are reported to have caused fewer fire incidents than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. However, there are a few provisos to be highlighted here – not least that there are far fewer electric cars on the road than ICE vehicles.
BATTERIES • RECENT INCIDENTS HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE RISKS POSED BY LITHIUM BATTERIES DURING CARRIAGE BY SEA.
INDUSTRY IS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP AN AGENDA FOR CHANGE
“LITHIUM-ION BATTERY fires are not an everyday occurrence. But when thermal runaway does happen, the result is release of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, a very high temperature fire and can spread very fast.” Peregrine Storrs-Fox, risk management director at insurance mutual TT Club, did not want to be alarmist – there is enough of that in the media – but the maritime industry does need to wake up to the increasing risk posed by lithium batteries aboard ship, whether they are cargo or installed in other equipment.
Storrs-Fox was speaking at a recent forum of interested parties that was convened in London to discuss and debate the hazards of lithium batteries, which can include fire, explosion and the release of toxic gases. Industry as a whole will need to come together to increase its efforts to minimise risks and, in the worst case, to ensure there is
an effective response to any incident. After all, while a release of toxic fumes may be the first sign of a lithium battery event, fire with temperatures in excess of 1,000°C can follow in seconds and, as the mixture of chemicals and metals ignites, devastation can ensue.
A number of recent incidents involving both lithium batteries in containerised cargo and battery-electric vehicles aboard ro-ro ferries and car carriers have raised awareness of the risks and, Storrs-Fox said at the conference, “Supply chain players including shipowners, carriers, forwarders, terminal and port operators and insurers are engaged with these debates. Indeed, the … International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has its guidance for carriage of these batteries under serious review.”
One problem for the maritime industry is that this is a moving target. “We need to bring manufacturers of electric vehicles (EVs) and
Secondly it is understood that newer batteries are less likely to ignite or explode than used batteries: effectively the older the battery, the greater the chance of an incident. This will be significant in the longer term as most EVs on the road are relatively new, suggesting the risks will increase as they get older.
Eva Mckiernan, technical director at firefighting consultancy Jensen Hughes, highlighted the dangers of thermal runaway as the most pressing issue after ignition. She explained that the energy packs in EVs are thermodynamically unstable. When the batteries are damaged, they can release hot and toxic gases into containers or onto car decks of ro-ro ships and other vehicle carriers within seconds. When the batteries explode those extraordinary temperatures can be reached.
“Thermal runaway occurs when the heat and chemical reactions reach a certain level; they are effectively self-sustaining and very difficult to extinguish,” she added.
EVs are just one use for li-ion batteries, which can be found in a variety of goods including e-bikes and scooters, as well as computers and mobile phones. All of these goods are transported with batteries in containers. When transported as new, it may be reasonable to expect appropriate packaging, although state of charge is variable, and used and damaged batteries
worldfor your conferences courses high-quality
present considerable uncertainty for the transport supply chain.
“Currently li-ion batteries are classified as one of four UN numbers, depending on power output or the weight of lithium in them and whether they are contained within devices or shipped separately,” explained Storrs-Fox. Each of these UN entries is assigned to Class 9. “Class 9 is the least hazardous ranking and dates from a change in IMDG Class from 4.3, which was made in the late 1980s. Clearly there is a need for a radical review of this classification, as the size and energy capacity of these batteries has altered dramatically since then. As has the volume being carried in container ships.”
Concern that lithium batteries are not classified as sufficiently hazardous and the range of potential Special Provisions applicable to them increases complexity and uncertainty. All this may have serious ramifications when a container is being accepted for shipment or a ship stowage plan is being compiled. Storrs-Fox concluded: “In addressing the commercial opportunity in the move away from fossil fuels, there needs to be urgent engagement from manufacturers and OEMs to resolve the justifiable concerns of the logistics industry – ahead of regulatory strengthening.”
www.jensenhughes.com
www.ttclub.com
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flammable vapours ignited, engulfing the piping manifold on the tank. By this point, ITC was unable to stop or isolate the release.
The fire continued to burn and intensified as its spread to the other 14 tanks in the tank pit; it burned for three days until it was finally extinguished, causing substantial damage to the site, including the destruction of 15 80,000-bbl (12,700-m3) storage tanks and their contents.
The secondary containment wall surrounding the tank farm partially collapsed, allowing the mixture of released hydrocarbon products, firefighting foam and contaminated water in the containment area to release into the surrounding waterways, resulting in the closure of a seven-mile stretch of the Houston Ship Channel adjacent to the ITC Deer Park terminal, as well as several waterfront parks in Harris County and the City of LaPorte, due to the contamination.
Because of benzene-related air quality concerns, a shelter-in-place was issued for the entire City of Deer Park at one point, and local schools and businesses either closed or operated under modified conditions. A portion of a major highway in the area also was closed.
CSB’s investigators identified five key safety issues that were involved in the incident:
MAJOR ACCIDENTS AT bulk liquids storage terminals and tank farms are, thankfully, comparatively rare. But, when they do happen, it is important that the root causes are investigated and lessons are learned. The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has recently released its final investigation report on the massive fire that took place at Intercontinental Terminals’ (ITC) storage terminal in Deer Park, Texas on 17 March 2019 and that report should be required reading for all those involved in the sector.
The fire caused substantial property damage, significantly impacted the environment, and led to the issuance of several shelter-in-place orders that seriously disrupted the local community. “This was a very large and disruptive event,” says CSB chair Steve Owens. “The fire burned for three
days, caused over $150m in property damage at the facility, put the surrounding community potentially at risk, and significantly impacted the environment. This disastrous event could have been prevented if proper safeguards had been in place at the facility.”
ITC’s Deer Park terminal had more than 240 aboveground storage tanks, used for the handling of petrochemical liquids and gases, fuel oil, bunker oil, and distillates for various oil and chemical companies.
The incident started with an accidental release of butane-enriched naphtha from a large atmospheric tank, Tank 80-8; CSB found that this release had resulted from the failure of a circulation pump. Product flowed out of the tank for about 30 minutes before its
1.ITC did not have a formal mechanical integrity procedure to maintain the integrity of Tank 80-8 and its associated equipment, including the circulation pump.
2.Tank 80-8 was not equipped with a flammable gas detention system to warn personnel of a hazardous atmosphere resulting from loss of containment from the tank or its associated equipment.
3.Tank 80-8 and other tanks in the tank farm were not equipped with remotely operated emergency isolation valves designed to mitigate process releases remotely from a safe location.
4.Elements of the tank farm design, including tank spacing, subdivisions, engineering controls for pumps located inside the containment area, and drainage systems allowed the fire to spread to other tanks within the tank farm.
5.ITC did not apply a formal process safety
INVESTIGATIONS • CSB HAS RECENTLY FINALISED SEVERAL INVESTIGATIONS INTO ACCIDENTS AT TERMINAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESS FACILITIES, WHICH OFFER LESSONS FOR ALL OPERATORS
management (PSM) program to Tank 80-8 because neither the Occuptional Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) PSM standard nor the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Risk Management Program (RMP) rule applied to the tank and its associated equipment due to exemptions contained in the regulations.
In its final report, CSB recommends that ITC rectify the shortcomings identified above. In addition, it has recommended:
• That the American Petroleum Institute (API) updates its standard 2610 on the design, construction, operation, maintenance and inspection of terminal and tank facilities to include flammable gas detection systems within the leak detection equipment, or elsewhere when appropriate
• That OSHA eliminates the atmospheric storage tank exemption from its PSM standard, and
• That EPA modify 40 CFR §68.115(b)(2)(i) to expand coverage of its RMP rule to include all flammable liquids, including mixture, with a flammability rating of NFPA-3 or higher.
CSB has also released its final report into the fatal acetic acid release at the LyondellBasell plant in La Porte, Texas in July 2017. CSB pins the blame for the accident on the inadvertent removal of pressure retaining components of a plug valve, which had been used as a temporary isolation valve following a small leak upstream of the reactor. Contractors brought in to repair the leak removed bolts they believed held the actuator in place but in fact were securing the pressure-retaining valve cover; the plug ejected from the valve along with 174,000 lb (74 tonnes) of acetic acid mixture at 114°C. Two contract workers were fatally injured, two others were seriously hurt and 29 employees needed medical treatment.
Over the course of its investigation CSB identified four similar incidents where pressure retaining components of a plug valve were removed while attempting to remove equipment. The recurrence of these types of incidents points to the need to further re-design plug valves so that it is more
difficult to remove pressure-retaining components while attempting to remove actuating equipment.
CSB’s report issues recommendations to LyondellBasell, the contractor, Turn2 Specialty Companies, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), API and the Valve Manufacturers Association of America, seeking to address gaps in equipment design and labelling, procedures, communication of past incidents, and worker training.
CSB has also released its final report into the November 2020 hydrogen chloride release during maintenance work at the Wacker Polysilicon North American facility in Charleston, Tennessee. A worker was fatally injured in the incident. “CSB determined that the cause of the incident was the accidental over-torquing of bolts on equipment containing hazardous HCl,” explains Tyler Nelson, deputy investigator-in-charge. “Both the lack of written procedures and ineffective control of hazardous energy contributed to the occurrence of the event. Uncontrolled simultaneous operations and a limited means of egress significantly contributed to the severity of this event.”
CSB’s investigation resulted in several key recommendations, including a recommendation to OSHA to require the coordination of simultaneous operations involving multiple work groups, including contractors. CSB is also calling on OSHA and the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) to create safety products to provide guidance on simultaneous operations. At the company level, the CSB is calling on Wacker to improve its company policies and procedures which would specifically address torquing, control of hazardous energy, and simultaneous operations. CSB is also recommending that Wacker install an additional means of egress for tower platforms. Additionally, CSB is issuing recommendations to the International Code Council (ICC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to address requirements for multiple means of egress from elevated structures.
CSB has also released its final investigation report on the propylene release and fatal explosion at the Watson Grinding facility in
Houston, Texas in January 2020. The incident happened when employees arrived for work; overnight, a hose had disconnected from its fitting in a coating booth, allowing propylene gas to accumulate in the building; when the lights were switched on, the flammable vapour ignited.
CSB determined that the cause of the accidental release of propylene was a degraded and poorly crimped rubber welding hose, combined with a failure to close the manual shutoff valve at the propylene storage tank at the conclusion of production operations the previous work day; and an inoperative automated gas detection alarm, exhaust fan startup, and gas shutoff system.
“Our investigation found that Watson Grinding did not have an effective program in place to assess potential hazards in its propylene process and did not have a mechanical integrity program or written operating procedures,” notes Steve Owens. “This tragic incident was made even worse due to the lack of emergency response training for employees at the facility. Three lives were lost, and the surrounding community was put at risk as a result.”
National Cargo Bureau and its wholly owned subsidiary Exis Technologies have unified under the ‘NCB’ brand, representing a strategic alignment of their respective activities. “The unified organisation signifies a shared commitment to innovation and technological advancement. By consolidating their strengths, NCB is better positioned to offer industry wide solutions and achieve its mission of promoting safety and compliance in cargo transportation on a global scale,” the company states.
“This is an exciting time for the organisation,” adds Ian Lennard, NCB president. “NCB is the perfect combination of expertise and trailblazing technology to further our not-for-profit mission, Safety of Life and Cargo at Sea.”
Industry can now can expect a new era of digital innovation in cargo safety and compliance. NCB’s rich history, combined expertise, and technological advancements position it as a leader in the field, capable of
meeting the ongoing and evolving need for global container safety initiatives. The integration of AI and expansion of remote inspection capability exemplify the organisation’s dedication to safety of life and cargo at sea. NCB says it will continue to drive forward, focusing on innovation and commitment to excellence to help shape the future of cargo transport safety.
NCB Hazcheck – formerly Exis Technologies – has developed an online Introduction to the CTU Code course, designed as a familiarisation course for those new to the cargo shipping business or as a refresher for those already working. The course covers the background, aims and content of the Code of Practice on the packing of cargo transport units (CTUs).
Underwriters have long stressed the value of the CTU Code and have done much to spread awareness; ICHCA International and TT Club, as part of the Cargo Integrity Group, have endorsed the course and are making it generally
available free of charge. More information can be found on the NCB website at https:// natcargo.org/train/free-introduction-to-the-ctucode/.
The London P&I Club has highlighted ongoing cargo damage claims arising from the carriage of dry or powdered chemicals in flexible IBCs (FIBCs) in the same holds as breakbulk cargoes. The Club notes that these claims occur almost always in vessels that have loaded breakbulk cargoes in China and that the stowage plans seem to have been developed primarily in view of the discharge port rotation. As a result, high-value steel products have been over-stowed with FIBCs containing chemicals that may be corrosive to steel, which themselves have been over-stowed with heavy cargo. The chemical cargoes are themselves damaged, but the spillage can result in significant further damage to the other cargoes in the hold.
The Club’s review of these cases has highlighted that the breakbulk cargoes are almost never loaded and stowed in accordance with the principles set out the Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS Code) or in accordance with the ship specific Cargo Securing Manual (CSM). Failure to follow these Codes is potentially prejudicial to P&I cover for owners and charterers.
To highlight best practice, the London P&I Club last year worked closely with Brookes Bell and came up with a guidance document that can be downloaded at www.londonpandi.com/ Media/2994/6797-lp-focus-v3.pdf.
