30 Years Ago

A LOOK BACK AT DECEMBER 1991

THE DECEMBER 1991 issue of HCB was something of a blockbuster, its 112 pages boosted in part by the inclusion of a Christmas quiz (that was not very difficult for anyone with a passing interest in the transport of dangerous goods).

But that alone did not account for the size of the issue: it was handsomely supported by advertisers, which must have given the publisher a welcome Christmas bonus, and there was also a lot to report on. One of the big talking points at the time was the impending arrival, in January 1993, of the single European market. This was a particular concern to the chemical industry in the UK and its logistics service partners, who perhaps still saw themselves standing apart from continental Europe and were alert to the ambition of the European Commission to fill what it perceived as some gaps in the transport of dangerous goods. These included better training, harmonised marking and labelling, controls on the movement of hazardous wastes, and controls over ships carrying dangerous goods calling in EU ports.

The December 1991 issue carried a lengthy report from the Transchem Europe symposium, held in that well known chemical hub, Scotch Corner – a spot in north-east England famed as being the junction of the A1(M) and A66 trunk roads, and little else. During that two-day event, the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) suggested that the UK was not aiming for total harmonisation with ADR but, rather, with the UN Model Regulations on which ADR is based. While some moves towards harmonisation with ADR were underway, there were areas where the UK felt it unnecessary to align completely, not least as far as the well established Hazchem marking system was concerned. That, of course, is still the case, along with a number of other important variations contained in the UK’s CDG Approved Derogations document.

The main reason for the immense size of the December 1991 issue could be found elsewhere in the magazine: a preview of the upcoming MariChem exhibition and conference in Köln. This once-mighty event had originally been established to provide a forum for those involved in the transport of chemicals in bulk by sea, that is to say the chemical tanker sector. But by 1991 it had also been co-opted as the main meeting for the burgeoning tank container business and so HCB’s preview feature ran through a lot of companies active in that sector: VTG Tanktainer, Consani, P&O Tankmasters, Bond International, Holvrieka Nirota, Nova Tankcontainer, Kube & Kubenz, Nippon Riku-un Sangyo, Haesaerts Containers, Marly Industries, G Magyar, Den Hartogh and many more involved in tank operation, leasing or manufacture.

There was also optimism that the new year would bring better trading conditions, not least for tank lessors. That view was supported by the recent entry into the sector of three big players: Stolt-Nielsen Leasing, Transamerica Leasing and Trifleet Leasing.

As was traditional in those days, the December number finished with the ‘Yule Log’ a wrap-up of some odd events that failed to make it to the Incident Log. That included the tale of a Soviet airliner that caught fire and crashed in Czechoslovakia with 15 tonnes of American cigarettes on board. Perhaps one of the crew gave into temptation, despite a ban on smoking in the aircraft.