HCB Magazine February 2022 by Enhesa Product

M O N T H LY

F E B R U A R Y

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FLOAT ON CHEMSHIP OPERATORS SEE AN UPTURN COMING SOON EXTENDING TANK CONTAINER LIFE LEARNING THE LESSONS OF BEIRUT RID/ADR PREPARE FOR 2023

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I N F O R M AT I O N

D A N G E R O U S

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P R O F E S S I O N A L

S I N C E

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UP FRONT 01

EDITOR’S LETTER

THAT INDUSTRY – and the world at large – is on a road to

Therefore, it is likely that renewable energy will need to be

decarbonisation is now surely beyond doubt. How it gets there

imported into Europe in similar volumes to the current trade

is still an open question but what looks likely to be of greater

in hydrocarbons. Indeed, the volume will likely be even greater,

concern is how much it is all going to cost.

given the lower energy density of hydrogen, ammonia or green

There are plenty of options being touted as alternatives to fuel

methanol, each of which is being touted as a viable alternative

industry, keep transport moving and help us all stay warm and

fuel. Shipping companies, shipyards, classification societies

cosy at home. There is no single solution – but then again, we

and naval architects around the world are currently beavering

currently use all manner of hydrocarbon-based fuels for those

away on concepts and designs for the necessary vessels to

purposes: coal (and lignite), oil and its various refined products

carry those products at scale, with some promising projects

(including LPGs), natural gas and, in less developed parts of the

already underway. Similarly, as we report on again this month,

world, wood.

other companies are looking at developing a logistics chain

Those products are traded globally and, as a result, there is a big maritime industry dedicated to their transport. In Europe, for

for the disposal of captured carbon dioxide. But those solutions are still some way off from being able

instance, where natural oil and gas resources are insufficient to

to deliver the fuels that Europe will need in the volumes that

meet regional demand (and getting ever more insufficient), many

will be necessary (leaving aside the question of whether the

hydrocarbons are imported in vast quantities to meet the needs of

electricity distribution network is up to the job of moving all

industry, commerce and people. Throughput figures for the Port of

those electrons around to consumers). In the meantime, we

Antwerp, quoted in this month’s HCB, show something of the size

are stuck with lower-carbon alternatives (mainly based on gas)

of the trade.

and financial mechanisms to promote energy efficiency.

If we are to move towards a dependence on non-hydrocarbon,

In its annual results for 2021, reported this month, Odfjell

renewable fuel sources, Europe will inevitably find itself in

contemplated the additional cost of meeting EU carbon

the same position: while there has been a lot of investment in

emissions reductions targets due to come into effect next

photovoltaic and wind power – and possibly in tidal power in the

year, specifically through Carbon Allowances, currently trading

future – and hydro-electric generation is well established in those

at around $90/tonne. That cost will have to be passed on to

fortunate locations that are suited (and we might also add nuclear

charterers and, ultimately, end users – and that means you

power, though that is currently rather unfashionable), those

and me. That might be considered a small price to pay to

renewable energy sources are also unable to meet the growing

save the plant, although it could well prove to be too little,

need for power, a need that is only going to get greater with the

too late.

move to electricity-based mobility.

Peter Mackay

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UP FRONT 03

CONTENTS VOLUME 43

•

NUMBER 02

UP FRONT Letter from the Editor

People power 01

Bertschi posts record results

30 Years Ago

Gaining traction

Learning by Training

Hupac takes more freight onto rail

REGULATIONS 26

Joint Meeting get its work done 28

Well on track TANKER SHIPPING

IMT links up with Hitachi Rail

Carbon intention

Better by design

Knutsen, NYK form CO2 JV

Plain sailing Stolt-Nielsen gets a fillip from tanks

Approaching the terminus RID 2023 nearly finished

30 BACK PAGE 31

Not otherwise specified

Quick off the mark 08

Temporary blip Odfjell sees upturn ahead

Fort Vale responds to customers

Close to the edit

Mouvex makes a lighter compressor

News bulletin – tanks and logistics

Bridge the gap

COURSES & CONFERENCES

TFG, d’Amico trial biofuel blend

News bulletin – tanker shipping

Conference diary

SAFETY PORTS & TERMINALS

Incident Log

Cargo centraal

Bumps and scrapes

Antwerp gets chemicals boost

TT Club examines tank claims

News bulletin – storage terminals

What’s in the box? Hapag-Lloyd adopts Hazcheck Detect

38 40 NEXT MONTH 41

What’s new in storage terminal equipment

TANKS & LOGISTICS

Lest we forget

New wine, old barrels

Learning the lessons of Beirut

Chemical distribution in North America

News bulletin – safety

Focus on intermodal transport

ITCO discussed life extension

Managing Editor Peter Mackay, dgsa Email: peter.mackay@chemicalwatch.com Tel: +44 (0) 7769 685 085 Advertising sales Sarah Smith Email: sarah.smith@chemicalwatch.com Tel: +44 (0) 203 603 2113 Publishing Manager Sarah Thompson Email: sarah.thompson@chemicalwatch.com Tel: +44 (0) 20 3603 2103

Publishing Assistant Francesca Cotton Senior Designer Harrison Tanner Chief Operating Officer Stuart Foxon Chief Commercial Officer Richard Butterworth

Dangerous goods by air

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HCB Monthly is published by CW Research Ltd. While the information and articles in HCB are published in good faith and every effort is made to check accuracy, readers should verify facts and statements directly with official sources before acting upon them, as the publisher can accept no responsibility in this respect. ©2022 CW Research Ltd. All rights reserved

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30 YEARS AGO A LOOK BACK AT FEBRUARY 1992

VERY OFTEN, this page points out how little has changed over the past three decades – computerisation apart. But looking back to February 1992, the opposite thought occurs: it led off, for example, with an introduction by then editor Mike Corkhill about the potential for LPG to become a widely used fuel in all manner of applications, offering a comparatively low environmental impact with relatively good energy intensity. HCB’s February 1992 issue also reported on the autumn 1991 session of the RID/ADR Joint Meeting (there being no ADN at the time), when the regulators were tasked with the challenge of updating the texts for Classes 2, 3, 6.1 and 8 in line with the UN classification criteria. One major problem was the lack of a UN entry for many substances and generic entries also needed amending to be brought into line with the UN’s ‘nos’ system. Aligning Class 2 was a major project – and one that, as we see elsewhere in this issue – is still troubling the regulators. Regulators in the UK were also still tasked with bringing domestic regulation closer into line with international provisions. Although the UK had long been a signatory to ADR, and all international journeys

rather slow development of the tank container market in Asia – a market that, even on simple geographic grounds, would seem an ideal area for intermodal transport to take hold. At that time, Japan remained the dominant economy but tank container use was hindered by the requirement for all tanks entering the country to undergo a fire inspection – something that took more than a decade more to sort out – and also by the lack of facilities for cleaning and repair, which is one issue that still hampers tank container operators across Asia as well as in developing economies around the world. The February 1992 issue also included a report from EPCA’s distribution meeting (later known as the logistics meeting and now consolidated into the annual meeting) held in Monte Carlo (those were the days!) in October 1991. The main theme of the event was the ongoing development of the International Chemical Environment (ICE) initiative, first introduced the year before. The main aim of ICE was to put in place a system by which the European chemical industry could verify the standards of its logistics partners. Clive Thompson of Arco Chemical said: “The chemical industry and its carriers are the same in the public’s eye,” which is no less true

that complied with ADR were exempted from the UK’s domestic provision, even in 1992 there was no domestic legislation to enable ADR to be enforced in its own right. It was going to take a lot of effort on the part of the Department of Transport before the various national regulations and legislation could be put into an arrangement that would allow seamless integration with international norms. Stolt-Nielsen’s Chris Trett provided an illuminating article on the

today. It was therefore seen as important that the logistics sector embrace the principles of Responsible Care and quality assurance to avoid accidents. If this did not succeed, Thompson warned, “the industry will face an avalanche of overly strict and counter-productive legislation”. That such legislation did in fact arrive despite the improvement in safety standards could not have been foreseen at the time.

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

UP FRONT 05

LEARNING BY TRAINING by Arend van Campen

THE DOMINO EFFECT

2022 HAS BEGUN. Somehow it did not feel like a carefree beginning, because lockdowns made business and visiting family difficult for many people. I posted on LinkedIn about a Domino Effect: when entrepreneurs can’t sell enough goods or services, they will earn less and that will affect their spending potential. This means when they can’t buy the goods or services made or offered by others any longer, those suppliers will also earn less, ad infinitum. How will this trend develop now high level officials like Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Hugo de Jonge and Justin Trudeau are openly expressing disgust about the unvaccinated as if they are causing the economic downturn? In an article in The Lancet the author Gunther Kampf expressed a warning that stigmatising the unvaccinated is not scientifically justifiable. What does this mean? What kind of trend can be detected when an obvious Apartheid policy is forced on societies even while there is no statistical foundation for it? This is a dangerous development that is destabilising society. Such policies will also destabilise business, transport, consumption and trade. For the reader of HCB this is an early warning system (EWS). And therefore I designed such an EWS for the marine terminal

A: Information is preserved and cannot be divorces nor erased from our physical reality. B: Information deficit (shortage) Entropy (disorder) ( per definition). Marine storage terminals and refineries (and all other businesses and organisations) that fail to effectively implement information process and internal control systems are likely to face an information deficit at some stage, resulting in degraded performance. Understanding how information deficits result in entropy or disorder is critical if you want to operate an effective and safe business. Doing business is dynamic and needs information feedback in real time to be steered and maximally controlled. This can’t be regulated because of the physics of uncertainty and the reality of living and working in a non-linear universe. I realise this may be mind-boggling, but the research can be found on our website www.sustenance4all.com. In fact this could be a next step for business performance optimisation. It is interconnected with sustainability to which the same laws apply: sustainability depends on the quality and quantity of information. Risk prevention depends on information firstly, backed up by regulations, not the other way around.

tank storage and distribution industry. It is based on the science of information theory and applicable to all we do. It is about collecting information as a central task, organised from a central desk. It measures potential information deficit (shortage) to predict vulnerability. What we suggest you to do is to assess the quantity and quality of information in your organisation to verify the potential level of exposure to risk by scientific method:

The awareness that information deficit leads to chaos or disorder can grow. Therefore we offer a one-day training course where you can learn more about the sciences behind this Early Warning System. 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.