The Oil Companies International Maritime Forum (OCIMF) has begun a phased rollout of its new digitalised tanker inspection programme, SIRE 2.0, which will replace the existing Ship Inspection Report Programme
(SIRE) used by the marine industry to assess a vessel’s condition and operational standards.
The first phase, currently underway, involves internal testing by a pre-selected group of inspectors, submitting companies and vessel operators, covering the entire end-to-end system with the support of the OCIMF Secretariat. Phase 1 is expected to last around a month, after which more participants will become involved and aim to implement the new system without the support of the OCIMF Secretariat.
“The commencement of Phase 1 of the new SIRE 2.0 tanker inspection programme represents a significant step forward for all involved in tanker vetting,” says Aaron Cooper, OCIMF’s programmes director. “The phased roll-out was adopted in response to feedback from all stakeholders and ensures the readiness of the programme and its users. I am delighted to report that feedback from Phase 1 so far has been positive.”
www.ocimf.org
UAB-Online, which says it operates “the leading digital platform in liquid bulk shipping”, has updated its systems to include the latest safety guidelines for chemical tankers. Now referencing the 5th edition of the International Chamber of Shipping’s (ICS) Tanker Safety Guide – Chemicals, the platform now provides guidelines on enclosed space entry, risk assessments, and PPE, and improved ship/shore safety checklists, to help ship and terminal crew complete important safety checks efficiently.
“We are committed to helping chemical tankers, terminal operators, and anyone involved in the carriage of chemicals on ships, in their efforts to streamline operations while following all safety guidelines,” says Hans Bobeldijk, CEO of UAB-Online. uab-online.com
Green Marine has joined the Methanol Institute, bringing with it a new specialist training programme for crews onboard
methanol dual-fuel vessels, supplementing baseline regulatory training requirements with practical, experience-based learning. The Methanol Institute notes that the scale of the crew training challenge presented by the fuels required for decarbonisation is at least as great as the technology hurdles the industry faces.
The crew training programme was created based on practical knowledge gathered over a decade of experience working on methanol dual-fuel vessels with services from design consultancy to newbuilding construction supervision, technical management and operations. The curriculum, which can be delivered onboard, in a classroom or online, was developed to address the knowledge gaps between theoretical regulation and practical experience in the use of methanol as marine fuel.
“Our methanol specialists are captains and chief engineers with first-hand knowledge of working with methanol as a fuel and how to ensure these dual fuel ships operate safely,” says Morten Jacobsen, CEO of Green Marine. “Theoretical knowledge is little use in real life situations when you need to know what to do; we bridge that gap and provide practical knowledge to support crews in adopting this methanol dual fuel technology.” www.greenmarine.dk
Lloyd’s Register’s (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and the Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping have finalised a joint study on the safety implications of the use of ammonia as a maritime fuel, finding that a range of mitigation measures are required to keep toxicity risks to crew within published tolerable limits.
Ammonia is widely regarded as one of the most promising routes to achieving the energy transition, as it burns with almost no carbon dioxide emissions. However, it is not without its risks and, LR says, it is crucial for shipping’s stakeholders to understand the risks of ammonia as a shipping fuel and the safeguards that can be implemented.
“The global energy transition drives a move from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources,
which inevitably brings about new safety challenges and the need for shipping to manage more complex hazards,” says Dr Andy Franks, senior decarbonisation risk specialist at LR. “Our approach to understanding and mitigating the risks of ammonia as a shipping fuel incorporates both a quantitative datadriven approach to ship design as well as a human factors approach to address crew safety. Through these two approaches we provide practical insights that will support the industry in managing safety risks to crew within published tolerable limits.”
The study can be freely downloaded from the LR website at https://maritime.
lr.org/l/941163/2023-06-26/7pvwf/941163/168 7818446UtQZE6G3/LR_MMMCZCS_ Ammonia_Report.pdf.
The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) has launched a new website for its Safety & Quality Assessment for Sustainability (SQAS) system. The aim of the new website is to support all relevant chemical players on their journey towards improved safety, environmental, security and quality performance. Using clear explanations and supporting visuals, it will help stakeholders understand how SQAS can help them improve their performance, provide a range of publicly available materials, including guides, manuals and contact lists, and provide a forum for the sharing of views on SQAS. The website can be found at https://sqas.org/.
PERFORMANCE • MANY PLAYERS IN THE INTERMODAL TANK BUSINESS ENJOYED A HEALTHY 2022 AND HOYER IS NO EXCEPTION, THOUGH IT EXPECTS CONDITIONS TO RETURN TO NORMAL THIS YEAR
HOYER GROUP ACHIEVED a turnover of €1.53bn in 2022, an increase of 18.2 per cent compared to 2021, despite what it says was a significant decline in the number of chemical transport in Europe. Revenues were boosted by rising operating costs, which were passed on to customers, as a result of high energy prices and general inflation, especially for chemicals but also fuels and bitumen.
Pre-tax profit for 2022 came in at €71.6m, up from €46.2m in 2021 as profit margin increased from 3.6 per cent to 4.7 per cent. Hoyer says this was a result of optimised planning of global transport flows and the efficient use of transport assets.
Speaking about the year as a whole, Hoyer says: “2022 was again a year in which the global economy faced economic challenges. Logistics remained demanding and difficult to plan. Our corporate orientation and established infrastructure, through which we
support our customers in the best possible way, proved to be all the more fundamental. The portfolio, which is aligned to changing market needs, together with the dedication of each individual employee, make Hoyer a strong and reliable partner.”
During the year, Hoyer invested €78.1m in property, plant and equipment, although some projects could not be completed due to difficulties in procuring raw materials and intermediate products. Nevertheless, this level of investment was well ahead of the 2021 figure and the company anticipates a further increase this year to help drive forward its growth plans. Investment is being focused especially in the replacement and expansion of transport assets, notably in the tank container fleet, as well as IT systems and software.
For 2023, Hoyer notes that economic forecasts do not suggest much upside potential, largely due to inflationary pressures
and the impact of the war in Ukraine. Furthermore, German chemical production declined significantly in the second half of 2022 and is not expected to recover until later this year, which will continue to impact European intermodal transport volumes. On the other hand, global supply chain disruptions have eased since the end of Covid-related restrictions and the ocean freight business has normalised.
Against this backdrop, Hoyer expects that revenues for 2023 will be in line with 2022 but that a significant decline in profits can be expected.
Hoyer’s largest division, which operates its global tank container fleet, contributed to the growth in revenues. Energy costs rose significantly, as did ocean freight rates and other transport costs; while Hoyer managed to pass these costs on, by being transparent with its customers, the company also notes that some of its customers either cut back production or relocated it from Europe to other regions. Hoyer says its size and geographical reach allowed it to help its customers with these challenges.
One aspect of this success was provided by Hoyer’s own tank cleaning and repair facilities, largely operated through its cotac subsidiary, which helped keep tanks moving around the world. Here too, though, increased energy costs were a problem and its depots also had to cope with regional and temporary
fluctuations in capacity utilisation rates.
In gas and petroleum logistics, Hoyer has seen an increase in demand for the handling and transport of cryogenic and pressurised liquefied gases. Rising energy costs had a positive impact, since the regional availability of CO2 was affected and there was an increased need for transport, especially in the UK and Germany. This meant a need for optimised planning of transport flows and the efficient use of transport assets, which was achieved despite infrastructure problems on Europe’s rail network, resulting in some volumes switching to road transport.
While the road fuel distribution operation enjoyed stable business, Hoyer recorded a significant increase in revenues from bitumen transport, airport fuel supplies and aircraft refuelling, helped by the return of aviation
activity to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022.
Hoyer’s intermediate bulk container (IBC) business had a good year too, with customers increasing inventory levels to guard against supply chain disruptions, especially in Europe. This meant more IBCs were leased out, a trend that was strengthened by the desire for sustainable packaging and stainless steel IBCs. In response, Hoyer increased its IBC fleet by 4.7 per cent over the year and it is now working on the development of a digitallyenabled logistics solution for IBC fleets.
The one poor performer in the Hoyer portfolio last year was its Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) operation, which suffered from the sharp drop in demand for chemical products in Europe after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Plastics producers in eastern
Germany were particularly hard hit by low demand, Hoyer says.
Overall, though, the company remains optimistic. Writing in the company’s annual report, CEO Björn Schniederkötter says: “The Hoyer group is investing countercyclically in important, globally applied infrastructure measures and assets in 2023. This enables us to support our customers in central markets with even better and more efficient services. We grow so that our customers can grow.
“Hoyer is a family business that thinks and acts on a multi-generational scale. We are aware of our social, ecological and economic responsibilities at all times. And we supply our clients with the added value for their businesses that enables them to grow, both today and in the future,” Schniederkötter adds. www.hoyer-group.com
FOR THE PAST 20 years, Hüni+Co has been the first port of call for tank container operators and users that are looking for highly functional corrosion protection coatings. As a pioneer in this industry segment, the company sees itself not so much as a technical service provider but as a consultant and partner to the chemical and logistics industries, where its customers include all the major players.
“We are very familiar with the quality requirements in these industries,” explains Alexa Hüni, who is now the sixth generation to manage the business of the family-owned company. Moreover, Hüni+Co says it weathered the Covid pandemic years quite well, recording “respectable” results and proving, Alexa Hüni says, that the company is “healthy and resilient”.
Despite the obvious challenges facing industry around the world, that performance provides the company with a solid foundation for newly announced growth plans. While Alexa Hüni and her team are taking developments in the energy market very seriously, along with their impact on the entire economy, especially in Europe, she sees the energy crisis as “a kind of catalyst for us”.
In response, Hüni+Co has brought forward its planned comprehensive energy efficiency programme, which envisages optimising all corporate processes under a digital transformation. In addition, the company is continuously investing in infrastructure and technology to reduce energy consumption and sustainably optimise the company’s ecobalance, while also lowering costs, and has
the ambition to wean itself off external energy supplies. As a first step, Hüni+Co is planning a 350 kW photovoltaic system that will cover some 25 per cent of total electricity demand from the end of this year.
Hüni+Co is also planning to expand its operations. The company’s base is at Friedrichshafen on the shores of Lake Constanz, in southern Germany, where it has remained since its foundation as a tannery in 1859 and where it now has three production halls with numerous painting systems and eleven baking and sintering ovens of different sizes. In recent years, the company has qualified hand-picked depots to carry out minor repairs to the interior coatings of tank containers, with 16 such facilities operating in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Dubai and South Korea, providing coating repair services closer to the main tank container transport routes.
This year Hüni+Co has gone a step further, with a deal announced in May to provide comprehensive services in partnership with Van Moer Logistics at the latter’s depot in Antwerp (HCB June 2023, page 26). This will include the complete interior coating of tank containers. “Until now, this was only possible at our site in the south of Germany,” says Alexa Hüni. “In future, our customers will also be able to have their tank containers serviced, repaired or recoated in the Van Moer workshops in Antwerp, with our know-how, technology and quality standards.”
This move is seen as a strategic shift in approach and, in the medium term, Van Moer will be followed by other partners. “We want to expand our network further in the future, following this example,” Alexa Hüni explains. The initial focus is on a location in the Ruhr region, with initial talks already underway.
Alexa Hüni remains optimistic: “The way things are going at the moment, we are very satisfied,” she says, with some “exciting and large new contracts” already in the bag this year and more projects in the pipeline. The company is, she adds, well positioned to grasp the opportunities, with a great and competent team ready to step up to big tasks.
www.hueni.de
per cent of all US wind-sourced electricity, with wind power surpassing the state’s nuclear generation for the first time in 2014 and exceeding coal-fired generation for the first time in 2020.
Our rapid growth in the US markets for rail, road and tank container equipment has enabled us to commit to revamping this important part of the Fort Vale family - and should keep our customers and markets serviced for many years to come.
The Houston office was established in 1982 as a strategically placed warehouse and sales office providing spare parts and technical support of Fort Vale products to the tank container industry in the US. Supplementary products were added to the portfolio over the years to allow business growth outside of the tank container industry, specifically the American tank truck market.
Further new markets were explored and as such Fort Vale has become a major supplier for valves and equipment used on American railroads, specifically to AAR standards.
IN 2022, FORT Vale celebrated its 55th anniversary. Since its inception in 1967, the company has followed a path of innovation, technical excellence and controlled growth and last year we celebrated the 40th anniversary of our US base in Houston, Texas, with a renewed commitment to roll out brand new facilities in line with our current UK expansion plans.
Our headquarters and manufacturing facility is in Lancashire, UK (above) and we have six subsidiary companies strategically located around the world to provide spare parts, after-sales customer care and product support. In the US, Rosemary Muellner, vice-president of Fort Vale Inc, and her team
are engaged in a full redevelopment of the office space and warehousing facility in Houston. This significant investment by Fort Vale includes the installation of solar power and other innovative warehouse technologies in order to improve efficiency and offer even greater customer support than previously.
Houston was an obvious choice for our US headquarters, not just because Texas is the top crude oil and natural gas producing state in the US (accounting for 42 per cent of the nation’s crude oil production and 27 per cent of its marketed natural gas production in 2022), but also because of its support and encouragement for the renewable energy industry. In the same year, Texas generated 26
The company has since grown to become the world leader in the design and manufacture of a vast range of valves, manways and fittings for liquid and gas tank containers, road tankers and rail cars. Our RailTyt range of fuel transfer equipment has been established for more than 10 years and continues to evolve and expand. Currently even more technologically advanced products are being developed and are about to enter field trials for AAR applications.
In 2012 we were approached by a US client to look into producing rail equipment for that market. We have always had the ability to produce short-run and bespoke projects and, as the equipment trials progressed, it was obvious that our accumulated knowledge from the fuel/chemical/food sector could be of considerable benefit - those trials led to our original Rail Product Range in 2014. This in turn led to a European range being introduced in 2018.
One of our major strengths is our vertically integrated manufacturing strategy which
EQUIPMENT • SUSTAINED GROWTH IS THE IDEAL BUSINESS. GRAHAM BLANCHARD, FORT VALE’S SALES DIRECTOR, EXPLAINS WHY THE UK FIRM IS INVESTING HEAVILY IN A NEW FACILITY IN THE US
allows us to precisely control the quality of our supply chain and optimise efficiencies - so that you can be confident in the origin, integrity and reliability of our products - this is an important element to be considered when there are so many cheaper (but often poorly made), third-party applications in the marketplace.
The large scale of our UK factory, coupled with all the latest production technology, gives us an unrivalled manufacturing capacity allowing us to keep even the largest wagon builders in Europe supplied with equipmentwith the new expansion of our Houston base, we intend to mirror this achievement in the US.
One of Fort Vale’s biggest advantages over competing rail systems is that our equipment is manufactured from stainless steelimproving corrosion resistance and longevity while minimising downtime and maintenance and repair costs. The Y-valves have a lockable handle function for security and safety, are bellows-operated and rated to a MAWP of 30
Bar (as are the bottom discharge valves), which is comfortably higher than any others on the market and therefore safer to use. The Y-valves also offer significantly increased flow rates compared with other models due to the CFD-optimised internal geometry.
Our equipment is cycle-tested in excess of industry requirements to ensure that it is safe, easy to operate and built to last. This is achieved partly through the meticulous work from our in-house design team but also helped by the vast engineering experience throughout our UK factory.
We have pushed the boundaries of what was once accepted by the industry with a lighter ventilation valve making fitment efficient and safe. We’ve eliminated leak paths using our on-site foundry to fully cast valve bodies that would previously have been modular. Our bottom valves have been designed using CFD software to optimise flow rates, decreasing the wagon’s time at a loading station. Premium polymers and elastomers are used for all seals and bearings - ensuring that every operation is not only smooth but also
gas tight upon closure. These and other innovations have proved very popular in the US.
The RailTyt range also has equipment options offering a vast range of chemical compatibility. We have carbon steel operators when corrosion will not be an issue, steam heating options for viscous products and full stainless steel gas wagon arrangements for products like CO2. Fort Vale also has experience manufacturing equipment in exotic alloys and also PFA-lined valves to suit highly corrosive chemicals.
Due to the growth of the business
Fort Vale has now invested in a large renovation project to create efficiencies within the work place, develop the US site into an AAR-approved manufacturing facility, offer more storage space and improved office facilities and a better working environment for our employees, and of course added solar panels for sustainable electricity generation in line with other Fort Vale sites around the world - we have seen first-hand how this has benefitted our UK operation, and our workers.
Part of the AAR requirements are having strict Quality Assurance systems and audits to maintain the high standards of technology, safety and conformance. As such, Fort Vale Inc has employed a full time quality assurance manager on site in Houston. Sixmund Pelekamoyo has a wealth of experience in the oil and gas industries in various quality control and assurance roles - his experience and approach to the AAR conformance requirements is useful to help support our customers across the road, rail, fuel transfer and tank container markets when required.
In conclusion, the US has always been an important market for Fort Vale, but our success stateside over the last 10 yearsespecially with regard to the rail industrygives us the confidence to invest even further in new equipment, processes and facilities. As we look forward to this next chapter in the life of Fort Vale Inc, we do so with the utmost confidence and an eagerness to see what the next 40 years will bring!
www.fortvale.com
show in Munich, Allan Klinge says that there is not a lot of optimism around regarding further investment in tanks. However, there is still appetite for special tanks, especially those offering temperature control; moreover, there is, he reports, more demand to at least have the option of having temperature control units fitted.
There are other changes in the market that are working to the benefit of Klinge Corp right now. For instance, there has been a “huge explosion” in the shipment of lithium electrolytes as the world moves rapidly towards a decarbonised economy. This material needs to be shipped under temperature control for quality purposes. “The trade is expanding rapidly,” Allan Klinge says, “and will continue to grow.”
EQUIPMENT • MORE SHIPMENTS NOW REQUIRE TEMPERATURE CONTROL, WHICH IS GOOD NEWS FOR KLINGE CORP AS ITS TEMPERATURE CONTROL UNITS ARE IN GREATER DEMAND
KLINGE CORP, A leader in the supply of temperature control equipment for intermodal containers and tank containers, reports a stellar year with record sales for 2022/23. In this it is not alone – the development of global intermodal supply chains worked to the benefit of many players in all parts of the market last year, providing good conditions for those supplying equipment.
In particular, the shocks to the supply chain during the Covid pandemic years and because of external factors such as the Suez Canal closure, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and disruption to deepsea liner trades have encouraged many shippers and importers to diversify their supply chains and to increase inventory through the chain.
Allan Klinge, CEO of Klinge Corp, comments that this has been a particular aspect in the pharmaceutical business, one of Klinge’s
major markets. Suppliers are looking to hold regional inventories so as to be able to supply markets even in times of disruption; indeed, they regard goods in transit by sea as part of their regular inventory, complemented when and where necessary by air shipments.
The normalisation of ocean shipping markets this year is also working in favour of dangerous goods in the supply chain. Now that ocean freight rates have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, shipments have become more reliable (other than, at present, in west coast US ports) while the lines are also looking to get higher paying cargo, such as dangerous goods, which they had seemed happy to forgo during the rate boom.
The tank container sector enjoyed another bumper year in 2022 but, having had the chance to talk to plenty of companies at the ITCO Village during May’s Transport Logistic
Another big growth area is in the transport of sulfuric acid to supply semi-conductor and microprocessor manufacturers. Again, material must be of the highest quality to meet manufacturing standards and temperature control is widely used. Both the lithium and sulfuric acid markets are developing new and alternative supply chains, where intermodal transport can be very useful and where Klinge Corp is winning new customers.
Elsewhere, there is also growth in the transport of organic peroxides, especially for use as catalysts in the polymer manufacturing sector; these products commonly use temperature control for stability.
The “phenomenal” year that Klinge Corp has just enjoyed has come at a good time as there is plenty of development work needed to supply emerging demand. Allan Klinge reports that the company has developed dual refrigeration units for reefer boxes for the
KLINGE’S EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TO MEET DEMAND FOR THE COMPANY’S EQUIPMENT AS NEW PRODUCTS EMERGE THAT NEED TEMPERATURE CONTROL
transport of pharmaceuticals and Ex-proof units for use with the transport of aerosols, flammable gases and other volatile goods.
Klinge Corp is also looking to develop larger units capable of working with large-volume (26,000-litre) tank containers. This is, Allan Klinge (left) says, something of a challenge since these tanks are typically fitted with thinner insulation to give room for the larger tank capacity, meaning the refrigerator unit has to work harder.
Another difficult issue facing the whole sector is the choice of refrigerant gases, with shippers and tank operators keen to reduce the environmental impact of their transport activities. “There are some good options out there,” Allan Klinge says, “but it is always a struggle between the ideal and the practicable.” In particular, compliant gases
need to be available around the world so that units can be topped up wherever they are.
Allan Klinge says he is happy to be an innovator but that all players in the supply chain needs to come to some consensus on the direction to take. They also need to take account of the lines’ appetite for the transport of reefers using flammable gases on their ships, which is likely to be very limited.
Industry is continuing to work through these questions, which will have an impact on investment decisions for companies such as Klinge Corp. In the meantime, while many in the intermodal sector are optimistic about business, Allan Klinge feels it unlikely that the pace of sales growth in 2023/24 will match last year – though such is the level of emerging demand that some growth will be there.
klingecorp.com
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TRACKING • INFORMATION HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN IT IS NOW BUT HAVING IT IN A FORM THAT ALL PARTIES CAN USE IS VITAL. ITCO HAS PREPARED SOME GUIDELINES FOR ITS MEMBERS
THE INTERNATIONAL TANK Container Organisation (ITCO) has published a new best practice guideline on shipment tracking and automated milestone messaging, developed in collaboration with the European Chemical Transport Association (ECTA) and building on work done by ECTA’s work groups in recent years. Tank container transport (similar to rail tank car transport) often involves lengthy periods where the tank and the goods it contains are unaccompanied, so it is even more important to make sure that all the information pathways are aligned prior to setting off.
The aim is to create an ‘ITCO Standard’ for supply chain milestones occurring from start to finish of an overseas shipment, which can be offered to every customer as the market norm. Such a framework is seen as an important step towards encouraging companies to start deploying individual telematics and truck/equipment tracking
solutions and it forms a basis towards transport visibility, interoperability and real-time information exchange across all logistics actors in the chemical supply chain.
The work done by ITCO and ECTA responds to the increasing trend for bulk liquids manufacturers, traders and their partners to demand detailed tracking and tracing of each shipment – often against key performance indicators (KPIs) established for each stage of the supply chain – and for the information generated to be delivered via automated platforms rather than by human intervention.
In addition to this, using data of delayed - or non-compliant - deliveries to specify methods for avoiding such deviations in the future represents an important opportunity for the tank container industry to practice continual improvement in its supply chain services. But it is no longer sufficient to analyse, measure
and investigate why certain shipments are late after the delivery has taken place. Both customer and logistics service providers want to think pro-actively and to anticipate late deliveries along a door-to-door movement of goods. As a result, all supply chain actors are demanding more transport visibility through frequent and accurate transport milestone messages and ETA updates - especially when unexpected delays in transit are occurring. The goal of the ITCO guideline is therefore to establish a standard definition framework with transport milestone events and ETx updates within a chemical multimodal door-to-door product movement, something that ECTA has already worked on. Once such milestone events are pre-defined and agreed amongst each of the supply chain actors and a standard offering is achieved, the challenging and time-consuming discussions that can arise from creating tailor-made milestone information frameworks for each customeror for each individual trade lane - may be avoided.
The ITCO document runs through the various ‘milestones’ along different transport operations, from the perspective of the shipper, as well as some message standards. It notes that logistics providers may choose the message standard that meets the needs of their customers as well as their own IT capacities. These include IFTSTA messaging, ANSI X12 315 messaging, DCSA Events and XML Status Event messaging, the latter being used in ECTA’s system and presented by the two associations with a detailed usage protocol.
“This best practice guideline wants to create a collaborative framework so our chemical customers can be served better,” ITCO says. “To save costs, avoid rework, improve customer service and avoid confusion along a chain of events within an overseas container movement, ITCO recommends to exchange pre-defined, validated milestone messages and ETx updates between all supply chain actors involved instead of continuous sharing of GPS truck or load locations itself. The guidelines themselves can be downloaded from the ITCO website at https://internationaltank-container.org/storage/uploads/ITCO_ Overseas_Transport_Visibility_Guideline.pdf.
Apollo, a global asset management investor, has agreed to make a structured equity investment in Intermodal Tank Transport (ITT), the largest US-based tank container operator. Jon Hulsey, who will remain in post as CEO/ president of ITT, says: “We are thrilled to partner with Apollo to help accelerate our next phase of growth. We have a number of compelling opportunities to strengthen our global platform, and we believe Apollo’s deep understanding of our business, scale and extensive value-creation expertise will help us unlock the significant growth potential of our business. I look forward to continuing to lead the dedicated, hardworking team at ITT as we continue driving value and enhancing customer experience.”
“Jon and the team have done an exceptional job building ITT into an industry leader with high-quality assets and an unwavering commitment to customer service,” says David Cohen, a partner at Apollo. “As food, chemical and other industries increasingly turn to ISO tanks for reliable, safe transport, we believe ITT is well positioned to expand its leadership position as a specialty logistics provider serving supply chains and owners of infrastructure around the globe.”
www.apollo.com
www.intermodaltank.com
Tristar Group company Tricore Surfactants Technologies, one of the UAE’s largest manufacturers of agro-emulsifiers and surfactants, has opened a new dangerous goods warehouse and custom powder blending unit at its site in the Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah.
“Contract logistics for chemicals is a rapidly growing market in the Middle East, and with our exemplary track record in safety and sustainability, clients look upon as a reliable
partner for progress,” says Eugene Mayne, Tristar Group CEO. “With this new warehouse and powder blending services, we are meeting market needs and the demand for modern and scalable logistics infrastructure. Going forward and with extensive learning from the powder blending operations, we will be able to attract more projects in powder and liquid blending. This will support both existing and new customers in the strategic growth of their focus markets.”
The new warehouse can store hazardous, flammable, reactive and corrosive substances in metallic and non-metallic containers, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), and flexible IBCs. The 1,095-m2 warehouse is designed and built to comply with local requirements and ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications.
“We continue to work very closely with most of the world’s leading agrochemical customers in pesticides, insecticides, fungicides and
herbicides,” Mayne adds. “With several years of expertise in offering superior quality products and delivering them by road tankers, drums, ISO tanks and IBCs, the storage of dangerous goods is a new, value-added service we are providing them.”
www.tristar-group.co
Trimac Transportation has acquired Transport Sylvain Lasalle, a leading Quebec-based provider of transport services for propane and butane distributors. The deal includes 28 tractors and 30 trailers. Owner Sylvain Lasalle, who founded the firm in 1993, will stay with the operation to help see the transition through.