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HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2018

TANKER SHIPPING 07

CARBON INTENTION CARBON SEQUESTRATION • THE MOVE TOWARDS A DECARBONISED WORLD POINTS TO THE NEED FOR SHIPS TO CARRY CARBON DIOXIDE. HOW IS THAT TO BE ACHIEVED? MUCH HAS BEEN written about the decarbonisation of shipping and it is clear that there are many paths on that journey. The same is true for the role that shipping may play in facilitating the energy transition and decarbonisation by doing what it does all the time: moving product in large quantities from places of cheap production to areas of consumption. Shipping also has the potential to assist in the development of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects, where carbon dioxide produced through industrial activity is captured at source and either diverted for

 KNCC SEES DEMAND IN THE FUTURE FOR LARGE, SPECIALISED CARRIERS TO HELP WITH CARBON SEQUESTRATION

downstream use in the chemical and other manufacturing industries, or moved for storage in underground caverns, such as depleted gas fields. But to do that, new concepts will have to be introduced into the maritime sector; while there are some small gas carriers that have already been used to move CO2 in modest quantities, industrial-scale CCUS will call for larger and more sophisticated ships. In order to investigate the issue, NYK and Knutsen have teamed up in a 50/50 joint venture, Knutsen NYK Carbon Carriers (KNCC), to further develop Knutsen’s PCO2® technology, which allows the transport of liquefied CO2 at ambient temperatures. As KNCC says, CCUS is a necessary concept in the realisation of a carbon-neutral society and liquefied CO2 carriers will play an essential

role in the chain by moving captured product for storage and/or utilisation. “The demand for liquefied CO2 carriers is expected to grow rapidly,” it says. BRING YOUR OWN Knutsen will bring to KNCC its expertise as the world’s leading operator of shuttle tankers, with longstanding experience in offshore loading and unloading. KNCC will also benefit from its partners’ extensive knowledge of ship operation and management as it seeks to realise its plans for small and medium-sized vessels and, eventually, large liquefied CO2 vessel operations. “We are pleased to have developed a solution that is key to reach the ambitious climate goals,” says Trygve Seglem, president/ owner of the Knutsen Group, who is also vice-chair of KNCC. “Combining the PCO2® technology with our first-class competence and experience within offshore operations enables us to offer a safe and regular marine transportation of liquefied CO2 to existing and new customers.” The PCO2 concept has been developed from a pressurised natural gas (PNG) technology developed by Knutsen more than 20 years ago, which has not been commercially deployed. Transporting liquefied gas at ambient temperatures is a flexible and cost-effective solution, KNCC says, as it reduces the need for compression and heating that are otherwise needed in the offshore discharge of cryogenic and low-temperature cargoes. It is also easily scalable, allowing the development of larger vessels. KNCC has been established with its headquarters in Haugesund, Norway, home of Knutsen. Svein Steimler, president/CEO of NYK Group Europe, has been named chair of the board of directors. “Establishing KNCC enables NYK to offer marine transportation of liquefied CO2, which is an important milestone for reaching the targets set out in the Paris Agreement, and in line with NYK’s strategy and green business plan,” Steimler says. Anders Lepsøe, a long-term executive with a broad business background in the oil and gas, shipping and finance sectors, has been appointed CEO. www.kn-cc.com

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PLAIN SAILING RESULTS • STOLT-NIELSEN’S BUSINESS MODEL HAS REMAINED EFFECTIVE IN SEEING IT THROUGH A TURBULENT YEAR, THOUGH THERE ARE SOME MAJOR CHANGES AND CHALLENGES AHEAD STOLT-NIELSEN ENJOYED a healthy 2021, with its range of operating divisions providing a good bulwark against sectoral weakness. Group revenues were up 11.6 per cent compared to 2020 at $2.18bn, with operating profit rising by 23 per cent to $233.7m and net profit shooting up from $25.4m to $78.8m. Much of that improvement was delivered by Stolt Tank Containers, although Stolt Sea Farm also contributed to growth. “The strong performance and market conditions that we saw in the third quarter at both Stolt Tank Containers and Stolt Sea Farm

 STOLT-NIELSEN’S BREADTH OF INTERESTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CHEMICAL SUPPLY CHAINS HAVE ALLOWED IT TO PROSPER DESPITE WEAKNESS IN THE CHEMICAL TANKER SECTOR AND FLAT EARNINGS FROM ITS TANK STORAGE BUSINESS

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

continued through the fourth quarter,” says CEO Niels G Stolt-Nielsen. “At Stolt Tankers lower volumes and higher voyage expenses reduced our trading margins. The underlying steady operating performance and long-term build-up in value at Stolthaven Terminals was overshadowed by the impairment of the Newcastle terminal in Australia. For terminals overall there was further improvement in utilisation, although lower throughput volumes reflected modest dockside activity. Stolt Tank Containers’ markets strengthened, with rising freight rates and higher demurrage revenue compensating for the rising costs.” Results from Stolt Tankers were indeed weak, with the market for deepsea shipping dropping further as the year ended. Fourthquarter revenues of $307.8m were down on the previous quarter as contract of affreightment (COA) volumes fell by 6.6 per cent and could not be fully compensated for by spot market

activity, where rates were off from the third quarter by 1.4 per cent. Freight revenue from the regional fleets did improve slightly. Stolt Tankers’ fourth-quarter operating profit of $19.2m was down by 20 per cent against the prior quarter and compared badly to the $31.9m posted for the same period in 2020. This reflected the decline in deepsea revenue, higher timecharter hire expenses relating to the addition of pool ships in the third quarter, and higher barging and transhipment costs. Covid restrictions are still causing high crew change-over costs, the company reports. For the financial year as a whole, Stolt Tankers recorded an operating profit of $68.8m, down by 18.4 per cent compared to the figure of $84.6m posted in 2020. During the fourth quarter, Stolt Tankers determined that it would not be viable to repair Stolt Groenland, which suffered an explosion in Ulsan in 2019. As a result, it settled with its underwriters, booking a net loss of $13.0m. Stolt Tankers also disposed of Stolt Sequioa and Stolt Spruce for recycling. TANKS AND TANKS Results at Stolthaven Terminals, the group’s bulk liquids terminalling division, were relatively flat compared to the third quarter,

TANKER SHIPPING 09

with higher storage and utility revenue offset by lower wharfage income. Utilisation at the wholly owned terminals rose slightly from 92.3 per cent in the third quarter to 92.8 per cent. Fourth quarter operating profit was impacted by a $10m impairment charge on Stolthaven’s terminal assets in Australia; there was also the impact of lower operating revenues and a smaller contribution from joint-venture operations. For the year as a whole, Stolthaven’s operating profit dipped by 9.5 per cent to $62.3m. Stolt Tank Containers (STC), on the other hand, had quite a bumper year. In the fourth quarter, revenues rose from $174.4m in the prior quarter to $191.5m, with a steep rise in ocean freight costs driving a 12 per cent increase in transport revenue overall, despite a normal seasonal reduction in the number of shipments. STC, like other operators, also had to contend with port congestion and operational delays caused by tight ship capacity and a shortage of truck drivers. On the other hand, those delays helped to drive a 9.4 per cent increase in demurrage revenue, with customers holding more tanks in their supply chains to offset logistical bottlenecks. For the year as a whole, STC saw its operating profit jump from $51.2m to $81.6m. Stolt-Nielsen’s investment in the LNG supply chain is also beginning to pay off, with Stolt-Nielsen Gas recording a fourth quarter

profit of $1.8m and annual operating profit of $2.1m, compared to a loss of $4.0m in 2020. Avenir LNG, in which Stolt-Nielsen is a significant shareholder, now has four small-scale LNG tankers operating as bunker vessels as well as supplying LNG to meet stranded demand. It has also put the new import terminal in Sardinia into operation. “With the progress made, Avenir is well positioned to capitalise on the growing LNG distribution and bunkering markets,” the company states. A DIFFERENT FUTURE “I am positive about the 2022 market outlook for all our businesses,” says Niels G StoltNielsen. “Although the first quarter tends to be our seasonally weakest quarter, initial signs are that volumes and rates in all three logistics businesses are holding or even improving. Stolt Tankers’ markets are poised to strengthen as the delivery rate of newbuildings slows down and volumes increase. At Stolthaven Terminals utilisation continued to firm during the quarter, and with higher utilisation I expect higher rates to follow. The market for Stolt Tank Containers continues to look strong, with good demand and inefficiencies in the supply chain causing capacity tightness, improving margin per shipment.” Stolt-Nielsen will have to face that future under new leadership, as Niels G Stolt-

Nielsen has announced he intends to step down from the position of CEO, a role he has held since he took over from his father, the late Jacob Stolt-Nielsen, in 2000. Niels will assume the role of chairman of the board of directors, subject to shareholder approval, replacing Sam Cooperman, who will stay on as a board director. “I joined Stolt-Nielsen in 1990 and have served as CEO since 2000,” Niels StoltNielsen says. “It has been a privilege to lead and work with talented and dedicated individuals throughout the organisation for so long. However, I feel now is the right time for me to step aside and let a fresh pair of hands take the company forward. I have dedicated my career to Stolt-Nielsen Ltd and will continue to do so in the future.” In another significant move, Hans Augusteijn has been appointed president of STC, succeeding Mike Kramer, who will assume the role of executive vice-president, marketing and business development, at Stolt-Nielsen Ltd. Augusteijn joined Stolt Tankers as director of strategy in 2019 after a 17-year career with Maersk. “The expertise in strategy and business transformation that Hans Augusteijn brings to the role, together with his passion for shipping and logistics, will help us to extend our leading position in the tank container industry,” says Niels G Stolt-Nielsen. www.stolt-nielsen.com

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TEMPORARY BLIP RESULTS • ODFJELL HAS RECORDED A NET LOSS FOR 2021 BUT SAYS THAT THE FUNDAMENTALS LOOK GOOD FOR A RAPID RETURN TO PROFITABILITY AS THE PANDEMIC’S IMPACT WEAKENS AN “ENCOURAGING FINISH to a difficult year” helped Odfjell to post a more respectable result for the full year 2021, although timecharter earnings were down by 1.5 per cent compared to 2020 at $504.8m. However, higher operating and other costs, together with lower revenues from joint ventures, meant that EBITDA was down 8.6 per cent at $245.2m and operating profit fell by more than half to $47.4m. For the full year, Odfjell recorded a net loss of $33.2m, compared to a profit of $27.8m in 2020. “2021 was another challenging and unpredictable year for Odfjell, impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and a weak clean petroleum products (CPP) market,” says CEO Kristian Mørch. “We continue to operate well despite the challenging environment and we are also ahead of our ambitious plan to reduce emissions. “While we are not satisfied reporting negative results, we are encouraged by the

quick recovery seen in our markets during the fourth quarter, which is an indicator of the underlying strong fundamentals in our markets,” Mørch adds. “In line with seasonality, the chemical tanker market has seen slightly reduced activity at the start of 2022. We therefore expect to report slightly lower results in the first quarter.” A STRONG END That fourth-quarter rebound to which Mørch refers was quite noticeable: timecharter earnings rose by 8.7 per cent against the third quarter level to $135.9m, comfortably the best quarter of the year. It was also the only quarter to show a net profit. That improvement reflected strong freight rates on Asian export trades to the US and Europe, while US exports also began to improve on several routes. That increase in US exports coincided with reduced supply in the region and what Odfjell calls an “improved

momentum” in the CPP market that helped move some swing tonnage back into CPP trades and lifted rates in the chemicals sector. Odfjell also says that the fourth quarter saw an increase in the volume of cargo shipped, mainly driven by higher volumes under contracts of affreightment (COA). However, while US export volumes improved, spot volumes overall were still subdued. “In our cargo mix, a higher share of chemicals replaced vegoil volumes, while we did not lift significant CPP volumes in this quarter,” the company reports. Odfjell also notes that specialty chemical volumes remain stable and do not mirror the volatility encountered in the easy chemicals and vegoils sectors. In operational terms, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to be a problem, contributing to the higher costs experienced last year. Odfjell experienced some Covid-19 cases onboard during the fourth quarter, which had a negative impact on operational continuity and scheduling. That alone reduced profitability by some $1m in the quarter and does not seem to be easing. “Timely crew changes remain a problem,” Odfjell states. CHANGES IN HAND Odfjell last year exited the gas tanker sector, with the sale of its two ethylene carriers, and also announced its exit from the Asian shortsea chemical market. The sale of the three tankers operating in Asia was concluded this past November and the last is due to be delivered to its new owners this month. That transaction has allowed it to repay $21m of mortgaged loans and, while it will reduce quarterly timecharter earnings by some $4m, is expected to have a marginally positive impact on the net result. Odfjell has also decided to move ownership of its Singapore fleet to Norway, which it expects to complete over the course of this year. Odfjell has also stated its commitment to achieve zero-carbon operations by 2050, although it warns that the entry into force of the EU Emission Trading Scheme in 2023 will raise costs for charterers. Tanker operators will have to buy EU Carbon Allowances (EUA) when trading in Europe, the price of which rose by 140 per cent last year and would

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

TANKER SHIPPING 11

currently equate to some $90/tonne. The increase in the cost of fuel “will be meaningful”, Odfjell says. Charterers are becoming more aware of that approaching cost and, as many of them have their own emission reduction targets, they are looking to monitor emissions from their logistics providers. Odfjell says it is seeing signs that chartering energy-efficient vessels will benefit its customers and adds that it is well placed to benefit commercially, as it already controls the segment’s most energy-efficient fleet. The Annual Efficiency Ratio (AER) for Odfjell’s controlled fleet was 7.83 in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to 8.0 a year earlier and the best figure yet recorded. Odfjell notes that the AER will be sensitive to seasonal variations on a quarterly basis and also that its preliminary figures will be reviewed by a third party once a year and referenced in its progress report on its Sustainability Linked Bond. TERMINAL TALK Odfjell’s tank terminal operations had another stable year, with gross revenues flat at $65.6m and EBITDA ahead of 2020 levels by some 10 per cent at $32.9m. Average tank occupancy reached 96.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 93.9 per cent in the prior period, with increased utilisation in Houston and South Korea; occupancy at the Noord Natie joint venture terminal in Antwerp remained close to 100 per cent. Overall throughput volumes hit a record in the third quarter and were only slightly off as the year ended. Odfjell says it is optimistic about the prospects for its US terminals this year, although business started slowly, while it expects continued high demand for storage capacity in Antwerp and a gradual increase in commercial occupancy at the Ulsan site. Odfjell is responding to that growth in demand by investing in new capacity. An additional 35,000 m3 of stainless steel tankage is currently being built in Antwerp, due to be fully operational by the end of the second

 ODFJELL EXPECTS THE WEAK MARKET OF 2021 TO END THIS YEAR, AS CHEMICAL TANKER DEMAND IS LIKELY TO IMPROVE WHILE FLEET GROWTH WILL REMAIN CONSTRAINED

quarter this year, while a final investment decision has been made on the Bay 13 expansion project in Houston, which will add 32,000 m3 of additional tankage by the end of 2023. Odfjell notes that, despite the current high cost of material, it expect this project to generate attractive returns. THE YEAR AHEAD The gradual reopening of economies around the world as the pandemic begins to weaken has already led to a rebound in global demand for chemicals. That led to increasing demand for chemical tankers, though this was more muted as a result of supply chain challenges in the US and inventory destocking, which depressed the crude and CPP markets. Odfjell expects the situation to continue

Global oil demand is forecast to increase too and, as oil inventories are below historical averages, that will have to be met by increased production, suggesting that there will be demand growth in the oil and CPP tanker sectors to move feedstock and products, helping ease competition from swing tonnage in the chemical trades. The chemical tanker orderbook remains low and interest in new contracting is limited, Odfjell says, not least as a result of a lack of clarity over environmental standards going forward. The company also reports an upturn in demolition activity in recent months, with the net result that the chemical tanker fleet is expected to grow by only 1 per cent per annum this year and next, as against projected annual demand growth of 4 per cent.

to improve, with the loosening of restrictions likely to lead to more activity in downstream industries, particularly the automotive and construction sectors. Provided that supply chain problems ease in the coming months, that suggests a positive outlook for chemical tanker demand this year.

More broadly, Odfjell says, the ageing fleet, a lower impact from swing tonnage and the expectation of slow steaming to meet energy efficiency targets will further reduce real supply. That means a tighter market and, it hopes, improved freight rates. www.odfjell.com

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12 TANKER SHIPPING

BRIDGE THE GAP BIOFUELS • A REAL-WORLD TRIAL HAS PROVED THE VIABILITY OF USING BIOFUELS AS A DROP-IN ALTERNATIVE FOR TRADITIONAL BUNKERS, HELPING TO REDUCE EMISSIONS FROM TANKER SHIPPING A TRIAL LED by Italian tanker operator d’Amico Group has delivered “very positive” results, according to the partners in the project. Since June 2021, d’Amico’s LR1 product tanker Cielo di Rotterdam has operated on B30 biofuel, which uses 30 per cent renewable content, supplied by Trafigura’s bunkering and procurement joint venture TFG Marine in the AmsterdamRotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) range. Using EU fuel guidelines on calculating CO2 emissions on a well-to-wake basis, the project resulted in a 4.3 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions per tonne of fuel; this gives an ‘A’ vessel rating until 2026 under the EU’s fuel regulations due to enter into force on 1 January 2025. The vessel’s classification society and flag state confirmed that the B30 blend does not affect the Tier II certification of the engines for NOx compliance. Further, pending confirmation from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on the methodology to be applied to well-to-wake analysis, the project delivered a 3 per cent effective reduction in CO2 emissions. The trials were conducted in June and July 2021. Following the calculation of the results, d’Amico is now planning to operate all its LR1 product tankers on the B30 biofuel blend and to go ahead with testing of B40 and B50 blends during 2022. “Biofuel is one of the decarbonisation strategies we are exploring in d’Amico for the

 BIOFUELS PROVIDE AN EASY STEP TO REDUCE EMISSIONS WITHOUT THE NEED FOR MAJOR MODIFICATIONS

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

existing tonnage,” says Salvatore d’Amico, fleet director at the firm.”While we are closely monitoring the development of alternative fuels of the future, new technology for the propulsion and continue to invest in innovative digital solutions, we do believe that using the biofuel blend can speed up the decarbonisation of the maritime transportation with an immediate effect on the existing tonnage.” PART OF THE TRANSITION “Carbon-neutral biofuels could offer significant benefits to the marine sector’s drive to decarbonise operations,” says Georgios Plevrakis, director for global sustainability at classification society ABS. “This trailblazing project will make a vital contribution to our understanding of the potential of biofuels in shipping, its implications for equipment and

their impact on decarbonisation efforts. ABS is investing significantly in services to speed the decarbonisation of shipping and is committed to supporting the industry in the safe adoption of alternative fuels. This joint project is the latest evidence of our commitment, and we are delighted to be able to use our extensive practical experience to support our joint industry project partners.” “It’s encouraging to see that the vessel under the biofuel trial was able to demonstrate compliance with upcoming GHG regulations. Learnings from this and other similar projects can be used to develop a harmonised approach to facilitate the use of biofuels in shipping,” adds Naeem Javaid, global operations manager at Lloyd’s Register. “Project results also show that biofuels are drop-in fuels, which require no modification to the system or surrounding equipment, making them a potential option as a transition fuel to support the decarbonisation of the maritime industry.” As well as d’Amico, Trafigura, TFG Marine, ABS and Lloyd’s Register, the project also involved input from the Liberian international ship registry, MAN Energy Solutions and RINA Services. This mirrors other decarbonisation efforts in the maritime field, which have shown the need for collaboration between different stakeholders, each bringing their own expertise. www.damicoship.com www.tfgmarine.com

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TANKER SHIPPING

HAFNIA SEALS CTI DEAL

Hafnia has completed the acquisition of Chemical Tankers Inc (CTI) and its fleet of 32 modern, fuel-efficient IMO II tankers. Under the terms of the deal, CTI’s shareholders have received shares in Hafnia and now own 21.5 per cent of the combined entity; CTI’s main shareholder, Oaktree Capital Management, owns 20.4 per cent. BW Group remains Hafnia’s largest shareholder, with a 53.2 per cent ownership. “The newly acquired chemical fleet will enter a global trade alongside our world-leading product tanker fleet, benefiting from our existing scale, infrastructure and close relationships with the world’s leading producers and traders,” Hafnia says. “The sophistication and added capabilities of the chemical fleet will enable us to access a broader range of cargoes and clients and facilitate new trading opportunities, which will drive improved earnings across the group’s entire fleet. “In addition to the acquisition of the CTI fleet, we are fast-tracking our client-serving ability by adding an expert and experienced chemical commercial and operations team to our existing global network. The trading of the chemical fleet will be overseen from our newly established Dubai office,” Hafnia adds. Along with the acquisition last month of Scorpio’s LR1 product tanker fleet, Hafnia now owns 152 tankers of various types and has 242 ships under its commercial management. hafniabw.com BW DILUTES INDIAN OPERATION

BW LPG has sold a minority interest in BW LPG India to Maas Capital, a specialist in shipping equity investment; after closing of the deal BW LPG will retain a 67 per cent interest in the Indian company, which is the largest owner and operator of India-flagged VLGCs with a fleet of eight modern vessels. “On behalf of the team, we warmly welcome Maas Capital onboard BW LPG India,” says

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

Anders Onarheim, CEO of BW LPG. “We see tremendous potential in the country, and we look forward to seizing opportunities with Maas Capital alongside. This partnership will also allow us to look beyond traditional LPG shipping, and into LPG infrastructure opportunities where we see significant upsides as a first mover.” www.bwlpg.com WILHELMSEN REVIVES BARBER

Wilhelmsen Ship Management has agreed to take an 80 per cent stake in Ahrenkiel Tankers, which manages a fleet of five product and chemical tankers. Current owner MPC Capital will retain a 20 per cent shareholding. After completion, Ahrenkiel will be renamed Barber Ship Management, bringing Wilhelmsen’s original name back into use. “Ahrenkiel Tankers has developed a strong reputation for reliable tanker management and represents an ideal fit with Wilhelmsen Ship Management given our common values of environmental responsibility and safety, aligned with a high level of competence,” says Carl Schou, CEO/president of Wilhelmsen Ship Management. “We now look forward to growing in the tanker segment by applying our management expertise that has been proven over many years with a track record of safe,

sustainable and cost-effective operations.” www.wilhelmsen.com INVESTIGATING CARBON SHIPPING

DNV and a group of energy companies, including Equinor, Shell, TotalEnergies and Gassco, have launched a joint industry project to develop low-pressure solutions for the transport of CO2 by sea. The ‘CETO’ (CO2 Efficient Transport via Ocean) project will seek to develop technical qualification of a low-pressure ship design and identify solutions to scale transport volume, while reducing risk, to support the development of carbon capture and storage plans. “As an important part of tackling the climate crisis, reducing costs across the whole CCS value chain is essential,” says Johan Petter Tutturen, vice-president of special projects, gas at DNV. “Low pressure CO2 ship designs are a potentially important piece of the chain, but they need to be reliable and meet accepted safety standards. That is why we are very pleased to be working together with this strong consortium of CCS stakeholders to identify the technical risks and challenges to enable safe and economical operations going forward.” “Equinor believes that low pressure ship transport is an interesting way to scale up CO2 transport solutions, but we need to make sure

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the technical risks are reduced to an acceptable level. That is why this project is important,” adds Elisabeth Birkeland, vice-president for carbon capture and storage solutions at Equinor. www.dnv.com KHI, KUMIAI ADD DUAL FUEL

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has delivered the 84,000-m3 VLGC newbuilding Crystal Trinity to Kumiai Navigation. The dual-fuel ship, equipped to run on LPG as well as fuel oil, was ordered nearly three years ago. Speaking at the time, Tomomaru Kuroyanagi, managing director of Kumiai Navigation, said: “The trend of environmental friendly emissions is accelerating in the world. Currently, LNG fuel projects are ahead of LPG fuel, but it is very natural and reasonable that LPG carriers use LPG as a fuel. LPG fuel must be the one of best alternatives for the next generation. “I am a strong believer in the future of LPG fuel, but this new project might be challenging for midsize company like us,” Kuroyanagi added. “However, if you look at outside of Japan,