“We are thrilled to announce our successful acquisition of Transport Sylvain Lasalle. This strategic move allows us to expand our reach in Eastern Canada, strengthen our service capabilities, and deliver unparalleled service to our customers,” says Matt Faure, president/
CEO of Trimac. “With this acquisition, we look forward to a bright future ahead.”
The acquisition of Lasalle follows quickly on from Trimac’s deal to buy AIP Logistics in April, both representing the continuation of Trimac’s five-year strategy to strengthen its position as a leader in bulk transport, tank washing and maintenance in North America. www.trimac.com
Milkyway Chemical Supply Chain Service has put a new low-carbon logistics facility for hazardous chemicals into use in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai. The Dingming site is well located for nearby ports and airports and can provide integrated supply chain services.
The Dingming site offers 28,000 m2 of warehousing space, including temperaturecontrolled areas, packaging, container loading and unloading, tank container cleaning and repair and other services.
Milkyway is planning to go a step further and develop Dingming as an intelligent, unmanned base by 1 October, using a yard management system developed in-house. This will also ease the flow of vehicles and people through the site, while also allowing it to become self-powered through the use of lowor unlighted areas and solar energy.
www.mwclg.com
Suttons Tankers has had its contract with Nippon Gases extended by a further three years from September 2023. The two companies have been working together for more than 20 years, distributing bulk carbon dioxide to major customers across the UK. As part of the contract extension, Suttons is to commit £3.5m to bring 23 new transport units into the contract, which will offer greater fuel efficiency and reduced downtime.
“Working with Suttons brings stability to our business, with reliable transport, ensuring deliveries are made on time and in full,” says Carl Woollins, managing director of Nippon Gases UK & Ireland. “Our business can’t fulfil
our clients’ requirements without an exceptional transport service.”
Suttons also reports “significant growth” in its bulk powder business, winning more than £10m in new contracts over the past 12 months. It gained a deal to transport polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from Alpek Polyester’s Wilton site for distribution across the UK and has renewed existing contracts with Ineos, for PVC, and Sabic. Suttons says the acquisition of a new site in Featherstone has been material in these wins, enabling it to offer a more efficient service. It has also invested some £4m in 13 new tractors and 27 new powder tanks and has appointed Stephen Cooper as commercial manager for the powders business.
www.suttonsgroup.com
Stolt Tank Containers (STC) has completed the installation of solar power panels at its depot in Mumbai, India, which will make it
fully self-sufficient in terms of electricity usage. SPS Mumbai is the first of STC’s depots to become electricity-neutral, benefitting as it does from a reliable 10 months of sunshine per year, and a similar installation at the Kandla depot in India is due for completion next year.
The system can generate 170 kWp, which is enough to power every piece of depot equipment; it is rare for everything to be running at the same time, so there will be excess power that can be fed into the grid, improving electricity supply to the local community. STC calculates that the switch to solar will reduce CO2 emissions by 46 per cent.
“We have committed to the goal of 50 per cent of the energy used in our depots originating from carbon-neutral renewable sources in 2030. The use of solar energy for the production of electrical and thermal energy is a crucial technology to meet our sustainable goals,” says Dennis Verduyn, global depots director at STC.
www.stolttankcontainers.com
LPG TANKERS • WITH PLENTY OF CARGO TO GO AROUND AND LENGTHENING TRANSPORT ROUTES, MOST PLAYERS IN THE GAS TANKER BUSINESS HAVE SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT THIS YEAR
THERE WAS QUITE a surge in global seaborne LPG trade during the first quarter of this year, according to data presented by BW LPG, the largest operator of very large gas carriers (VLGCs). North American exports were 18 per cent up on first quarter 2022 at 14.7m tonnes, with more than 90 per cent of the additional volume being loaded onto VLGCs. Exports from the Middle East were also well up, being 10 per cent higher year-on-year at 10.4m tonnes, with notably increases in liftings from Kuwait and Qatar. Exports from the Mediterranean were also up, rising from 1.7m tonnes to 2.0m tonnes.
Another major VLGC operator, Avance Gas, quoting figures from Clarkson, indicates that total seaborne trade in LPG amounted to 118m tonnes in 2022, up from 112m tonnes in
the previous year and continuing a decadelong trend of annual growth averaging some 7 per cent.
Dorian LPG observes that US exports have been taking an ever-larger share of the seaborne LPG market, reaching 44 per cent of the total volume last year compared to just 28 per cent only five years earlier; it is forecasting this figure to rise to 46 per cent in 2023. That market share growth has come at the expense of the Middle East, where annual volumes have been more consistent, linked as they are to crude oil production and, therefore, to any market controls applied by Opec, and also the North Sea, where output is in long-term decline. One salient feature of this shift is that, by and large, exports from the US Gulf have further to travel than those from the
Middle East, so even without the extra volume it would increase tonne-mile demand for carrying capacity.
All players anticipate that future growth in LPG trade will continue to be driven by US exports; Dorian LPG notes that US fractionation capacity increased by 1.4m b/d between 2020 and 2022 and another 500,000 b/d is due onstream this year, with Targa Resources, Energy Transfer and ONEOK all planning to add to capacity. This is prompting further investment in export terminals, with Energy Transfer, Targa Resources and Enterprise Products all planning to increase capacity over the coming two years. In the near term, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) is forecasting US LPG exports to grow by as much as 12 per cent this year alone.
These volumes need to go somewhere and, fortunately, there are plenty of willing buyers. Most of the additional North American exports headed for the Far East, despite the increasing delays being experienced in passing through the Panama Canal, while
incremental Middle Eastern exports were mainly absorbed by strong demand from India.
China’s LPG imports rose by 13 per cent from 5.3m tonnes in first quarter 2022 to 6.0m tonnes, following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, and Indian LPG imports shot up by 27 per cent to 5.1m tonnes, though this was just below the volume imported in fourth quarter 2022, according to BW LPG.
Dorian LPG notes that there is much more to come from China, with 11 new propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plants due onstream this year and a further 23 in 2024 and 2025. It estimates that the incremental demand for propane generated by these plants will create a need for 94 additional VLGCs. Furthermore, the company says, many new olefin plants being built are equipped with terminals capable of handling VLGCs.
Are there enough ships around to meet this level of demand? It looks unlikely, despite the heavy orderbook that, as of the second quarter this year, stood at some 21 per cent of the current fleet of fully refrigerated VLGCs. According to figures quoted by Navigator Gas, there are just over 350 such ships in the water (of 60,000 m3 capacity or more), with 74 currently on order. On the other hand, 16 per cent of the VLGC fleet is 20 years old or more and there are 31 ships now over 25 years old. While VLGCs have traditionally been looked after well and generally handle products that are not particularly aggressive to their cargo tanks, at least some of those are likely to be retired before their sixth special survey comes along – though with freight rates at currently elevated levels, it is possible that some owners will consider it money well spent if they can keep those ships trading to 30 years of age.
Furthermore, while there is a large number of newbuildings due to enter the fleet this year and next, shipyards – at least those capable of building VLGCs – are now booked up through 2025 and it is unlikely that any new orders will be placed for delivery before 2026. According to BW LPG, 23 VLGC newbuildings were delivered in the first half of this year, with 22 due in the second half and another 14 in 2024.
The VLGC picture is also complicated by the emergence of a new breed of very large gas carriers dedicated to the carriage of ethane,
which liquefies at a much lower temperature than propane or butane: -89°C rather than -42°C for propane and -2°C for butane. Much work has gone into the development of very large ethane carriers (VLECs) to bring cost-advantaged ethane from the US, first to Europe (in medium-sized carriers) and then to India (from 2016) and China (beginning in 2019). They tend to use a cargo containment system modified from existing LNG designs, in order to keep the cargo at the required cryogenic temperature, and have been steadily increasing in size, with Jiangnan Shipbuilding in China having built four units of 99,000-m3 capacity, much larger than even the latest VLGC newbuildings, which currently peak at some 91,000 m3
The other area of the LPG tanker market that is currently attracting a lot of interest is the
medium (25,000 to 40,000 m3) and Handysize (15,000 to 25,000 m3) gas carrier sectors, comprising smaller fully refrigerated as well as semi-refrigerated designs. The attraction of these ships is that they are the workhorse of ammonia transport and this trade is set to grow massively as ammonia is being widely touted as a comparatively straightforward way of moving green hydrogen around the world – ammonia being much easier to handle than hydrogen. Tonne-mile demand for ammonia transport has also increased sharply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has cut off a traditional supply route into Europe and called on longer-haul imports from Asia. In addition, an increasing number of ships in these size bands are capable of handling ethane and ethylene, with rising exports from North America to both Asia and Europe.
According to Navigator Gas, which is the leading provider of Handysize gas ships, the
segment currently comprises 25 fully refrigerated, 59 semi-refrigerated and 38 ethylene-capable vessels, a total of 122 ships in the water (of which Navigator controls 43). There are only three Handysize ships on order, while 25 are already over 20 years of age.
There has been more newbuilding interest in the medium gas carrier (MGC) sector, which currently comprises just over 130 ships, with 27 now on order, according to Navigator Gas. Exmar, whose LPG fleet is largely in the MGC sector, calculates an orderbook of 37 vessels, equivalent to 27 per cent of the existing fleet, though it uses a slightly different definition of the segment.
However, the inevitability of the need for the new ships in light of the energy transition that sees ammonia, hydrogen, propane, ethane and, to a lesser extent, LPG itself as offering a route towards a lower-carbon world has meant that shipyards have been able to command high prices and are, in the near term at least, fully booked.
Another important aspect of the current market is that several owners have opted for dual-fuel engines capable of running on LPG, which makes a lot of sense, or even being ready to burn ammonia when the technology is mature. Some, notably BW LPG, have gone as far as to take existing vessels out of service to retrofit dual-fuel engines, a move that, temporarily at least, reduced vessel supply. BW LPG now operates 45 VLGCs, of which 19
are wholly owned. Among these, 16 have now been fitted with dual-fuel propulsion technology and two have had exhaust gas scrubbers fitted.
Exmar notes that investment in new fully pressurised tonnage is lagging behind that in other segments, something that is confirmed by BW Epic Kosan (BWEK). Quoting data from Clarkson, it says that the orderbook for fully pressurised ships (between 3,000 and 15,000 m3) stood in May at 4.9 per cent of the current fleet of 354 vessels, while the small semirefrigerated sector (under 13,000 m3) had just three ships on order compared to an active fleet of 191 ships.
Indeed, BWEK says, there has been very little fleet growth in the small gas carrier sectors since 2015, resulting not least from a significant volume of scrapping activity that peaked in 2018. There are still 27 small gas carriers over 30 years of age, so this process has clearly not yet finished and, with annualised scrapping averaging 1.9 per cent of the fleet over the past five years, current newbuilding activity peaking this year at 1.7 per cent of the fleet will not be sufficient to cope with any added demand.
And it looks very much like there will be growing demand for small gas carriers; rising export volumes from the US, for instance, may fundamentally impact VLGC demand but also
offer additional employment for smaller ships. BWEK says US LPG exports on small gas carriers were 22 per cent higher in 2022 than in 2021; most of the cargoes are traded within the Americas but there is a surprisingly large volume of LPG shipped across the Atlantic.
These market conditions have certainly worked to the benefit of the major owners. BW LPG, for instance, reported its best ever quarterly financial figures for the first quarter, with timecharter equivalent (TCE) income up 53 per cent year-on-year to $200.3m and consolidated after-tax profits more than double last year at $130.7m. VLGC freight rates on a TCE basis hit their highest level ever, at an average of $58,700 per calendar day.
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, BW LPG says the market looks strong but volatile, with plenty of newbuildings due to be delivered. On the upside, solid US and steady Middle East LPG export volumes provide a floor to the market, which is benefitting from rising demand from PDH plants in China and continued shipping inefficiencies, especially around the Panama Canal.
Dorian LPG reported revenues of $389.7m for its financial year to end March 2023, up 42 per cent on the prior year, on the back of stronger freight rates and improved vessel utilisation. Average timecharter equivalent rates were $50,462/day for the latest year,
compared to $34,669/day in the previous year. Net income increased from $71.9m in the year to March 2022 to $172.4m.
“The fourth quarter marked the culmination of the best financial year in the company’s history,” says John Hadjipateras, chairman, president and CEO. “Our commitment to sensible and environmentally sustainable investment is evidenced by the addition of three dual-fuel VLGCs so far with a fourth coming later this year. I am grateful for the dedication of our crews and shoreside teams who are driving our continuing success and advancement as a leading provider of safe, reliable, clean and trouble-free transportation and as responsible stewards of our shareholders’ capital.”
Avance Gas also reported its best firstquarter results ever, as timecharter equivalent rates surged by 25.6 per cent over the previous quarter to $58,379/day, well ahead of the expected level. Net profit rose from $34.7m in the fourth quarter 2022 to $36.3m.
During the quarter, Avance took delivery of Avance Rigel, the third of six 91,000-m3 VLGCs
being built by Daewoo SME; the fourth in the series, Avance Avior, was handed over from the renamed Hanwha Ocean Shipyard in the second quarter.