Equinor, Exmar, BW LPG and Oriental Energy are already moving ahead for LPG-fuelled vessels. I don’t want our company or Japanese yards be left behind in this field. KHI and our company have a relationship with VLGCs that stretches over 30 years. I am confident about their performance potential even though this will be the first such project in Japan.” kn.sg DUAL FUEL FOR ETHYLENE

Eneos Corp and Marubeni Corp have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the introduction of a dual-fuel ethylene carrier capable of running on LNG. The two parties have had a long collaboration in the ethylene supply chain and are both looking to decarbonise that chain. The vessel, due for delivery in 2024, will be chartered on a long-term contract from GasChem. It will be the first LNG-capable ethylene carrier to be deployed on Japanese export trades and can reduce CO2 emissions by some 40 per cent compared to conventional carriers. www.eneos.co.jp

AMMONIA BUNKERING RECOGNISED

ABS has granted Approval in Principle for an ammonia bunkering vessel design developed by Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Itochu in collaboration with Sembcorp Marine. The project is part of a joint development study on establishing an ammonia fuel supply chain in Singapore, involving local bunker suppliers TotalEnergies Marine Fuels and Pavilion Energy Singapore. MOL notes that marine engine manufacturers are working on developing ammonia-fuelled engines as part of the broader effort to decarbonise the shipping industry. Ships using such engines are expected to start appearing before the end of this decade. The ammonia bunkering vessel’s design incorporates extensive safety measures in consideration of the toxicity of ammonia. www.mol.co.jp ADAPTABILITY FOR FURETANK

Furetank has ordered an 18,000-dwt dual-fuel tanker from China Merchants Jinling; the new ship will be designed to run on LNG or liquefied biogas (LBG) and have a batteryhybrid propulsion system alongside several innovative features to reduce fuel and energy consumption. “This is yet another step forward on our journey towards a fleet consisting entirely of climate-friendly vessels,” says CEO Lars Höglund. “Furetank wants to be an environmental friendly and leading actor within the segment. With this newbuilding we will continue to implement all available technologies to do the best we can – now. It feels especially good to place the order in these unstable pandemic times; we have a strong belief in the future.” The new ship is due for delivery in January 2024; the contract includes an option on further ships. www.furetank.se

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16 PORTS & TERMINALS

CARGO CENTRAAL PORTS • THE PORT OF ANTWERP IS READYING TO MOVE ON FROM LAST YEAR’S UNPRECEDENTED SUPPLY CHAIN STRESSES AS IT LOOKS TOWARDS A MORE CONNECTED FUTURE THE PORT OF ANTWERP reports that cargo throughput last year returned to pre-pandemic levels, with a 3.8 per cent increase in volumes compared to 2020; the 240m tonnes passing through the port was even slightly ahead of the 2019 level. In the liquid bulk sector, volumes increased by 3.1 per cent overall, with a strong increase in gasoline throughput more than offsetting a decline in diesel and fuel oil volumes; liquid chemicals increased by 12.9 per cent to hit the highest level ever recorded. Antwerp is also increasingly a container port; in its review of business in 2021, the port notes that global container shipping is still highly disrupted, causing irregular calls from oceangoing vessels and ports to be missed out in the rotation. As a result, average call sizes are getting larger and there are ever-increasing peaks in call sizes. This represents a major challenge for the entire logistics chain in and around the port. In addition, the shortage of port labour, mainly due to Covid-19 and federal measures to combat the virus, also played a role. Despite that, container traffic held steady at 12.0m teu. “The ongoing Covid crisis, the many outstanding vacancies, the Suez incident and the associated global disruptions made 2021 another challenging year for our port,” says Annick de Ridder, chairman of the board of directors of Port of Antwerp and Antwerp Alderman responsible for the port. “Thanks to

 ANTWERP SAW ITS HIGHEST EVER LEVEL OF CHEMICAL THROUGHPUT IN 2021, DESPITE SUPPLY CHAIN STRESSES

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

the dedication and resilience of the entire port platform, we not only weathered these storms, we even managed to return to the record year of 2019.” LOOKING AHEAD The Port of Antwerp is now looking ahead to a bigger future, with the Belgian Competition Authority (BMA) having recently approved the planned merger with the Port of Zeebrugge. The new Port of Antwerp-Bruges will be officially launched at the end of April. But other priorities and initiatives are ongoing. “The port of the future must be one that fully understands and endorses the climate

ambitions and environmental objectives,” de Ridder adds. “To this end, 2021 saw many, mainly major steps taken, always embedded in fruitful collaborations, even beyond our borders. For the port of Antwerp, 2021 was certainly also the year of ‘smart security’. Innovation and digitalisation are crucial to ensuring the sustainable growth of our port in the long term. Moreover, with the approval of the BMA, the merger with the port of Zeebrugge has set the final straight. Together, we can focus even more on the transition to a low-carbon economy and on the further digitalisation of the logistics chain.” Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Port of Antwerp, says: “Port of Antwerp seeks to reaffirm its pioneering role in the transition to climate neutrality in 2022. Thanks to pioneering lighthouse projects, such as the hydrogen import coalition and Antwerp@C/ Kairos@C, for the capture and storage of CO2, we can live up to this role and accelerate the transition. In addition, the sustainable growth of our port remains an absolute priority. We therefore hope that we will soon receive the permit for the renewal of the Europa terminal so that we can start the works.” www.portofantwerp.com

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PORTS & TERMINALS

VARO, GPS BUILD FOR BIO

Varo Energy and GPS Group have completed work on a new rail line and ethanol tanks at the GPS terminal in Amsterdam (right). The new assets connect to 20 Class 1 tanks in the terminal, creating an integrated biofuels facility, one of the few in the region to offer handling of both traditional and biofuels. Dev Sanyal, CEO of Varo Energy, says: “A modern and flexible infrastructure is a key ingredient for the energy transition. We are delighted that through the strategic collaboration with our long-term partner GPS Group, we have re-purposed existing assets and built new infrastructure. Biofuels will continue to play an important role in the energy mix and as a pioneer in biofuels and as one of the largest providers of biofuels in the ARA region, this new rail system and new capacity to store ethanol in the Port of Amsterdam are crucial to increase our capability to blend and deliver products safely across Europe.” “The completion of the new railway line and storage tanks marks another important milestone in the relationship between Varo and GPS,” adds Eric Arnold, CEO of GPS Group. “We’re thrilled that together we have been able to improve the energy infrastructure at the Port of Amsterdam.” www.gpsgroup.com varoenergy.com CROWLEY STARTS DIGGING IN DARWIN

Crowley has begun groundwork on its new fuel storage facility in Darwin, Australia, which will store, manage and supply jet fuel for US military operations in the region. The $270m project involves construction of 11 storage tanks with a total capacity of some 300,000 m3. Crowley Australia signed a long-term lease on land in the Bulk Liquids Area of Darwin’s port in December and intends to begin construction work this month. “Crowley is excited to see work on the fuel

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

storage facility in Darwin begin,” says Sean Thomas, vice-president of Crowley Solutions. “We appreciate the dedication of our team and collaboration from all stakeholders including the Northern Territory government. These collective efforts will allow Crowley to provide important fuel storage and management services to the US military, as well as strengthen our growing presence within Australia and the Northern Territory.” www.crowley.com RUBIS QUITS TURKEY

Rubis Terminal Infra has completed the previously announced sale of its Turkish assets, Rubis Terminal Petrol, to Transpet Petrolcülük ve Enerji. The assets include a 650,000-m3 petroleum products terminal, strategically located to take advantage of the eastern Mediterranean’s role as a key trading hub and to provide official import/export infrastructure for Iraqi fuel flows. It also has a 2.3-km jetty. “This move is consistent with Rubis Terminal’s strategy to focus on Western Europe, reducing volatility of its earnings, and strengthening its portfolio mix towards chemicals, biofuels, and other non-fuel

products,” says Bruno Hayam, CEO of Rubis Terminal. “We have full confidence that Transpet, using its deep knowledge of the region, will be able to further develop the terminal.” “We aim to appeal to the greater Mediterranean region and will continue to improve our services for the benefit of our stakeholders, ensuring top-notch operational support both to our existent and future business partners,” adds Mehmet Ali İslamoğlu, board member of Transpet. “We will further develop Rubis Terminal Petrol using our expertise in the sector and bringing added value to our clients, Turkey and the greater region.” www.rubis-terminal.com EVOS BIG IN METHANOL

Evos has joined the Methanol Institute (MI), the first European terminal operator to do so, as part of its strategy to be a key partner in the energy transition. Evos already stores and handles methanol for a number of customers, including fellow MI members Helm Proman and Mitsui. “This is another example of Evos moving with developments for the energy transition,

PORTS & TERMINALS 19

in which the application of methanol is taken forward as a clean alternative fuel, for marine transport as well as hydrogen carrier,” Evos says. “This partnership is an important step towards further supply chain collaboration/co-creation for new and innovative solutions.” evos.eu WIBAX EXPANDS IN HAMINA

Wibax has acquired a small terminal in Hamina, Finland from Hexion, further developing its storage capacity at the port. The facility has two storage tanks with a combined capacity of 9,500 m3, taking Wibax’s aggregate capacity in Hamina up to 73,100 m3. Wibax has a broad network of marine terminals in Sweden, Finland and Estonia, with an overall capacity of more than 800,000 m3. “The Finnish market continues to respond positively to Wibax’s offer of products and storage. We look forward to continued investments in Finland,” says Fredrik Nyberg, CEO of Wibax Holding. www.wibax.com OK FOR KINDER MORGAN

Kinder Morgan Inc has recorded full-year 2021 revenues of $16.6bn, up from $11.7m in 2020, with net income rising from $180m to $1.85bn. “We closed out 2021 as a record year financially, beginning with our outstanding commercial and operational performance during Winter Storm Uri,” says CEO Steve Kean. “As we complete our 25th year, future prospects for the company look very bright. Our business model, predominantly take-or-pay and fee-based long-term contracts with creditworthy customers, remains durable. And our interconnected network of transportation

 WIBAX HAS INVESTED IN EXPANDING ITS TERMINAL CAPACITY IN FINLAND, A MARKET WHERE IT SEES POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER INCREASES IN CHEMICAL SALES

and storage infrastructure is now recognized as even more valuable in the marketplace.” KMI’s Terminals segment was the only division to record lower EBDA, down 4 per cent year-on-year, largely reflecting weakness in the Jones Act water transport markets. Liquids terminal business was stronger, with KMI president Kim Dang saying: “Liquid volumes continued to strengthen across our network in the fourth quarter with activity at our truck rack terminals serving primarily domestic consumers exceeding pre-pandemic levels. While volumes remained below 2019 levels at our refined products hub along the Houston Ship Channel, marine exports strengthened in the fourth quarter, approaching a pre-pandemic high.” Kinder Morgan continues to adapt its Californian terminals to handle renewable fuels, with work ongoing at the Bradshaw,

Colton and Carson facilities. It has also started work on tank conversion work at its Harvey terminal in Louisiana to create a renewable feedstock storage and logistics hub in a collaboration with Neste, due to start operations in early 2023. www.kindermorgan.com RECORDS FOR ENTERPRISE

Enterprise Products Partners has reported 2021 operating income of $6.10bn, up from $5.04bn in 2020, with net income rising from $3.89bn to $4.76bn. “We are extremely proud and grateful for the teamwork and contribution of our 7,000 employees to Enterprise’s record 2021,” says AJ ‘Jim’ Teague, co-CEO of Enterprise’s general partner. “Over the last two years, Covid-19 has whipsawed the global economy, including the US energy sector. Our employees successfully responded to both the challenges and opportunities. In 2021, their efforts enabled three of our four business segments to report record earnings that resulted in the partnership posting record gross operating margin, cash flow from operations and free cash flow.” Enterprise recorded five operational records: ethane marine terminal exports, natural gas transport volumes, propylene production and refined product and petrochemical transportation volumes. “Entering 2022, we expect a continuation in the global economic recovery and growth in crude oil, natural gas and NGL production in the US. We believe [this] will provide Enterprise a solid economic foundation,” Teague adds. “The current energy supply disruptions and geopolitical tensions in Europe may have a short-term effect on the global economy. These energy supply disruptions, however, may lead to greater long term international demand for US crude oil, natural gas and NGLs as a source of reliable supply and to mitigate higher global prices, especially for LNG.” enterpriseproducts.com

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20 TANKS & LOGISTICS

Organisation (ITCO) has been highlighting these advantages for some time, on behalf of its members, and last month organised an Environmental Sustainability Seminar to bring the tank container industry and its customers together to see what exactly is being done – and what more can be done – to improve those advantages yet further.