“Just like in 2015, the spot markets for freight have been very strong this year and much firmer than most industry experts expected as there were concerns about the numerous VLGCs scheduled for delivery this year,” notes CEO Øystein M Kalleklev. “We have however seen significant slippage of newbuilds, a large portion of the VLGCs carrying out special survey this year and this coupled with elevated arbitrage in the price of LPG from US to Far East has resulted in high willingness to pay for freight which we have been able to capitalise on as evident from our results.”
Avance Gas now also has agreed the sale of its oldest VLGC, Iris Glory, for $60m. Delivery will take place later this year on the expiry of its current timecharter. Avance expects a book gain of some $22m on the sale, which is part of the company’s fleet renewal plan. Avance sold three 2008/9 VLGCs last year and will be looking to sell its last remaining ship of
similar age, Venus Glory, once it comes off timecharter at the end of the year.
Navigator Holdings reported operating revenue of $136.0m for the first quarter of 2023, up from $119.8m a year ago, with net income dropping from $27.0m to $18.8m. Charter rates for the Handysize LPG vessel segment continued an upward trajectory through the first quarter of 2023, the company says, with traditional ammonia trade flows continuing to be disrupted by the war in Ukraine, where the port of Yuzhnyy, historically responsible for the export of some 10 per cent of global seaborne ammonia volumes, remained out of action. European importers have sourced product from further afield, increasing tonne-mile demand, although Navigator notes that demand has dropped over the past month as natural gas prices have normalised.
Nonetheless, the elevated level of ammonia ship demand in the handysize segment has remained.
Powered Ships (NoGAPS) ammonia-fuelled gas carrier (left), put together in partnership with BW Epic Kosan, Yara, MAN Energy Solutions, Wärtsilä, Global Maritime Forum and Breeze Ship Design, which was presented with Approval in Principle (AiP) at the DNV stand at the show.
The various partners in the NoGAPS project are aiming to harness the potential of ammonia and overcome the technical challenges of the fuel, with the aim of having an ammonia-powered ammonia carrier in operation in the region. In the first phase of the NoGAPS project the partners developed a proof of concept on overcoming the barriers to adoption of the fuel, with a focus on safety and efficiency, the fuel supply chain, and overall commercial viability. The second phase, which is still ongoing, began with the development of a vessel design, with the goal of having a vessel in operation. The long-term aim is to develop an infrastructure, operational and business ecosystem for ammonia-powered shipping.
• OWNERS, NAVAL ARCHITECTS, SHIPYARDS AND CLASS SOCIETIES HAVE PLENTY OF OPTIONS FOR MANAGING THE CHANGES THAT WILL COME WITH THE ENERGY TRANSITION
ON THE FACE of things, the energy transition looks likely to be good news for the gas ship business. Ammonia, an important cargo for the midsize LPG sector, is being widely touted as the most efficient way of moving clean molecules in bulk, while LPG and LNG are also seen as stepping stone products on the road towards decarbonisation.
But it is not quite that simple. Already a number of new cargoes have emerged –particularly ethane but also carbon dioxide (for carbon capture and sequestration or use) – and others are now being moved in much larger parcels than they used to be. The current fleet is therefore not necessarily the right fleet to take the world forward towards the goal of net zero.
This year’s Nor-Shipping exhibition in Oslo, which took place in early June, offered the opportunity for those with bright ideas to put
them on display and, often in collaboration with their chosen classification society, to make announcements. This was an appropriate venue, not least since Norway has long been an important pioneer in gas shipping in many forms, but also as the Nordic countries in general but Norway in particular have been leading the way in the application of alternative energies and renewable fuels. Furthermore, after the pandemic years, this year’s Nor-Shipping attracted a huge crowd.
As a focal point for decarbonisation in the maritime sector, the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping has attracted a wide range of expertise keen to collaborate to develop new concepts. During Nor-Shipping it revealed the Nordic Green Ammonia
“As shipping steps up to tackle the decarbonisation challenge, regional initiatives that pioneer and demonstrate the potential of new fuels and technologies can help lead the way to wider adoption while building local expertise and opportunities,” said Tuva Flagstad-Andersen, regional manager, North Europe at DNV. “Ammonia is a promising alternative fuel option – one that we have been working to enable for several years now, including developing the Gas Fuelled Ammonia notation. We are very proud to be part of NoGAPS, collaborating with an extremely strong group of stakeholders who have the experience, expertise and cooperative spirit to deliver on this innovative concept.”
“When the Global Maritime Forum brought together the NoGAPS consortium in 2020, we really believed that this could be one of the first oceangoing vessels to prove the concept of shipping powered by clean ammonia,” said Jesse Fahnestock, project director, decarbonisation and Head of Analysis at the Forum. “We are so pleased to have so many of the initial partners, including DNV, still involved as we reach this crucial milestone.”
In order to issue the AiP, DNV reviewed the vessel design for compliance with its own rules for gas carriers as well as the
International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code). The AiP confirms that the design is feasible and that no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept being realised.
Over at the ABS stand at Nor-Shipping, a similar award was being made, this time to Provaris for its compressed hydrogen storage barge concept. While many others working in the development of this new chain are favouring the option of using ammonia or a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) as a way of transporting hydrogen, Provaris is focusing on compressed hydrogen, which avoids the need to seek cryogenic storage and handling solutions.
Provaris has already come up with a potential compressed hydrogen carrier, dubbed H2Neo, for which ABS has also awarded an AIP; to establish a viable supply chain, there is a need for terminal capacity and the quickest way to do that will be to develop suitable and compatible floating units. The solution, H2Leo, has a design capacity range of 300 to 600 tonnes of hydrogen, that can be extended up to 2,000 tonnes. The unit is designed for various hydrogen supply chains and applications, including bunkering for the maritime sector, intermittent/buffer storage for green hydrogen production, and longduration storage for excess renewable energy.
“Safe and efficient storage and transportation of hydrogen at sea will be critical to the development and viability of the global hydrogen value chain,” says Christopher J Wiernicki, chairman, president and CEO of ABS. “We have been working closely with Provaris, initially granting AIP in 2021 and subsequently reviewing their comprehensive FEED level package for the
H2Neo. We are proud to continue to support this important work which has the potential to make a significant contribution to the global clean energy transition.”
H2Leo will have two cargo tanks with independent isolation, safety valves and manifolds for compressed hydrogen transfer. ABS has conducted risk and safety workshops to assess and mitigate hydrogen handling risks and will work with Provaris toward final design approval. Further development of the two concepts will run in parallel, with the target of achieving prototype testing and final Class approval later this year and starting construction of the first units in 2025.
Elsewhere in the industry, established operators are looking at how they are to prosper in the new trading environment. VLGC specialist Avance Gas, for example, has recently announced a contract for two 40,000-m3 newbuildings in order to allow it to take advantage of the expected increase in demand for ammonia transport. The new
ships are due out of CIMC in late 2025 and early 2026.
“We are thrilled to announce that we are broadening our product offering in Avance Gas with two high spec mid-sized LPG/ammonia carriers. These ships will be fitted with dual-fuel LPG engines as well as shaft generators making them highly versatile and future proof in terms of emissions,” says CEO Øystein M Kalleklev.
“These ships are not only perfect for the LPG trade but also ammonia trade as parcel sizes for ammonia cargoes tend to be in this size lot. Given the high expected growth of the ammonia trade, this makes the ships a very attractive addition to our fleet where we already have two VLGCs ready for burning ammonia and two VLGCs for delivery next year which can both carry and burn ammonia. Given the substantial cash balance in Avance Gas of $220m at end of first quarter and the strong bookings for second and third quarter, we have the capacity to fully finance these ships without adversely impacting our strong dividend capacity.”
AMMONIA • COMPANIES IN SPAIN AND THE NETHERLANDS ARE WORKING HARD TO GET A CLEAN ENERGY SUPPLY CHAIN UP AND RUNNING, BASED ON RELIABLE SOLAR POWER IN ANDALUSIA
YARA CLEAN AMMONIA (YCA) and Cepsa have set up a strategic partnership to develop a maritime corridor for the supply of clean hydrogen from Spain and northern Europe. The partnership envisages YCA carrying clean ammonia volumes from Algeciras to industrial and maritime customers in Rotterdam and its hinterland.
“Yara Clean Ammonia and Cepsa have forged a pioneering partnership to establish a credible and robust supply chain for clean energy transformation in Europe,” says Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, president of YCA, the Oslo-headquartered ammonia shipping specialist. Parent Yara International has had a fertiliser production site at Sluiskil on the Ghent-Terneuzen canal since 1929.
As part of the alliance, YCA has become the newest partner of the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley; Cepsa, also taking part in the broader project, is to build a new green ammonia plant at its energy park in San Roque, Cádiz with an annual production capacity of 750,000 tonnes. The plant, costing some €1.1bn, will be Europe’s largest such facility once it comes onstream in 2027.
Cepsa says the alliance with YCA will help establish a safe, resilient and cost-efficient supply chain for delivering clean ammonia to Cepsa’s industrial and maritime customers in Rotterdam and Central Europe. The partnership also paves the way for Cepsa to deliver the first clean hydrogen molecules to its customers by using YCA’s global supply base and logistical footprint. Cepsa has also established a partnership with Gasunie, the Dutch gas company, which is involved in a number of projects to provide infrastructure for the import of green ammonia and its use to product clean hydrogen.
The importance that is attached to the development of the clean hydrogen corridor between southern and northern Europe can be gauged from the fact that the signing of the commercial partnership agreement between YCA and Cepsa was attended by King Felipe VI of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
“We must make progress in Europe to guarantee supply autonomy and achieve a
carbon-neutral energy system. It is an honour to have their Majesties the King of Spain and the King of the Netherlands supporting business initiatives that reinforce this goal,” commented Cepsa CEO Maarten Wetselaar during the signing ceremony. “All Europeans are in the same boat, and we must row together if we want to enjoy more accessible and cleaner energy to leave a better world for the next generations. Spain, and especially Andalusia, has a great opportunity to lead the energy transition, decarbonising industries and transport here, but also exporting sustainable energy to the rest of the continent.”
Other attendees from the private sector stressed that the war in Ukraine has increased the need to strengthen collaboration between European countries to increase the security of energy supply and independence of access, while accelerating the transition to clean and decarbonised energy. Ammonia has been identified as a useful pathway to decarbonisation, as it can be produced in a carbon-neutral way with renewable energy (solar in the case of Andalusia) and is far easier to transport and store than hydrogen – ammonia liquefies at -33°C whereas hydrogen needs to be cooled to -253°C. After being transported, ammonia can be easily cracked to release nitrogen and hydrogen, with the plan being to move hydrogen by pipeline from Rotterdam to users in Germany, Belgium, Denmark or the Netherlands.
www.cepsa.com
www.yara.com/yara-clean-ammonia/
NEWBUILDING • THE SEARCH FOR SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING CONTINUES, WITH BOREALIS TAKING DELIVERY OF A NEW VLGC
BOREALIS, THE AUSTRIA-BASED polyolefin producer co-owned by ÖMV (75 per cent) and ADNOC, has taken delivery of the 91,000-m3 very large gas carrier (VLGC) newbuilding Oceanus Aurora under long-term charter from Iino Kaiun Kaisha. The new ship will be used to carry feedstocks – mainly propane and butane – from cost-advantaged supply sources in North America to Borealis’ crackers and propane dehydrogenation units in Europe.
Built by Daewoo SME, Oceanus Aurora has a dual-fuel engine that can run on LPG or low-sulphur fuels, and a shaft generator
motor system that generates electrical power. Not only does this arrangement reduce fuel consumption, it also makes meaningful reductions in the emission of CO2, NOx, SOx and particulates.
In a more radical move, Oceanus Aurora has also been designed to be fitted with two Norsepower Rotorsails, a modern adaption of the Flettner rotating cylinders, which are scheduled to be installed in the first half of 2024. By using modest amounts of electricity to set a deck cylinder in motion, these spinning cylinders, along with the wind, create a Magnus effect to generate thrust. By
augmenting the main propulsion system, the sails thus reduce total fuel consumption, emissions and operating costs.
“At IINO Lines, we use our six decades of experience and know-how in transporting LPG to make shipping more environmentally sustainable,” says Ryuichi Osonoe, IINO Lines’ senior managing executive officer for gas carrier management. “We are pleased to have found in Borealis a partner who shares our belief in the power of innovation to reduce environmental impact. This long-term charter is an auspicious start to what we trust will be a long and mutually beneficial partnership.”
IINO Lines began its activities in gas shipping with a coastal service in Japan using pressurised ships in 1960; it now operates seven VLGCs, 24 small gas carriers, one LNG carrier and more than 60 other vessels.
The new ship supplements transatlantic LPG supplies carried on the 35,000-m3 medium gas carrier Navigator Aurora, which has been transporting ethane from Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania to the Borealis plant in Stenungsund, Sweden since 2016. Like Oceanus Aurora, the Navigator Gas-owned ship is also fitted with a dual-fuel engine. At the time of its delivery, Navigator Aurora was the largest ethane-capable vessel afloat. Oceanus Aurora will also supply the Stenungsund plant, as well as production facilities in Kallo, Belgium and Porvoo, Finland.