NEW WINE, OLD BARRELS SUSTAINABILITY • TANK CONTAINERS ARE BUILT TO LAST BUT CAN ALSO BE REBUILT TO LAST EVEN LONGER. THAT OFFERS OPERATIONAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS, WITH IMPROVED SAFETY TOO CHEMICAL PRODUCERS are all looking to improve their sustainability rating and they are expecting their logistics service providers to do the same. Being ‘green’ is increasingly not just

that their assets offer. They last a long time – their stainless steel barrels can, with careful management, last 25 years or more; they also have an enviable safety record, even in the

a lifestyle choice for corporations but something that needs to be taken seriously if they are to have a licence to operate or access capital. There are many ways of moving chemicals in bulk around the world but tank container operators have been at pains to highlight the many advantages, in terms of sustainability,

event of an accident; and, moreover, they are almost completely recyclable at the end of their life, meaning that all the effort that has gone into creating the tank in the first place can be passed on to whatever the steel is used for after recovery. The International Tank Container

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

DOOR TO DOOR One example of what tank container operators are already doing to reduce their carbon footprint was provided by William LeighPemberton, strategic development director of intermodal specialist Bertschi, which has worked hard in recent years to promote the modal shift by putting freight onto rail transport rather than relying on road haulage. Bertschi now moves 90 per cent of its freight by rail, compared to the overall EU transport sector, which still carries 90 per cent by road. That shift to rail, Leigh-Pemberton said, has delivered a 70 per cent reduction in carbon emissions. Indeed, and quite tellingly, the 10 per cent of freight that Bertschi still moves by road accounts for two-thirds of its carbon emissions. Of Europe’s total greenhouse gas emissions, 25 per cent are generated by the transport sector, of which 72 per cent is accounted for by road transport. If the EU Green Deal is going to be met, with its target of a 90 per cent reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, that modal shift will have to accelerate. Intermodal transport will provide the basis for that shift and deliver on the need for sustainable logistics services, LeighPemberton said. Compared to purely road transport, intermodal options – including inland and shortsea shipping – can reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 60 per cent. There are other benefits, too. Goods moving by rail cross national borders unaccompanied by personnel and are thus not affected by entry restrictions, even in the exceptional

 THE INSIDE OF A TANK CONTAINER NEEDS TO BE MAINTAINED PROPERLY IF IT IS TO DO ITS JOB AND NOT BE DAMAGED BY PITTING OR CORROSION, ALLOWING IT TO TRADE FOR DECADES

TANKS & LOGISTICS 21

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circumstances witnessed over the past two years. Furthermore, while the road transport sector is still figuring out how to electrify the truck fleet, electrification of the rail network is already extensive. In fact, trains travelling through Bertschi’s home market in Switzerland are already powered entirely by electricity generated from non-fossil fuel sources. The gap in the provision of rail services is, of course, last-mile transport at both ends of the supply chain. It is here that innovation will be needed, both in electric-powered trucks – likely for local operations where vehicles can charge up overnight, and for lighter vehicles only – and in zero-emission trucks for longer journeys and heavier loads. Bertschi is already looking at this with its development partner Hyundai, using hydrogen produced from renewable sources to provide the motive power. Use of hydrogen-powered trucks at either end of the transport chain, connected by intermodal transport using renewable electricity on the rails, will give Bertschi the opportunity to achieve its ambition of being

 THE CHALLENGE TO ZERO-CARBON TRANSPORT OPERATIONS WILL BE IN THE FIRST- AND LAST-MILE SECTORS OF THE CHAIN, WHERE ROAD TRANSPORT IS INEVITABLY GOING TO REMAIN THE ONLY VIABLE OPTION FOR LOGISTICS PROVIDERS

able to offer zero-emission transport from door to door, Leigh-Pemberton said. LOOK AT THE TANK The benefits of a modal shift to rail have been obvious for decades, although so have some of the obstacles. But, as a tank container operator, there are other things a company like Bertschi can do to improve its internal carbon footprint and Leigh-Pemberton explained some of the projects already completed. Firstly, it developed a new design for the re-heating of tank containers. The industry standard is to have eight to ten heating coils under the cladding, covering up to 10 m2 of tank; Bertschi’s global standard on its newbuild tanks is to have 12 coils, allowing coverage of some 12 m2, improving heating performance and reducing the amount of steam required. It has also adopted a heatable bottom outlet flange, again speeding discharge and thus reducing gate-to-gate times for its tanks. These improvements not only reduce overall energy demand but also improve efficiency in the use of tanks, helping productivity and, thus, profitability. Bertschi has also addressed energy consumption at its Birrfeld depot in Switzerland, with enhancements that have the overall result of reducing CO2 emissions. And at its new Singapore facility it has installed a large solar array on the roofs

of its buildings, covering a large proportion of its own energy needs. Paying attention to the tank itself, from construction right through to disposal, can also improve an operator’s carbon footprint, explained Martin Levitt, technical director of Den Hartogh’s Global Business Unit. Den Hartogh Logistics is currently involved in a number of remanufacturing and refurbishment projects around the globe and has partnered with CIMC Safeway on tank remanufacturing, with a strong focus on quality, safety and sustainable recycling, he reported. “Environmental sustainability across our business activities is a key strategic objective for Den Hartogh Logistics,” he added. Remanufacturing or refurbishing an elderly tank can deliver a near-new tank container with a much reduced carbon footprint compared to a newbuild, Levitt said. Any waste material produced in the process can either be recycled or disposed of; in the latter case, Den Hartogh works with approved contractors working in full compliance with local environmental regulations. Levitt explained the difference between ‘remanufacturing’ and ‘refurbishment’: in both cases, the stainless steel tank barrel, valves and other appurtenances are retained (unless specific items need to be replaced). In a refurbishment project, the tank frame is also retained, whereas in a remanufacturing project this is likely to be replaced, with the old frame going for scrap. In all cases, the walkway, cladding and insulation, and ancillary fittings are replaced for new. In effect, it is the condition of the tank frame that determines whether the tank should be refurbished or remanufactured; it may also be that some older tank frame designs are no longer seen as desirable and should be replaced as part of the renewal project. For instance, as it rolls through its refurbishment programme, Den Hartogh is standardising on the CIMC full frame design, offering a greater uniformity across its fleet. NEW FOR OLD There are limits on which tanks are suitable candidates for refurbishment or remanufacturing, and these largely relate to the physical condition of the tank barrel.

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TANKS & LOGISTICS 23

Its actual shell thickness must be above the plated minimum shell thickness, including a corrosion allowance, and the tank barrel should be free from serious pitting corrosion and any defects such as stress corrosion. One important element of the process is that, by definition, it generally involves older tanks, many of which were built with thicker shells to allow for the difficulty at the time of achieving the fine tolerances needed to build to the exact design thickness. This means they have more steel to work with. In addition, certain series of tanks allow for the recalculation of the plated minimum shell thickness, thus increasing the corrosion allowance, Levitt explained. In summary, not only is the stainless steel tank barrel retained and reused, it can be treated to improve corrosion resistance, extending the tank’s life well beyond 25 years. That process is not only cost-effective and environmentally sustainable, it can also improve safety: Den Hartogh is adding a full walkway platform and collapsible handrail as part of its refurbishment programme, providing a safer environment for working at height and easier access to the tank top. There are operating cost advantages, too. Levitt reported that part of the process involves the replacement of the insulation, which results in improved performance, thus reducing heating times compared to existing in-service equipment. There is also a reduction in overall maintenance and repair costs for at least three years following refurbishment. That goes equally for the tank valvary. During refurbishment or remanufacture, all valves are removed, fully dismantled, checked for defects and then cleaned and rebuilt using new seals, gaskets and ancillary fittings. The foot valve and pressure relief valve (PRV) springs are visually checked for damage. Before refitting the equipment, PRVs are bench-tested and checked for the correct

 AT SOME POINT, EVEN THE MOST WELL MAINTAINED TANK CONTAINER WILL HAVE TO BE SCRAPPED AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE A SPECIALIST TO HANDLE THE JOB IF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IS TO BE MINIMISED

calibration and all valves are checked for leaks under pneumatic pressure on a test bed. DEFINING BEST PRACTICE This past October, ITCO published a new document under its Technical Guidance series, TG08 – Tank Container Sustainability: Repurposing and Recycling. Colin Rubery, ITCO’s technical secretary, explained that this document is designed to promote awareness of the tank container as representing the transport mode that provides superior environmental performance and the ways in which industry can ensure cradle-to-grave-to-

when needed; that has to be reflected in the manufacturing process and, Rubery stressed, it is important for the tank owner to engage with the process, both to ensure that the design, materials and components are suitable for the purposes for which the tank will be deployed and to ensure that the operational team understands the parameters within which the tank can operate. TG08 urges tank operators to have in place environmental and social governance (ESG) policies and practices and to give environmental training and guidance to their personnel, to promote good environmental

cradle sustainability. TG08 runs through the entire lifecycle of a tank container, from design and manufacture, through operations, cleaning and repair, to repurposing and, ultimately, recycling. Sustainability starts with design, making the tank easy to maintain and to remanufacture

performance through the life of the tank. Service provides, such as tank cleaning and repair depots, are urged to do the same and also to properly recycle used materials such as seals and gaskets (more of which later). TG08 looks at ‘repurposing’ – the practice of selling on older tanks to less demanding

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TANKS & LOGISTICS 25

business. Tank owners selling on old tanks need to satisfy themselves that the buyer is competent to ensure continued safe trading; the tank should be properly and fully cleaned and issued with a valid cleaning documents. Any known hazards or structural deficiencies should be passed on to the buyer. ITCO stresses that it is only by all of its members adhering to best practices such as these that the tank container as a transport concept can maintain its healthy safety record – especially in light of an incident last year in which just such as ‘repurposed’ tank was involved in the death of two workers at an informal cleaning station in Asia. When it comes to dealing with an end-of-life situation and a tank is sent for recycling, owners should ensure that those doing the job are properly equipped. It matters little if a tank is operated to the peak of environmental expectations throughout its life if the scrap and waste resulting from its demolition ends up in landfill or contaminating the environment. Indeed, Rubery wondered, would it not be useful to have a global register of recognised recyclers? ITCO already provides similar information on tank cleaning and

repair depots, the better to help its members choose effective and recognised operators, and it would seem sensible to have something on the same lines for recycling specialists. Indeed, one such firm has recently become ITCO’s first recycling member – Metaalhandel W Ketting & Zn of the Netherlands. In summary, Rubery said, TG08 highlights the fact that, while tank containers are eco-friendly, there is more that can be done. It urges tank owners and operators to have environmental considerations at the fore and to partner with their customers and suppliers to promote real-world environmental progress. “Greenwashing is not sustainable,” he said. Rubery also mentioned an impending problem regarding gaskets. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is currently considering further restrictions on the use of some 4,700 substances that are peror polyfluoroalkyls (PFAS). One of those is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is regarded as a ‘polymer of low concern’ by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). However, any action by ECHA could move that up into a ‘high concern’

bracket, with its use severely restricted. PTFE is widely used in the gaskets that maintain the integrity of product in tank containers and industry regards it as an essential material, especially as there is no adequate alternative. ITCO is urging the recycling of PTFE rather than restriction and Rubery mentioned that, if all 660,000 tank containers currently estimated to be in service have their manlid seal replaced each year, that alone generates some 400 tonnes of waste PTFE. Consolidation of PTFE waste on a regional basis would be necessary to achieve economically viable volumes for proper disposal and there is a need for recycling facilities to be made available. Industry will also have to think about the cost of doing this and Rubery ended by floating the idea of establishing a working group to consider the details. We will clearly be hearing more about this. The presentations from ITCO’s sustainability webinar are available on the ITCO website at https://international-tank-container.org/en/ events/tank-container-industry-environmentalsustainability.