“It is essential to capitalise on every opportunity to become even more independent and flexible when it comes to transporting cost-competitive feedstock from overseas to our base chemicals operations in Europe,” says Thomas Van De Velde, Borealis’ senior vice-president, Hydrocarbons & Energy. “As the second long-term charter for Borealis, the Oceanus Aurora is not only giving us the competitive flexibility, but is also helping us reduce the environmental impact of our own transportation operations in accordance with our strategic energy and climate ambitions. This is how we continue to re-invent essentials for more sustainable living.”
www.borealisgroup.com
www.iino.co.jp
THAT IS DUE TO BE FITTED WITH ROTOR SAILS NEXT YEAR
INLAND SHIPPING • AFTER THREE YEARS OF WORK, STOLT TANKER’S LATEST INLAND TANK BARGE HAS GONE INTO SERVICE FOR BASF, READY TO OPERATE IN EVEN THE LOWEST WATER CONDITIONS
BASF AND STOLT Tankers have christened and put into service a new low-water tanker barge, Stolt Ludwigshafen, which will provide year-round transport for BASF products from its flagship Ludwigshafen plant in Germany, making a crucial contribution to securing the supply of materials and the site’s competitiveness.
“Following the extreme low water levels on the Rhine in 2018, we initiated an extensive program to improve climate resilience at Ludwigshafen site. With today’s christening of the Stolt Ludwigshafen, we are concluding the implementation of this diverse package. Now
BASF takes advantage of the most powerful low water vessel on the Rhine, ensuring the supply to our customers and production plants,” Uwe Liebelt, president of European Verbund Sites at BASF SE, said at the christening ceremony on 26 May, where Barbara Hoyer, vice-president of BASF and the ship’s godmother, launched the new ship with the traditional champagne.
“The fact that we can inaugurate this brand-new vessel together with our partner Stolt Tankers is a proud moment for all of us,” Liebelt continued. “Today, we celebrate the fruitful partnership of both our companies and
the innovation power of the consortium of barge experts which we founded four years ago. For me, this vessel is an excellent example for securing Europe as competitive industry location by technology lead.”
The new tanker is the result of a partnership between BASF, Stolt Tankers, Mercurius Shipping, the Duisburger Entwicklungszentrum für Schiffstechnik und Transportsysteme, Technolog Services and Agnos Consulting. Its innovative design and lightweight construction allow it to carry high payloads even during extreme low water on the Rhine. The hull was manufactured by Mercurius in Yangzhou, China before being transported to Rotterdam for completion; following successful trials it was put into service at the end of April.
Stolt Ludwigshafen is considerably larger than conventional Rhine tankers, with a length of 135 metres and a beam of 17.5 metres. It also has a hydrodynamically optimized hull and is powered by three electric motors fed by highly efficient Stage V diesel generators with exhaust gas treatment, reducing CO2 emissions by some 30 per cent. These generators can be modified in the future to use methanol or replaced with hydrogen fuel cells, once these technologies are mature.
The new vessel has a maximum carrying capacity of 5,100 tonnes and in moderately low water (such as 100 cm at Kaub) can carry around 2,300 tonnes, twice that of conventional tankers. Even at a gauge level of 30 cm (1.6 metres water depth) it can still carry 800 tonnes of product.
“This exciting project demonstrates Stolt Tankers’ commitment to developing new technologies and ship designs for a sustainable maritime industry,” said Lucas Vos, president of Stolt Tankers, at the ceremony. “I am proud of the team involved in bringing the vision for a tanker that can operate at the lowest water levels on the Rhine to life. We are looking forward to operating the Stolt Ludwigshafen exclusively for BASF and contributing to the security of its supply chain in the region.”
www.basf.com
www.stolt-nielsen.com
Ektank has signed a letter of intent to become a partner and shareholder in IceChem Tankers, which specialises in the management of chemical/product tankers in the Atlantic Basin, particularly in and out of the Great Lakes and in northern Europe, as well as the Caribbean and Mediterranean. “The combination of the Ektank fleet and the IceChem Tankers fleet is not only a perfect match in terms of the quality, size and features of the vessels, it is also a perfect match of philosophies and strategies in terms of how to provide the market with the highest quality of service and safest transportation of your oil and chemical cargoes in the future,” Ektank states.
IceChem already has an office in Copenhagen, to which some Ektank personnel will now transfer. Current contracts for Ektank vessels will be honoured until they expire, after which those ships will join the IceChem pool trades. One ship, the 2004-built 13,700-dwt Eken, will join immediately.
Ektank says it will cooperate closely in the development of the IceChem Tankers fleet, with plans being laid to bring new, highspecification newbuildings to the market.
www.ektank.se
www.icechem-tankers.com
Terntank secured the Next Generation Ship Award at the Nor-Shipping event in Norway in June (below). The award recognises Terntank’s development of its series of hybrid 15,000-dwt tankers currently under construction at CMHI Jinling Shipyard in China. “These breakthrough vessels are capable of running on e-methanol where available, feature advanced battery systems and will also boast a suction sail system that could reduce emissions by a further 8 per cent,” Nor-Shipping notes.
“The Nor-Shipping awards are always a focal point for those interested in identifying the projects, innovations and talents set to define the future of this industry,” comments Sidsel
Norvik, director of Nor-Shipping. “From what the judges tell us, this year’s competing fields were both large and very high quality, leaving our experts with some tough decisions, and very heated debates. I’d like to wish all three the warmest congratulations on their wins. It’ll be fascinating to see the impact they can have in the years to come.”
terntank.com
E&S Tankers, the Essberger/Stolt joint venture, has taken delivery of the first two in a four-option-four newbuilding order from China Merchants Jinling. The new vessels are 6,600-dwt stainless steel chemical tankers, equipped with dual-fuel LNG propulsion and meeting ice class standards.
The new ships, Liselotte Essberger and John T Essberger, represent the first step in the renewal of the E&S Tankers fleet since it was established in late 2020. E&S Tankers currently operates 44 chemical tankers, 43 of them stainless steel, ranging in capacity from 4,000 dwt to 11,340 dwt, and mostly ice class. es-tankers.com
Uni-Tankers has reported a record result for its 2022/23 financial year, reflecting what it calls its “effective turnaround strategy” together with favourable market conditions and a streamlined organisation. Revenues grew from $226.3m in 2021/22 to $356.0m and the net result turned from an after-tax loss of $5.1m to a profit of $61.0m.
“The impressive result of this year is a tribute to our entire organisation and their outstanding performance,” says Per Ekmann, CEO of Uni-Tankers. “Uni-Tankers has been on a tremendous journey these past years, growing our strategy, executing on strategic initiatives, and strengthening our organisation. This year, all
the foundational work and preparation has aligned perfectly with an upturn market, and we are proud to be on a steady course for the future.”
uni-tankers.com
Algoma Central has contracted with Hyundai Mipo for two 37,000-dwt ice class product tankers, designed to be ready to run on methanol and be equipped with shore power connections. On delivery in first quarter 2025 the two new ships will go under long-term charters to Irving Oil under Canadian flag, lifting product from Irving’s St John refinery in New Brunswick for delivery to ports along the Atlantic coast of Canada and the US.
“Strategically unlocking diversified marine shipping opportunities and new partnerships form fundamental pillars that continue to drive our growth and success,” says Gregg Ruhl, president/CEO of Algoma. “With this investment, we will augment our fleet with a new asset class, expand the markets served by our Product Tankers segment and add an important new Canadian customer to our business. These vessels have been designed to support Irving Oil’s unique operational requirements and with a view towards optimising the carbon requirements in these trades, now and into the future, possessing optionality for future methanol and shore power capabilities.”
www.algonet.com
Donsötank has ordered two dual-fuel 22,500-dwt product/chemical tankers from Wuhu Shipyard for 2025 delivery. The new ships will have engines capable of running on LNG/LBG as well as diesel, battery pack and shore power connection, waste heat recovery systems and coated tanks.
“As we navigate the path towards the future of shipping, our commitment to adapt our fleet remains resolute,” the company says. “It is not only about meeting regulations but also about actively contributing to the advancement of the industry and shaping the future of shipping. These new vessels exemplify our vision to
achieve the best possible outcome for our customers, with the least possible impact on the environment.”
donsotank.com
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has delivered the 86,700-m3 LPG/ammonia newbuilding Axis River to K Line. The new ship is the first of a revamped design that has extended the previous standard of 84,000 m3, and is also the eighth LPG-fuelled gas carrier to be built by the yard. The new ship is also designed for the simultaneous carriage of LPG and ammonia and could, in future, be modified to enable the use of ammonia as fuel.
www.kline.co.jp
Stolt Tankers has reported an operating profit of $184.0m for the six months to end May 2023, up from $65.8m a year ago, with a quarter-on-quarter rise of 11% to $96.8m on the back of rising deepsea freight rates.
“Stolt Tankers generated record results,
benefitting from higher contract freight rates as renewals concluded in prior quarters took effect,” notes Niels G Stolt-Nielsen, CEO of parent company Stolt-Nielsen Ltd. “The average rate increase on contracts of affreightment (COA) renewed by in the second quarter was almost 56 per cent on average but on a relatively modest volume. However, due to the overall macroeconomic environment and related volatility in the broader tanker markets, we are currently seeing spot rates under pressure and expect to see a small drop in our sailed-in revenue during the third and fourth quarters. Our long-term view remains positive on the back of a continued favourable supply outlook for the chemical tanker markets.”
Stolt-Nielsen Ltd has recorded revenues of $1.43bn for the first half of its financial year, up from $1.30bn last year, though operating profit fell from $203.7m to $111.9m after making a $155m provision following its failed appeal against its liability relating to the fatal explosion and fire aboard the containership MSC Flaminia in July 2012.
www.stolt-nielsen.com
insight into various aspects of member companies’ operations. It specifically highlighted how certain challenges continue to impact the chemical supply chain industry.
As part of the survey, which aims to provide a snapshot of short-term trends in the UK’s chemical supply chain, members were asked if their order books were better, worse, or the same as the previous three months. Just over half of respondents said that order books had remained the same, while nearly 30 per cent reported a drop.
Sales volumes had also decreased compared to the previous quarter, with 34 per cent of respondents stating that current sales were worse than the last quarter of 2022 and nearly 35 per cent expecting future sales to follow a similar trend. For two thirds of respondents, sales margins remained the same as the previous quarter, while a third expected future margins to decrease.
A positive trend, despite these challenges, was that 49 per cent of respondents indicated higher employment levels. This follows on from fourth quarter 2022, when 47 per cent reported the same, showing a consistently higher rate of expected employment across the chemical supply chain.
THE CHEMICAL SECTOR is the industry of industries. Not only is it one of the most important and diverse industries in the world, spanning all the way from chemical manufacturing to distribution and beyond, but more than 97 per cent of all manufactured products contain inputs from the sector. And, while the past few years have been challenging, the chemical industry is generally resilient. However, it is not immune to tensions, challenges and an uncertain economic environment.
The chemical industry powers the modern world as we know it, providing essential components, materials and technologies used as inputs in nearly all manufactured goods
around the world. The industry is also a major contributor to the UK’s economy. CBA has been the voice of the UK chemical supply chain industry for a century and currently represents more than 170 member companies. Its manufacturers, distributor, logistics and associate membership base alone employs over 10,000 people and contributes more than £4bn annually to the UK economy, with 2.25 million deliveries being made by our members each year.
As part of ongoing efforts to support its members, and to ensure it keeps its finger on the industry’s pulse, CBA conducts quarterly surveys on the state of the industry. This year’s first quarter survey revealed valuable
Additionally, fewer respondents reported logistics, import and export issues, particularly in terms of UK and EU road haulage, shipping costs, and the impact of the conflict in Ukraine. However, while the fourth quarter 2022 survey indicated that the business outlook was improving, despite macro-economic factors such as the conflict in Ukraine, the latest survey highlighted that the economic climate is a top concern, with industry feeling increasingly uncertain.
In the face of ongoing tensions, challenges, and an uncertain economic environment, CBA believes that it is critical for industry to be proactive and discover how to turn potential pitfalls into new prospects. As such, it is encouraging its members and wider industry to focus on elements to help build resilience and improve adaptability. These elements
include forging partnerships, focusing on sustainability, and attracting and retaining talent.
To help its members anticipate, react to, and adapt to a transforming business landscape, CBA has partnered with Cogent Skills, the skills lead for the science and technology sector, to provide its members with exclusive access to a practical range of skills services, including policy support, apprenticeship provision and careers outreach training. The Association itself also offers a comprehensive training programme across a range of regulatory and compliance matters, as well as Online Clinics and Best Practice Workshops on a wide variety of subjects.
In terms of attracting and developing talent, in 2022 CBA established a Future Council, comprising young people with a diverse variety of skills and roles from its member companies. In addition to promoting the chemical supply chain, encouraging future industry talent, and promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, the Future Council’s objective is to help young people enhance their understanding of the chemical industry beyond their own jobs and enable them to contribute meaningfully to industry policies.
CBA also joined forces with the Department for Transport and other membership organisations, including the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and Logistics UK, as official partners of Generation Logistics, an industry-led campaign aimed at bringing industry together, shifting perceptions, and encouraging the next generation to optimise opportunities in the logistics industry.
Furthermore, through its involvement with the Responsible Care (RC) programme, a
global, voluntary initiative which provides an ethical framework for the safe and sustainable use and handling of chemical products, CBA is encouraging its members to focus on sustainability. To this end, it also offers Carbon Literacy training to its members to help them make informed choices to reduce their carbon impact.