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PEOPLE POWER RESULTS • BERTSCHI ACHIEVED RECORD RESULTS LAST YEAR, DESPITE SUPPLY CHAIN STRESSES, WITH ITS INTERNATIONAL WORKFORCE STEPPING UP TO DELIVER ON ITS STRATEGIC PLANS BERTSCHI GROUP HAS reported revenues of CFr 1.02bn ($1.11bn) for 2021, an increase of 13 per cent over 2020 and the first time the company has hit the CFr 1bn mark. Bertschi points in particular to growth in its Asian business, with non-European operations now accounting for 40 per cent of sales. “This is an extraordinary achievement by everyone involved, especially considering that Bertschi only went global with activities in Asia, America and the Middle East ten years ago,” says Hans-Jörg Bertschi, executive chairman of the Bertschi Group. “In the current situation, marked by the pandemic and disrupted supply chains, this level of growth would not have been possible without the personal commitment of all employees,” remarks Jan Arnet, CEO of the Bertschi Group. “Due to the increasingly global nature of our business, our corporate culture has also evolved and become richer.” Bertschi invested some CFr 100m in its logistics infrastructure last year, including additional storage for containerised chemicals in Rotterdam and Middlesbrough, a new chemical logistics hub in China, and the addition of more than 2,000 tank and silo containers; its 40,000th container was put into operation at the start of 2022. LOOKING AHEAD Bertschi is expecting the economy to stabilise this year. “The positive trend from 2021 will continue, even if growth is set to slow down in this phase of the recovery cycle,” Arnet predicts. Nevertheless, Bertschi says it will continue investing at the current high pace in 2022. A major tank container storage terminal for dangerous goods is being built in Antwerp.

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

There are also plans to expand the existing logistics facilities in Duisburg and Schwarzheide in Germany, and in the Netherlands. The new logistics centre for dangerous liquid chemicals (below), located in Zhangjiagang at the heart of the Yangtze Delta area not far from Shanghai, will open in mid-2022. It consists of a dangerous goods storage facility for up to 1,000 tank containers, as well as automatic filling systems and three warehouses for different classes of dangerous goods, with space for 25,000 pallets. The plant has an annual capacity of 300,000–400,000 tonnes of chemical products. “This investment will further consolidate our position in the Chinese market, where we already enjoy a strong position with our tank container shipments to and from China,”

Hans-Jörg Bertschi believes. Bertschi will also continue to systematically pursue its current digitisation strategy. Last year, full visibility was ensured in intermodal transport chains by means of automated status and ETA notifications to customers, with a coverage level of over 99 per cent. Bertschi is also investing heavily in more efficient planning systems for European and global transport execution. Further implementations are planned for 2022. Bertschi began its journey towards climateneutral logistics in 2021. More than 90 per cent of all European shipments are sent by intermodal transport, meaning the company is starting out with a favourable carbon footprint. “We will continue to invest in intermodal transport via the environmentally and climate-friendly method of rail, including investments in terminal infrastructure. In addition, we are planning to take steps to convert road transport to and from the terminals to climate-neutral propulsion energy, starting in 2024,” says Hans-Jörg Bertschi. Further measures to reduce carbon emissions and use photovoltaics for sustainable power generation are planned at the company sites. Bertschi has already completed an initial project involving the installation of 44,000 square meters of solar panels on the roofs of the logistics centre in Singapore. www.bertschi.com

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GAINING TRACTION COMBINED TRANSPORT • SHIPPERS ARE KEEN TO INCREASE THEIR USE OF RAIL TRANSPORT BUT, AS HUPAC REPORTS, THERE ARE STILL SOME BARRIERS TO BE OVERCOME TO MEET THAT DEMAND HUPAC REPORTS a 10.7 per cent increase in traffic volumes last year, despite what it calls a “difficult economic situation”. This equates to 2.12m TEU in combined road/rail and maritime hinterland transport, taking an additional 100,000 trucks off the roads compared to 2020. “The climate targets are achievable,” says Michail Stahlhut, CEO of the Hupac Group. “Compared to road transport alone, we have saved the environment 1.5m tonnes of CO2 and reduced energy consumption by 17bn megajoules – in addition to relieving the roads of the transport of 21m tonnes of goods. We do our part by providing a reliable service and managing the network in an efficient, eco-friendly way.” The positive traffic development reflects not only the economic recovery in the past year, but also the growing interest of logistics companies in using competitive, climatefriendly transport solutions by rail. “With reliable services, we can meet the expectations of the industry and shift further significant volumes to rail,” says Stahlhut. “The prerequisite is stable quality. This requires better management of construction works today and in the coming years and decades, especially on the Rhine-Alpine corridor. Disruptions and inefficiencies like those in the second half of 2021 must not happen again.” All transport segments contributed to the growth last year. Transalpine traffic grew by 11.8 per cent, due in particular to the successful use of the 4-metre corridor via Gotthard. In non-transalpine traffic, which grew by 10.4 per cent, the south-east and south-west Europe segments developed dynamically. In maritime container transport,

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

ERS Railways, a Hupac Group company, made up for the pandemic-related traffic losses of the previous year and generated satisfactory volume growth despite the continuing volatilities. “The support measures in various countries helped us to maintain our network during the pandemic and thus secure supplies,” Stahlhut notes. WORK TO BE DONE Looking ahead, there is still a way to go to improve the attractiveness of rail transport as an alternative to road. The establishment of international bypasses, such as the upgrading of an alternative route on the left bank of the Rhine between Karlsruhe and Basel, is crucial. “The additional capacity we need for reliable traffic management on the feeder routes to the Swiss base tunnels can be created in the short term with relatively little funding,” explains

Hans-Jörg Bertschi, chairman of the board of directors of Hupac. “The expansion of the north-south axis on the Rhine left bank is an important prerequisite for the full utilisation of AlpTransit and for the further shift of transalpine freight traffic.” A further challenge for combined transport is the current explosion in energy costs. In various European countries, the costs for traction power have doubled or even tripled. The result is price increases that cannot be compensated for and that are putting a noticeable strain on the marketability of combined transport. “The energy costs in rail freight transport should be evaluated in macro-economic terms,” demands Stahlhut. “We can only achieve the Green Deal targets with competitive prices. A subsidy for electricity transmission costs - i.e. the price component for rail power facilities, overhead lines etc - would mitigate the current situation and send an important signal to the market.” “With our Strategy 2021-2026, we are setting the course for growth that meets the Green Deal expectations,” says Bertschi. “With an annual volume growth of 7 per cent, we are aiming for a volume of 1.5m road consignments by 2026.” Hupac aims to strengthen its core market of transalpine transport through Switzerland and work for productivity improvements to compensate for the reduction in subsidies. www.hupac.ch

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WELL ON TRACK DIGITISATION • HITACHI RAIL HAS PICKED IMT TO HELP IT TAKE ITS DIGITAL FREIGHT SERVICES TO ANOTHER LEVEL, PROVIDING MORE REAL-TIME INFORMATION TO ITS CUSTOMERS HITACHI RAIL AND Intermodal Telematics (IMT) have agreed an exclusive long-term partnership that will add IMT’s pioneering monitoring sensors to Hitachi’s existing digital freight service. The agreement will allow Hitachi to offer rail freight companies around the world a solution that provides real-time monitoring to improve efficiency and safety. The deal will allow Hitachi to provide a fully-fledged telematics solutions to improve reliability and performance in the railfreight market. The partnership allows the use of AI analytics to optimise the efficiency and safety of its customers’ freight services worldwide. The technology can give companies the vital information they need to control their supply chains more efficiently and respond with appropriate interventions more quickly. With global supply chains having faced major disruption throughout 2021 and challenges predicted to continue, the partnership offers enhanced resilience for companies transporting goods via rail freight. “Hitachi Rail is focused on growing its digital offer to develop data-driven solutions to meet our customer’s complex challenges,” says Edoardo La Ficara, executive officer and COO for Operation, Service & Maintenance at Hitachi Rail. “Our exclusive partnership with IMT delivers this and enables Hitachi to provide an enhanced digital freight offer across the globe, with a strong initial focus on European and North American markets.” BUILDING ON PARTNERSHIPS The partnership with IMT will complement Hitachi Rail’s purchase of Perpetuum last year. A British rail technology firm, Perpetuum provides Hitachi with digital solutions that

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

improve train reliability and performance. Its remote condition monitoring detects emerging damage in train bogies long before it can be identified by other means, thus preventing failures, facilitating more efficient maintenance cycles, and increasing the life of the wheelset. Coupled with the IMT solution, Hitachi will now be able to completely monitor freight vehicles in real time. “This solution will enable operators and maintainers to be aware of vehicles’ position and status at all times” La Ficara (below, right) adds. “This will provide a radical evolution for the freight industry, whose railcars are overwhelmingly without any telematics or monitoring whatsoever.” IMT will now exclusively offer the Perpetuum sensor solution in the international railfreight market, further broadening its portfolio of asset and cargo monitoring systems. That portfolio now includes sensors that verify the

exact location of rail wagons, their loading status, the open/close status of doors and hatches, the temperature and pressure of the load, and the health status of bogies and wheel sets. Commenting on the development, Dethmer Drenth (below, left), managing director and founder of IMT, says: “This partnership adds a significant value to our railcar market offering as we expand our renowned assets and cargo related monitoring to specific predictive asset maintenance monitoring with the Hitachi/ Perpetuum sensor. In that way we create a holistic view of the railcar above and below the axle, alerting the asset and cargo owner on a need-to-know and managing-byexception basis.” The integration of digital technology has a major role to play in enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, train maintenance and safety. The partnership follows the global mobility firm’s strategy of expanding its digital capabilities, including Hitachi’s Lumada platform that uses AI and the Internet of Things to turn data into actionable business insights. The initial focus for the new digital service will be in Europe and North America. Hitachi Rail is already an established provider to freight operators in North America, where over 34.5m carloads and intermodal units were transported in 2021, nearly 5 per cent up compared to 2020. www.intermodaltelematics.com

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BETTER BY DESIGN EQUIPMENT • AFTER A RECORD-BREAKING 2021, FORT VALE HAS MADE A FLYING START TO THE NEW YEAR, WITH TWO NEW PRODUCTS ALREADY RELEASED. GRAHAM BLANCHARD* EXPLAINS MORE AT FORT VALE, our core business is the design and manufacture of valves and fittings for transportable tanks. We have been doing this for more than 50 years now, and we pride ourselves on having the ability to solve problems for our clients by making valves that work, and will keep working in all conditions - but we can always improve, we can always do better. A good example of that is two new products announced in January. The PFA-lined Cleanlift bottom discharge valve is ideally suited for tank containers where

 PRODUCT INNOVATION, SUCH AS THE PFA-LINED BOTTOM DISCHARGE VALVE, IS OFTEN DRIVEN BY CUSTOMER REQUESTS

space is limited in the frame, with the PFA lining offering maximum protection against highly corrosive products. It’s simple to maintain and uses many of the components to be found on our standard footvalves - making spare parts supply easier. It also has a shear groove that protects the tank in the case of an impact or incident, and complies with EN 14433:2014. The shear groove is a significant feature of these types of valve, but is not universally available from all companies. This range of bottom-discharge valves has had numerous developments over the years. Initially, the designs for these used a spray lining to increase the corrosion resistance and this method is still used by many of our competitors today. We designed a PFA

moulded, lined valve that gives a thicker protective lining, increased permeability resistance and makes the lining more robust than that of the thinner spray-lined version, making it less susceptible to damage during operation. The moulded lining is much more consistent and increases the reliability of the valve. The initial PFA-lined valve was designed to be suitable for a small capacity tank container but also, due to the duel body design, it gave road tanker customers the flexibility to opt for a 30°, 45°, 90° or 180° angled outlet. The inlet half of the body is the same across the variants, so spares parts are easier to source and the outlet part of the valve was optional for the customer’s requirements. BUILD IT BETTER One shortfall of the dual body design with regards to tank container use is that this design is only really suited to small capacity tanks. We have now developed the Cleanlift, a hybrid valve using features from both our highly successful Cleanflow and Highlift footvalves. The result is a short-profile, fully lined bottom discharge valve that will fit within the constraints of the tank frame and is suited to larger capacity tanks. Similarly, the Drybulk relief valve is designed for use on dry bulk tank containers and is designed to assist contractors who regularly transport flour, cement or indeed any powdered product. The design of this valve was encouraged by existing clients in the southern hemisphere who wanted to combat some of the problems encountered in their region. Carefully manufactured in stainless steel for maximum corrosion resistance, the Drybulk relief valve will ensure that products will flow out of the tank as easily as they flowed in. Like all Fort Vale valves, it’s easy to maintain and service, with spare parts available globally through the Fort Vale offices and distribution network. Both these products illustrate that we are always listening to our clients and are always looking to improve our products. We are able to design, test and produce equipment on a bespoke basis to help them with the problems they face. *Graham Blanchard is sales and marketing director at Fort Vale. www.fortvale.com

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QUICK OFF THE MARK COMPRESSORS • LIGHTER VEHICLES NEED LIGHTER EQUIPMENT. CHRISTOPHE JOVANI* LOOKS AT WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE SELECTION OF COMPRESSORS FOR PRODUCT DISCHARGE IN RECENT YEARS, trucks and their trailers have become lighter, either through thinner steels, smaller containers or lighter vehicles. Such changes have occurred across the industry as a way for operators to get more out of their assets: if a truck and its container weigh less, then fuel efficiency is improved, operating costs are reduced and payload can be increased. But transport companies are not simply optimising on costs. In the European market, recent regulations, such as Euro 6, have created stricter vehicle standards. The Euro 6 emissions standards are the strictest of the

bunch, and address real-world nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions from diesel trucks with changes to the heavy-duty vehicle test procedures, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. Another part of this mix is the apparatus that aids the bulk transport industry in the European markets – screw compressors. With the latest emissions standards and the trend to go lighter and be more cost- and fuelefficient, screw compressors must also adapt to these requirements to ensure successful adoption in future bulk transport operations.

This article provides the essential elements needed for screw compressors to become the preferred equipment choice in the bulk transport industry. EQUIPMENT TO MATCH With bulk transport operators making weight (and less of it) a priority, screw compressors will also need to be lighter to ensure transport vehicles do not add unnecessarily bulky equipment that will impact their efficiency. Lighter screw compressors, especially for these applications, are possible. One example is the MX12 Screw Compressor from Mouvex®, based in Auxerre, France, a product brand of US-based PSG, a Dover company. The MX12 compressor weighs only 242 lb (110 kg), which allows it to operate on the transport vehicle without impacting its efficiency. Another important facet for transport vehicles, which put a heavy premium on space, is equipment footprint. Having equipment that takes up less space frees it up for additional product storage, which equates to a larger payload between transports. The MX12 also serves as an example of a compressor that has a small footprint. It measures 21.3 to 22.4 inches (541 to 569 mm) long, 13.6 in (346 mm) wide and 17.76 in (451 mm) tall. That footprint allows the MX12 and similar screw compressors to fit on nearly all vehicle chassis without sacrificing space for other equipment or, most importantly, cargo. Another valuable attribute for a screw compressor with a compact footprint and low weight is a design that allows it to fit in nearly any space without compromise. The most optimal design for a screw compressor in these applications is modular. With that kind of design, operators can install the screw compressor easily in a variety of locations. Additionally, a modular design makes it simple for operators to repair, modify or upgrade the screw compressor as needed. SMALL AND RELIABLE A compact, lightweight, modular screw compressor checks the proper boxes for space, but all of these attributes are moot without reliable performance. Screw compressors in bulk transport applications

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

TANKS & LOGISTICS 33

need to provide consistent, reliable performance to help offload a variety of dry bulk or liquid products. Important performance attributes include a fast flow rate, robust pressure and a low inlet speed. A screw compressor that can deliver flow rates up to 4,975 gpm (1,130 m3/hr) will substantially reduce the time it takes to offload a bulk product. For example, if a bulk load requires an hour to offload using a standard screw compressor, having equipment with a high flow rate can do the same job 10 to 30 minutes faster. Having a faster offload process allows operators to finish jobs faster and unload more product every day. With a fast flow rate achieved, a screw compressor also needs to reach and sustain enough air pressure to ensure the integrity of the bulk product delivery through the process. A screw compressor that can reach and maintain 29 psi (2 bar) of air pressure is capable of handling bulk loads of all sizes and consistencies, be it gravel or plastic pellets or finer materials such as sand and flour. Another essential attribute is low inlet speed. The importance of fuel efficiency has already been discussed, and having a low inlet speed provides operators with a screw compressor that will keep fuel costs and consumption low. WHAT TO CONSIDER There are a variety of other features, beyond the essential ones, that bode well for screw compressors in bulk transport applications. One common problem for this equipment in these operations is overheating during operation. This problem will cause a screw compressor to stall, which will hamper the entire offloading procedure. To remedy this, screw compressors should incorporate an oil radiator into the apparatus. Doing so will regulate the screw compressor’s internal temperature so that it won’t stall during operation, which means it won’t be prone to overheating.

 SCREW COMPRESSORS FROM MOUVEX OFFER BENEFITS IN TERMS OF LIGHT WEIGHT, FLEXIBLE FITMENT AND RELIABLE OPERATION IN DRY AND LIQUID BULK DISCHARGE APPLICATIONS

Another consideration is selecting a screw compressor with an anti-vibration design. Compressors of all variations will vibrate as part of their functionality. Vibration is a by-product of compressors, leading many operators to use clamps or mounting brackets to reduce it to manageable levels. The problem with vibration, though, is it causes stress to the compressor itself and can wear it down over time. While clamps or similar components can reduce vibration, finding a screw compressor with an optimised design, especially in bulk transport applications, is ideal to ensure the longevity and reliability of the screw compressor, leading to less downtime throughout its lifetime.

and corrosion in this type of application. The demands for stricter emission requirements and lighter and more compact vehicles likely won’t lose momentum in the near or distant future. Space on these vehicles is at a premium for a reason and essential equipment, such as screw compressors, should not be sacrificed for less effective technology. The Mouvex MX12 is an example of a screw compressor that provides the footprint and performance needed to help operators with their bulk transport needs without the need to compromise on efficiency or functionality. *Christophe Jovani is marketing communications manager, EMEA for Mouvex and PSG; he can be contacted at Christophe.

For liquid cargo delivery, screw compressors should have protectants on their body and screws, and have all interior components constructed from stainless steel to ensure better compatibility with a broad range of chemicals. The components also provide additional protection against abrasion

jovani@psgdover.com. Mouvex was incorporated in 1906 and is a leading manufacturer of positive displacement pumps, screw compressors and hydraulic coolers for use in the refined-fuels, oilfield, energy, food/sanitary, military, transport and chemical process industries. For more information go to mouvex.com or psgdover.com.

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TANKS & LOGISTICS

VAN MOER BUYS DRIVERS

Van Moer Logistics has acquired Holtstieger, a German transport company based in Nettetal in the Ruhr area (right). Holtstieger has 20 trucks, 30 employees and a 5,000-m2 storage area; in 2020 it posted turnover of €4m. Holtstieger specialises in the transport of palletised goods in tautliners but also has a fleet of small ADR vehicles. The acquisition marks Antwerp-based Van Moer’s first move into Germany, where it sees opportunities to expand in chemical transport. “It has always been our strategy to follow our customers, today that brings us in Germany, but it is our ambition to serve them from several international locations,” explains Jo Van Moer, CEO. “The acquisition of Holtstieger is a nice start of our German transport activities, on the long term the intention is to offer the one-stop-shop concept including storage and value-added logistics.” The acquisition is also seen as a bulwark against driver shortages, as Jo Van Moer continues: “In Belgium, we really run up against the limits of the labour market; of our 500 trucks dozens are stationary every day because we simply cannot find drivers. Now we can build up an additional pool of drivers in Germany. In this way, we want to continue to guarantee our services to our customers and to society. We want to avoid scenes like the one we saw in the UK at all costs.” vanmoer.com RINCHEM FINDS A BUYER

Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm active in the infrastructure markets, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Rinchem Co, a specialty warehousing and logistics operator that offers chemical management infrastructure and specialty services for high purity, pre-packaged chemicals and gases in the US, Israel, South Korea and Taiwan.