For the past 100 years CBA has been a proven and steadfast partner to chemical supply chain stakeholders. As the voice of the chemical supply chain, it continues to advocate and lobby at the highest levels to highlight industry’s importance while helping not only its members but also the broader sector address challenges and complexities efficiently, sustainably, and agilely.
Originally founded to deal with the shortage of dyestuffs following World War I and to promote the “cause of Free Trade” with countries such as India and Russia, there has obviously been a need throughout the 20th century for the Association to adapt to market, economic and technological changes. The past century has not been without its challenges. CBA has endured through various crises and conflicts, including World War II, the Cold War, several recessions, Brexit and, most recently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
While many of the founding aims remain relevant today, the Association’s remit has expanded and evolved in keeping with the times, with present day objectives including cooperating with government, partners and industry, providing legislative support, offering training and guidance to a widening membership, raising the profile of the chemical supply chain both nationally and
globally, and supporting and developing its members’ ability to trade within and beyond the country’s borders in an economically viable and sustainable environment.
Since its founding in 1923, CBA, like the wider chemical sector, has continued to evolve and adapt. Building on its already strong foundation, it looks forward to continuing to help its members remain resilient and adaptable amid economic uncertainty. www.chemical.org.uk
TIM DOGGETT
Tim Doggett is CEO of the Chemical Business Association (CBA) – the leading organisation representing the UK chemical supply chain and a multi award winning trade association. He has a wealth of experience in supply chain and logistics and has held senior leadership positions both in the UK and overseas for more than 30 years.
Now leading CBA, he has regular engagement throughout government and is an influential member of various key groups such as the Trade Advisory Group for the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Domestic Advisory Group for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and of the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) ‘Oversight Group’ working on UK REACH.
In addition to his UK activities, Tim works with international bodies such as the Group of 7 (G7) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on various matters such as security and regulation, as well with other international governments, national authorities, trade associations and organisations in activities such as promoting trade and cooperation.
Tim he is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and a Fellow of the ‘Society of Leadership Fellows’ at St George’s House, Windsor Castle. He is an Ambassador for Generation Logistics and holds a number of professional qualifications, including Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA).
“We are pleased with the regulatory approval progress for our transaction with Apollo and look forward to completing the transaction,” says Chris Pappas, chairman of the Univar Solutions Board of Directors. Assuming timely satisfaction of the necessary closing conditions, the transaction is expected to close around the middle of August.
While the takeover process continues, Univar has carried on with its long-term expansion plan, making some significant acquisitions. For instance, on 1 June it completed the planned acquisition of Turkey-based specialty chemical distributor Kale Kimya. The company offers best-in-class formulation laboratory capabilities and technical expertise as well as an extensive product portfolio of beauty and personal care products, and home and industrial cleaning products, including surfactants, actives, emulsifiers, preservatives, UV filters, fragrances, polymers, conditioners, esters and emollients.
“Our investment in Kale Kimya builds on our strong existing specialty presence in the Turkish region, and supports our plan to be a leading specialty chemical distributor in the broader EMEA region,” says David Jukes.
UNIVAR SOLUTIONS REPORTED downbeat first-quarter results, with consolidated net sales down 6.9 per cent year-on-year at $2.68bn and adjusted EBITDA down 32.5 per cent at $215.4m. Net income fell from $180.8m in first quarter 2022 to $83.1m. The company cites weakening demand and higher cost input inflation, partially offset by pricing discipline.
Despite the poor figures, president/CEO David Jukes remains upbeat, saying: “Over the past three years, we have successfully executed and delivered on our strategic plan, which has enabled us to successfully navigate the dynamic macroeconomic environment. We have continued to put the customer at the centre of all we do whilst solidifying our market leadership in North America. This gives us confidence in our ability to navigate
uncertain market conditions, while fulfilling our purpose and commitments to our people and communities. We remain focused on delivering our business strategy and leveraging our global strengths in Ingredients and Specialties.”
The proposed takeover of Univar Solutions by Apollo Global Management, announced in March, is proceeding and is expected to close in the second half, subject to customary closing conditions. Univar’s stockholders overwhelmingly backed the takeover plan in early June. Subsequently, Univar Solutions says it has received antitrust regulatory approvals from most major territories, including the US, EU, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and China. Univar and Apollo are awaiting antitrust approval in Turkey and foreign direct investment approvals from the US, France and Spain.
“We see tremendous growth opportunity for our people, customers and suppliers as part of Univar Solutions,” adds Birgen Kaleagası Özemre, CEO of Kale Kimya. “The Kale Kimya distribution team looks forward to working alongside the Univar Solutions team to unlock our full potential together, while our broader Kale Care chemicals will continue to focus on production.”
Univar has also strengthened its food ingredients portfolio, extending its distribution deal with ICL to include its Rovitaris textured plant proteins in North America, and signing a new deal with Camlin Fine Sciences for its aroma ingredients, also in the US and Canada. Elsewhere, Univar has inked a deal with WR Grace for the distribution of its Syloid® FP engineered hydrated silicon dioxide for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical markets in most of Europe. This builds on an existing relationship between the two companies in the US, Brazil and Mexico.
www.univarsolutions.com
RESULTS • AHEAD OF ITS PLANNED ACQUISITION BY INVESTMENT FUND APOLLO, UNIVAR SOLUTIONS HAS BEEN STRUGGLING WITH ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS HEADWINDS
Brenntag has reported first-quarter results very much in line with expectations. Group sales were virtually flat against last year at €4.53bn, with operating gross profit up just 0.7 per cent at €1.05bn. Operating EBITA was, though, down by 12.5 per cent year-on-year at €345.1m, with the loss concentrated in the Brenntag Specialties division.
“In a continued challenging macro-economic environment with ongoing geopolitical uncertainties and strong inflationary trends, we achieved first quarter results in line with our expectations and guidance,” says CEO Christian Kohlpaintner. “Sales and operating gross profit could be kept stable compared to the exceptional strong level of the prior-year quarter. Operating EBITA normalised according to our expectations and guidance.”
Since the end of the quarter, Brenntag has acquired Shanghai Saifu Chemical Development, a market leader in specialty chemicals distribution in China with strong expertise in the personal care sector. The acquisition fits Brenntag’s strategy as a leading consolidator in the industry and the goal of positioning Brenntag Specialties as the global go-to service partner for innovative and sustainable solutions.
Founded in 2005, Saifu distributes personal care ingredients, coatings, emulsion polymerisation and cleaning chemicals and provides related solution services. The company currently has over 100 employees and serves more than 1,000 customers in the Greater China region.
“We are taking great strides with the execution of our ‘Strategy to Win’ and growing in attractive markets, especially within the Life Sciences sector,” says Michael Friede, COO of Brenntag Specialties. “Joining forces with Saifu in China is a significant step, expanding our global Specialties footprint in the region and in
the Asian Personal Care market and strengthening our value-added services offering and innovation capabilities.” corporate.brenntag.com
2M Group of Companies has acquired Laboratorios Prady Normapiel, a Spanish manufacturer of perfumes and cosmetics for the personal care industry. Prady’s expertise and facilities complement those of Chemir, a Spanish distributor of personal care ingredients in Barcelona, which joined the 2M Group of Companies in December 2022.
The acquisition of Prady is part of the 2M Group’s ongoing growth strategy, which includes expanding its global reach and acquiring companies that complement its existing product portfolio. “We are thrilled to welcome Prady to the 2M Group family,” says Mottie Kessler OBE, chairman/CEO of 2M. “Prady has a strong reputation for innovation and quality and this acquisition strengthens the 2M Group’s position in the global personal care industry.”
www.2m-holdings.com
Bodo Möller Chemie has set out a course for growth under its ‘Fit for Future 2030’ plan. Following a successful year in 2022, with turnover up 37 per cent to €193m, double that of 2020, it now aims to triple turnover by 2030. The company is prioritising sustainability, digitisation and innovative future technologies, such as artificial intelligence, 5G communication, electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and renewable energies with a low carbon footprint, such as hydrogen.
“For Bodo Möller Chemie, these are the main pillars for sustainable, future growth,” states Frank Haug, chairman of the Bodo Möller Chemie Group executive management. “The consistent focus on future technologies in particular is firmly anchored in our corporate strategy. That’s why we are continuously investing in building on our technical expertise and developing our centres of excellence for adhesives in Poland, China, India and the US further.”
The company also plans to advance its global expansion significantly over the coming years bm-chemie.com
IMCD has continued on its acquisition path, having agreed to acquire Malaysia-based Euro Chemo-Pharma and its subsidiary Biofresh Green. Euro Chemo-Pharma was founded in 1975 and is active mainly in the food, pharma and personal care sectors; it is headquartered in Penang with offices and warehouses in Kuala Lumpur and Johor.
“Euro Chemo-Pharma’s strategic positioning is fully aligned with IMCD, providing us the complementary portfolio to accelerate growth in the Malaysian market,” says Andreas Igerl, president of IMCD APAC. “In addition, we aim to leverage the suppliers’ synergies we gain from them to develop further our life science business in the Asia Pacific markets.”
IMCD has also agreed to acquire Singaporebased Brylchem and its subsidiaries Chemipac and CMS Marketing Trading, the latter based in Vietnam. Brylchem Group was founded in 1992 and offers a wide range of products in the coatings, construction, advanced materials, agrochemical, home care and industrial cleaning, feed and veterinary, and lubricants industries for the Singapore and Vietnam markets. It has some 50 employees and last year generated revenues of some S$ 85m.
“Brylchem Group provides IMCD with an excellent gain in foothold, given their strong presence in the highly dynamic and vibrant Singaporean and Vietnamese markets,” says Daan Roebbers, regional director of expansion, strategy and digitalisation at IMCD APAC. “This is a momentous milestone with it being the first acquisition for Vietnam and a vital opportunity for our business expansion into new markets for both countries.”
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter.
Nouryon has expanded its channel partnership with IMCD for its lubricant and fuel solutions in the US and Europe. “The channel partnership with IMCD will enhance the industry’s ability to formulate lubricants and fuels that meet next-generation legislation and original equipment manufacturer requirements. The recent expansion of our partnership with IMCD allows us to better
support customers within automotive and industrial applications in the US and Europe,” says Joppe Smit, senior vice-president of natural resources at Nouryon.
Marco Madeddu, global business group director, IMCD Lubricants & Energy, adds: “Nouryon’s innovative line of surfactants and polymer solutions complements our comprehensive product portfolio of additives and synthetic base fluids. Our dedicated sales team and technical experts are well-poised to explore new solutions-based opportunities for both Nouryon and our valued customers.”
www.imcdgroup.com
Azelis has acquired Sirius International, a well-established distributor of specialty chemicals in the Benelux market. The acquisition complements Azelis’ existing lateral value chain in home care and industrial cleaning products and fits with its ambition to become a world-leading innovation service provider.
Sirius was founded in 2004 in Baarn, the Netherlands to distributed environmentally friendly chemicals for the detergent, personal care and water treatment markets in Europe. The current team and management will stay on and work from the same location.
Leo Verboeket, founder and CEO of Sirius, says: “We are excited to join Azelis’ family, a company that shares our values and
commitment to sustainability. We look forward to developing more innovative solutions for our customers and expanding the reach of our current offerings to customers worldwide. This partnership will allow us to leverage Azelis’ global network and expertise in sustainable chemistry, as we work together towards our shared goal of making a positive impact on the environment and society.”
www.azelis.com
Safic-Alcan has expanded its distribution agreement with Lubrizol to cover East Africa, specifically Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The move follows the establishment by Safic-Alcan of a new office in Nairobi this past April.
Safic-Alcan and Lubrizol have enjoyed a prosperous collaboration in the Gulf countries for several years. This new agreement marks an important milestone in the ongoing partnership, providing enhanced value and opportunities, Safic-Alcan states.
“By expanding our relationship with SaficAlcan, we are further strengthening a longstanding and successful alliance,” says Nicola Bianchi, senior sales manager in Lubrizol’s performance coatings unit. “We have full confidence in Safic-Alcan’s ability to effectively serve the East African region and believe they are the ideal partner for this venture.”
www.safic-alcan.com
Hydrogen Safety & Hazardous Areas Conference
AUGUST 10-11, PERTH
Conference on emerging technologies and equipment in hazardous areas
https://events.idc-online.com/upcomingconferences/hydrogen-safety-hazardous-areasconference
ChemEdge
AUGUST 16-18, THE WOODLANDS Conference for the North American chemical distribution sector www.nacd.com/education-meetings/ meetings/2023-chemedge/
PPC Fall Meeting
AUGUST 27-29, INDIANAPOLIS
Bi-annual meeting and tradeshow of the Petroleum Packaging Council www.ppcouncil.org/upcoming-meetings.php
AHMP National Conference
AUGUST 27-30, OMAHA
Annual meeting of the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals www.ahmpnet.org/events/EventDetails. aspx?id=1430442&group=
Pumps & Valves Asia
AUGUST 30-SEPT 1, BANGKOK
Exhibition for the ASEAN pumps, valves and fittings sector www.pumpsandvalves-asia.com
Gastech 2023
SEPTEMBER 5-8, SINGAPORE
International conference and trade show for the LNG and LPG industries www.gastechevent.com
Labelmaster DG Symposium
SEPTEMBER 6-8, CHICAGO
16th annual Dangerous Goods Symposium hosted by Labelmaster www.labelmaster.com/symposium
FECC Congress
SEPTEMBER 11-13, SITGES
Annual meeting of the European Association of Chemical Distributors
www.fecc-congress.com
Spillcon
SEPTEMBER 11-15, BRISBANE
Triennial Asia-Pacific oil spill prevention and preparedness conference www.spillcon.com/
CVSA Annual Conference
SEPTEMBER 17-21, GRAPEVINE, TX
Annual meeting of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
www.cvsa.org/events/cvsa-annual-conferenceand-exhibition/
Virginia Hazmat Conference
SEPTEMBER 18-22, NEWPORT NEWS
40th annual networking and training meeting sponsored by the Virginia Association of Hazardous Materials Response Specialists www.virginiahazmat.org/annual-hazmatconference/
Argus Sustainable Marine Fuels Conference
SEPTEMBER 20-22, HOUSTON
Forum to discuss the path to decarbonising marine fuels
www.argusmedia.com/en/conferences-eventslisting/sustainable-marine-fuels-conference
ECTA Responsible Care Workshop
SEPTEMBER 21, BRUSSELS/ONLINE
Update on Responsible Care implementation in European chemical transport https://ecta.com/product/ecta-rc-trainingworkshop-september-21st/
TSA Conference & Exhibition
SEPTEMBER 21, COVENTRY
21st annual meeting of the UK Tank Storage Association
www.tankstorage.org.uk/conference-exhibition/
Ouray Transportation & Response Symposium
SEPTEMBER 24-27, DENVER
First symposium to spread technical knowledge on hazmat response www.ourayservices.com/trs2023
EPCA Annual Meeting
SEPTEMBER 25-28, VIENNA
57th annual meeting of the European Petrochemical Association www.epca.eu
Maritime Decarbonisation Europe
SEPTEMBER 26-27, AMSTERDAM
Two-day event looking at strategies for reducing GHG emissions to 2050 www.rivieramm.com/events/maritimedecarbonisation-pathways-to-2030-europe
International Industrial Packaging Conference
SEPTEMBER 27-29, GHENT
Conference focusing on the role of packaging in the circular economy www.iipc2023.org
OCTOBER
SCHC Annual Meeting
SEPTEMBER 30-OCT 5, ARLINGTON, VA
Annual Meeting of the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication
www.schc.org/meetings
ADIPEC
OCTOBER 2-5, ABU DHABI
39th annual Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference
www.adipec.com
FIATA World Congress
OCTOBER 3-6, BRUSSELS
Annual congress of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations
https://fiata2023.com/
INMEX-SMM India
OCTOBER 4-6, MUMBAI
Biennial maritime exhibition for the south Asian shipping industry www.inmex-smm-india.com
6/5/23 Hillsborough county, road tanker gasoline Driver of tank truck was killed when car rear-ended the tank trailer, causing explosion, on US 41; tanker Fox News Florida, US hit utility pole; car driver seriously hurt
7/5/23 Ibafo, road tanker fuel Road tanker was involved in collision beneath pedestrian bridge on Lagos-Ibadan expressway; road was Premium Ogun, Nigeria closed while unspecified fuel cargo was transferred; traffic jams on both sides of expressway Times
8/5/23 Pune, road tanker chemicals Road tanker carrying unspecified chemicals crashed into other vehicles after tyre blew on Pune-Saswad road; Hindustan Maharashtra, India tanker then fell into gorge; at least two killed, four injured; rescue hampered by leaking “acid-like” chemical Times
12/5/23 East Legon, road tanker diesel Tank trailer overturned when truck driver swerved to avoid other vehicle on Tema-Accra motorway; some Ghanaian Accra, Ghana diesel spilled to road, rest of cargo was contained; locals arrived to collect spilling fuel Times
13/5/23 Barmer, road tanker diesel Road tanker with diesel from Gujarat to Pinapat collided head-on with truck on highway; both drivers were Times of Rajasthan, India killed in crash, which sparked fire; third man was badly injured India
16/5/23 nr Crawfordsville, road tanker fuel Tank truck with some 8,000 gal (30 m3) fuel overturned on I-74 in single-vehicle incident; some leak of fuel; Journal Indiana, US driver suffered minor injuries; road closed for response; not known what caused accident Review
17/5/23 nr Durango, road tanker magnesium
Double tanker carrying magnesium chloride, used as de-icer, overturned in Coal Bank Pass, spilling some Durango Colorado, US chloride product to soil, pond; no major waterway impact; responders from nearby Ouray site attended Herald
17/5/23 nr Findlay, road tanker sulfuric Driver lost control of tank truck on I-75, ran onto median and overturned; some spill of acid from tanker; WFIN Ohio, US acid driver seriously hurt in crash; traffic restricted while responders were on scene
19/5/23 Hawkins Point, vacuum truck nitric acid Vacuum truck leaked up to 75 gal nitric acid at WR Grace chemical plant; vehicle was in containment area Baltimore Maryland, US and no product escaped; leak came from faulty gasket; soda ash applied to neutralise spill; no injuries Sun
20/5/23 nr Limon, road tanker ethanol Tank truck with ethanol crashed on CO-71, rolled over and spilled entire load; road closed in both directions Denver Colorado, US for several hours; cause under investigation Post
21/5/23 Palghar, road tanker engine oil
Road tanker with 33 tonnes engine oil overturned on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, cause unknown; oil PTI Maharashtra, India leaked from tanker, running for 1 km along road; sand applied; road closed for two hours during response
23/5/23 Lyons, road tanker gasoline, Tank truck failed to negotiate curve, crashed into tree; hundreds of gallons of fuel spilled, caught fire; driver Mid-Valley Oregon, US diesel killed in crash; road closed for several hours; fire spread to nearby vegetation, abandoned homes Media
31/5/23 nr Lancaster, freight train naphtha, Some 25 cars of CPKC train derailed along Highway 59; 13 were hazmat cars with naphtha, decene, other Gd Forks Minnesota, US decene products; no leaks from derailed cars; highway had to be closed for days as derailed cars were removed Herald
31/5/23 Sparks, truck chemicals Fire crews were called to the TA Travel parking lot after apparent explosion in rental company truck; 2news. Nevada, US crews found several barrels of unidentified organic matter that had exploded after hot weather caused reaction com
Date Location Vessel Substance Details
6/5/23 Sunda Strait, KMP Royce 1 truck Fire broke out in truck on cargo deck of ferry shortly after leaving Merak for Sumatra; thick black smoke FleetMon Indonesia seen pouring from vessel, which appeared to have hundreds of passengers onboard; evacuation successful
8/5/23 Lower Mississippi barge petcoke Ingram’s hopper barge ING 7515 reported sunk in Lower Mississippi, releasing 1,700 tonnes petroleum coke NOAA River to water; concern over impact on wildlife
26/5/23 near Farmsum, Ursula bitumen
Fire broke out on inland tanker carrying bitumen at chemical park in Groningen province; vessel was nu.nl Netherlands Valentin unmoored from jetty, towed away from shore to minimise impact of thick smoke
30/5/23 Ulsan, Cape Town PTA
Fire broke out in cargo hold of bulker (63,700 dwt, 2015) with cargo of purified terephthalic acid at berth in FleetMon South Korea Eagle Ulsan port; large amount of water was applied to bring fire under control, which took several hours
2/6/23 Dordrecht, Silver Lady scrap
Fire broke out in cargo hold of bulker (24,380 dwt, 2013) during loading of scrap; fire spread to scrap piled FleetMon Netherlands on quay; fire was extinguished some hours later; loaded scrap was then unloaded
5/6/23 off Dubai, MSC Rita containers
Fire broke out on containership shortly after leaving Dubai for Abu Dhabi; smoke, firefighting efforts made it FleetMon UAE hard to determine exact location of fire; one crew suffered burns; ship remained anchored off Dubai
10/6/23 nr Natchez, barge oil
Kirby Inland Marine reported discharge of unspecified petroleum product from barge under tow of tugboat Maritime Mississippi, US Leviticus in Lower Mississippi; some 4,400 gal (16.7 m3) product lost, mostly to river; booms deployed Executive
6/5/23 Pervomaisky, warehouses gunpowder
Forest fire spread to warehouses, burning two; one was half-full with gunpowder; fire crews prevented blaze TASS Sverdlovsk, Russia from spreading to three other warehouses with TNT; no explosions heard; nearby village evacuated
9/5/23 Pakhtachi, LPG filling LPG
Fire, explosion during delivery of LPG to storage tanks at gas filling station; three cars, several gas cylinders kun.uz S’kand, Uzbekistan station were damaged; one person reported injured; violation of safety rules suspected
9/5/23 Graham, power plant lube oil
Small quantity of lubricating oil was spilled from Luminant power plant, reaching Lake Eddleman, which is Graham Texas, US city’s main water source; spill was boomed; not clear what caused spill Leader
10/5/23 Ahmedabad, shops fireworks “Massive” fire broke out in firecracker shops in industrial area, prompting evacuation of nearby residential PTI Gujarat, India areas; two firemen injured; fire spread to other godowns; not known if shops were properly licensed
15/5/23 Texas City, oil refinery naphtha
One worker killed after fire broke out in reformer unit at Marathon’s Galveston Bay refinery during routine Houston Texas, US maintenance; thought that seal failed; fire contained on site Chronicle
16/5/23 Egra, house fireworks
Five people killed, seven injured by “massive” explosion in illegal firecracker unit in residential building, Orissa W Bengal, India which collapsed after blast; police appealed for information about other potential illegal factories Post
16/5/23 Khanty-Mansiysk, pipeline natural gas
One killed, five injured when fire ripped through non-operational part of Yamal-Europe gas pipeline during TASS W Siberia, Russia maintenance work; location of fire was well away from nearest town
23/5/23 Wynnewood, oil refinery gasoline
Two workers were injured when fire broke out in gasoline hydrotreater at CVR Energy refinery; fire was AP Oklahoma, US contained on site, though nearby highway, rail line were closed as a precaution
24/5/23 Polotitlán, pipeline natural gas
Nine people were injured by explosion on private land of Pemex’s Santa Ana-Nuevo Palmillas pipeline; Reuters México, Mexico reports referred to illegal tapping at site; authorities set up temporary shelter for nearby residents
3/6/23 Lake Charles, oil refinery crude oil Lightning strike sparked fire in crude oil storage tank at Calcasieu Refining plant; evacuations, shelter-in-place NBC Louisiana, US ordered; no injuries reported
Fire crews, police and rescue services descended on a residential property in Bitburg, not far from the Germany border with Luxembourg, in early June. They had been called to deal with a burning hedge but, on arrival, found no sign of the supposed fire but, rather, heavy smoke and an acrid odour hanging in the air.
The homeowner was quick to confess to what had happened: she had recently applied a chemical agent to deal with voles in her garden; the material used reacts violently with water and, not having left it long enough, it reacted when she decided to water the hedge. Emergency services established a wide cordon around the hazard zone and called in the rapid response group and the regional hazmat team. They consulted the safety data sheet for the product, which said that anyone exposed to smoke should be treated by medical staff as a precaution; 14 firefighters, two police offices, the homeowner and two bystanders were packed off to hospital, though none was found to be in danger.
Altogether, around 65 people were involved in the response, which seems an awful lot of people. Maybe voles grow bigger in RheinlandPfalz than they do round our way, where they are quite a long way down the food chain.
We recall a few years ago coming across a senior hazmat regulator – who had best remain nameless – at a conference who looked a bit different, ruddy of face and short of eyebrows. He had, he confessed, made the schoolboy error of adding an accelerant to a recalcitrant barbecue. Normally, those foolish enough to do such a thing use liquid firelighter (normally
kerosene-based) or, at a push, gasoline. But, since Covid arrived, there are other accelerants to hand, as a college teacher in Japan found out the hard way in May.
The incident happened at the Hollywood World Beauty College in Yanagawa, Fukuoka prefecture; during an event on campus, a teacher applied hand sanitiser to pep up a barbecue, but succeeded only in making it flare up violently. Four first-year male students standing nearby were caught up in the flames, all suffering burns; they were rushed to hospital where one died of his injuries.
It emerged that, as the barbecue was being held in the heart of the midday sun, the college had decided to make sure the food was cooked quickly so that the potential for students to be affected by sunstroke would be minimised; the fire starters had already been soaked in alcohol-based sanitiser before being lit.
Another unlikely new hazard has emerged in Japan, where two people suffered burns when a reusable coffee cup exploded at a train station in Tokyo in early May. The aluminium coffee cup, with a tight fitting lid, belonged to a Chinese man who was on his way home from work. Before leaving his workplace, he had cleaned the coffee cup with an alkalinebased detergent. The Tokyo Fire Department said it is likely that this reacted with the aluminium of the cup, releasing hydrogen gas; as the cup was sealed with a lid, this led to over-pressurisation and, ultimately, the explosion.
This sort of thing has happened before, though we can only find reports of it happening in Japan. If readers have an idea as to why this might be, we would be interested to hear.
At Exolum we see the energy transition as an opportunity to expand our horizons. A chance to diversify our business and meet the challenges of climate change and our customers’ businesses. We have adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to touch every aspect of our business and made a commitment to minimising our impact on the environment by striving to use energy resources and raw materials e ciently.