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

Stonepeak says the transaction represents an opportunity to invest in a high-quality, specialised transport and logistics business serving large, blue-chip customers. Rinchem expects to benefit from Stonepeak’s deep experience owning and growing missioncritical infrastructure businesses globally, particularly in the transport and logistics and digital infrastructure sectors. “Stonepeak has significant experience investing in specialty transport and logistics businesses where we see powerful thematic tailwinds, and we anticipate that our investment in Rinchem will be another great example,” says Luke Taylor, Stonepeak’s senior managing director. “We believe the company’s ability to serve the largest and most technologically advanced chemical suppliers and end markets in the world with a high degree of operational excellence is a true differentiator. We look forward to working closely with Chuck and the team to support the company’s expansion plans and existing customers while also meaningfully growing new relationships.” www.rinchem.com

SUTTONS DEAL GOES THROUGH

Suttons International has completed the acquisition of VTG Tanktainer’s overseas tank container operations, a deal that moves Suttons up into the top ten in the list of tank container operators and opens up new markets, notably in South America. Suttons says logistics planning is already using the larger network, so its existing and new customers will immediately start to see the benefits. “This is a major step in our strategy to grow our international operations, and to improve the value we offer to our customers through improved scale, increased flexibility and additional geographic coverage,” says John Sutton, managing director of Suttons International and CEO of Suttons Group. “We are delighted to welcome our new colleagues transferring across from VTG. In fact, because of the scale of the new business, we are already recruiting additional positions to join us. That is all part of our commitment to growing Suttons International and providing our customers with an exemplary service.” www.suttonsgroup.com

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LEGEND ALIGNS

Legend Logistics (Asia), a wholly owned subsidiary of Legend Logistics Ltd, has been renamed Legend Tank Logistics Pte Ltd. Legend says the name change “represents our business activities more clearly and reflects our focus on bulk liquid logistics and depot management”. “The new name symbolises our dedication to the bulk liquid logistics industry, providing solutions to food-grade, oleochemicals, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical product,” the company adds. All contact details will remain the same. www.legendlogisticsltd.com HENIFF PLUGS IN

Heniff Transportation Systems, a leading US tank trucking firm, has reached an agreement to acquire up to 100 electric trucks. As a first step, it will take 10 Nicola Tre battery electric trucks from Thompson Truck Centers, a member of Nikola Corp’s sales and service dealer network, during the first half of the year. The deal is part of a fleet-as-a-service contract,

under which Thompson will also provide the sales, service, maintenance and energy infrastructure required to operate the trucks. “After visiting with Nikola’s leadership team, touring the new Coolidge, Arizona manufacturing facility, and taking a test ride in the Nikola Tre BEV, we were impressed by the power, performance, engineering and quality of the truck,” says Bob Heniff, CEO of Heniff Transportation. “We see this partnership with Nikola and Thompson as a means to accelerate our strategy for electrification of our fleet and as a positive benefit for our customers, communities, employees and stakeholders.” “With the rapid regulatory changes around electric vehicles, it is important for Thompson to deliver innovative products to our customers that will meet the new standards of zero-emissions for transportation,” states Mark McDonell, COO of Thompson Machinery. “This partnership with Heniff Transportation is an exciting first step in their journey to add zero-emission vehicles in their fleet.” www.heniff.com

NEW LEAD FOR ODYSSEY

Odyssey Logistics & Technology has appointed Keith A Hancock as its new CEO; he moves from his previous role as president, multimodal solutions and corporate development. Robert H Shellman, founder and former president/CEO, has taken the role of chairman of the board and will continue to help with driving the long-term strategy of the company. Cosmo J Alberico has also been promoted and will now act as president/COO, reporting to Hancock. Keith Hancock joined Odyssey in 2010 with the acquisition of Capital Transportation Solutions, where he was president/CEO. Since then, he was instrumental in Odyssey’s acquisition of AFF Global in 2018. “As we emerge from the pandemic with demand at all-time highs across our business segments, I believe this is the optimal time to transition to a new CEO, and I have the utmost confidence in Keith to continue to drive Odyssey to new heights,” Shellman says. www.odysseylogistics.com NEW TANKS FROM ALBATROSS

Albatross Tank-Leasing has launched what it calls an “extensive newbuild programme” for 2022, with the first batch of 26-m3 tanks already in production. The new tanks will feature extra corrosion allowance, enlarged steam heating capacity with 12 runs connected to a heatable bottom outlet flange, full walkway coverage, lids on the compartments and collapsible handrail to ensure that tanks will meet customer requirements for safe handling and operation. The configuration of four horizontal pads in the rear compartment means the tanks can be adapted to most of the loading and discharging requirements to offer a very flexible solution for actual and potential demand without excessive and time-consuming rework. The tanks are now available ex-works in China and from the Rotterdam depot from February. albatross-tanks.de

WWW.HCBLIVE.COM

36 COURSES & CONFERENCES

CONFERENCE DIARY The ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause the cancellation or postponement of many events planned for the next few months and many organisers are taking their events online. HCB is doing its best to keep on top of developments but readers should check the dates and locations shown below as things change rapidly.

FEBRUARY Internationale Gefahrgut-Tage Hamburg 2021 FEBRUARY 14-15, HAMBURG 37th annual conference on dangerous goods transport (German language) www.ecomed-storck.de/Veranstaltungen/ Internationale-Gefahrgut-Tage-HamburgVeranstaltung-Hamburg-14-15-02-2022.html Battery Recycling Europe FEBRUARY 16-17, LONDON Conference for the battery recycling and manufacturing sectors www.wplgroup.com/aci/event/battery-recyclingeurope/ International Energy Week FEBRUARY 22-24, VIRTUAL/LONDON Annual week of meetings, conferences and seminars (formerly ‘IP Week’) www.ieweek.co.uk

MARCH PPC Spring Meeting MARCH 6-8, TUCSON Bi-annual meeting and tradeshow of the Petroleum Packaging Council www.ppcouncil.org/upcoming-meetings.php AFPM Annual Meeting MARCH 13-15, NEW ORLEANS AFPM’s annual meeting for refiners and marketers www.afpm.org/events/2d323f000003c1 Intermodal South America MARCH 15-17, SÃO PAULO/HYBRID 26th annual international exhibition on intermodal logistics, cargo transport and international trade www.intermodal.com.br/en Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Energy Summit MARCH 16-17, PORTO Conference to discuss innovations in hydrogen and fuel cell technology, production and transport www.wplgroup.com/aci/event/hydrogen-fuel-cellsenergy-summit/

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

LNG Congress Russia MARCH 16-17, MOSCOW Eighth annual congress and exhibition on developments in Russian and Arctic LNG www.lngrussiacongress.com/en AHMP National Conference MARCH 19-23, LAS VEGAS Annual conference of the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals www.ahmpnet.org/events/EventDetails.aspx Tanks and Terminals 2022 MARCH 21-23, DUBAI Third annual conference and workshop on integrity management of aboveground storage tanks www.marcusevans-conferences-middleeastern. com/marcusevans-conferences-event-details. asp?EventID=26765&SectorID=42#.YZvCdlPLdMA 2+2 MARCH 22-25, SAN FRANCISCO Joint event by the International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and Transport Logistic to discuss innovation in the logistics sector www.aircargoforum.org/conference/2plus2/ BADGP MARCH 24, COVENTRY Annual AGM and seminar of the British Association of Dangerous Goods Professionals www.badgp.org/event-4561498 AFPM IPC MARCH 27-29, SAN ANTONIO AFPM’s annual International Petrochemical Conference www.afpm.org/events/2d321600000fbc

Nor-Shipping APRIL 4-7, OSLO Biennial exhibition for the global maritime industry http://nor-shipping.com/ COSTHA 2022 APRIL 4-8, VIRTUAL Annual forum and expo of the Council on Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles www.costha.com Achema APRIL 4-8, FRANKFURT Exhibition and conference for the specialty chemicals sector www.achema.de LogiPharma APRIL 5-7, NICE Conference on the end-to-end pharmaceutical supply chain logipharmaeu.wbresearch.com NISTM APRIL 13-15, ORLANDO National Institute for Storage Tank Management’s 25th annual international aboveground storage tank conference and trade show www.nistm.org NTTC Annual Conference APRIL 23-26, SAN DIEGO 73rd annual conference and exhibition of the National Tank Truck Carriers www.tanktruck.org/Public/Events/Annual%20 Conference%20and%20Exhibits/Public/Events/ Annual-Conference---Exhibits.aspx

LogiChem MARCH 29-31, ROTTERDAM Chemical supply chain and logistics conference http://logichem.wbresearch.com/

UKIFDA Expo 2022 APRIL 27-28, LIVERPOOL Annual exhibition for the fuel distribution sector in the UK and Ireland (formerly FPS Expo) https://ukifda.org/ukifda-expo/

APRIL

MAY

CVSA Workshop APRIL 3-7, BELLEVUE, WA Meeting for industry, regulators and enforcers to improve commercial vehicle safety www.cvsa.org/events/cvsa-workshop/

ChemUK 2022 MAY 11-12, BIRMINGHAM Supply chain expo and conference for the UK chemical industry www.chemicalukexpo.com/

COURSES & CONFERENCES 37

UKIFDA EXPO 2022 – THE REUNION

The UK and Ireland’s premier event for the Fuel Distribution Industry including the leading future fuels conference.

April 27th & 28th | Exhibition Centre Liverpool

ukifda.org/ukifda-expo

Register to attend NOW by visiting: ukifda.org/expo-registration For more information, contact the UKIFDA team on: +44 (0)7860 773952 or visit ukifda.org/ukifda-expo Looking to sponsor or exhibit at the show? Contact Alison Dickson on: +44 (0)7946 379997

Sponsored by WWW.HCBLIVE.COM

INCIDENT LOG ROAD/RAIL/AIR INCIDENTS Date

Location

Vehicle Type

Substance

Details

Source

sulphuric acid

Road tanker with 16,500 litres sulphuric acid skidded, overturned on shoulder of Kuala Pilah-Batu Kikir road; tank barrel ruptured in two places, spilling 98% acid to road; berms in place to prevent acid reaching river

Bernama

10/12/21 Kroonstad, road tanker fuel FS, South Africa

Road tanker with unspecified fuel collided head-on with truck on N1 highway near Kroonstad; fire broke out, with one vehicle in middle of road, which had to be closed to traffic on southbound side

Sowetan Live

11/12/21 nr Montreal, road tanker diesel Quebec, Canada

Tanker truck with diesel rolled over on Highway 640, spilling cargo to roadway and surrounding area; road closed while police and crews from the Environment Ministry cleared up to the fuel

CTV

12/12/21 Onitsha, road tanker LPG Anambra, Nigeria

Road tanker with LPG exploded at filling station, spreading fire to other filling stations, workshops nearby; several vehicles, houses also damaged by fire but no casualties reported; police cordoned area off

SINA

13/12/21 Cap-Haïtien, road tanker gasoline Haiti

Road tanker with gasoline overturned, exploded in a fireball, engulfing cars and homes and killing more than 50 people; dozens more injured; local hospitals overwhelmed; survivors seen scooping spilt fuel from wreck

14/12/21 Haverhill, road tanker heating oil Massachusetts, US

Fire broke out as tanker loaded home heating oil at Broco Energy depot; fire spread to five other vehicles, all of which were destroyed; fire was knocked down in an hour with no casualties reported

Boston Globe

15/12/21 Damongo, road tanker fuel Savannah, Ghana

Road tanker with more than 30,000 litres unspecified fuel caught fire, possibly after tyres caught alight, close to bus terminal; nearby residents fled but fire was brought under control without injuries

Modern Ghana

21/12/21 Kingston, road tanker propane Ontario, Canada

LPG tanker rolled over on Battersea Road causing minor leak of propane that was quickly brought under control; driver hurt in crash; road closed for several hours as remaining cargo was transferred

CTV

22/12/21 Athol, road tanker diesel Massachusetts, US

Goguen Transportation tank truck overturned on bridge over Millers River, spilling some 6,000 gal (22.7 m3) diesel; booms deployed downstream in calmer water, vacuum trucks brought in to clear up spill

Greenf’d Recorder

22/12/21 N Richland Hills, road tanker fuel Texas, US

Tank truck collided with empty truck on I-820, sparking fire that burned for several hours; one driver died, the other seriously hurt; highway closed while debris was cleared; police investigating

NBC

24/12/21 Fremont, road tanker gasoline California, US

Tank truck overturned on I-680, crashed into wall, causing major spill; some 100 nearby homes evacuated; northbound lanes closed while remaining cargo was transferred; no injuries reported

24/12/21 Mutare, road tanker fuel Manica, Zimbabwe

Bus swerved to avoid pedestrian in the road, crashed into oncoming fuel tanker, which exploded; fire spread to both vehicles, killing five people, including three bus passengers; 60 more injured

New Zimbabwe

25/12/21 Chouparan, road tanker LPG Jharkand, India

Gas tanker overturned, exploded on GT Road, cause unclear; at least three killed in blast, several vehicles badly damaged in resulting fire; traffic was halted while wreck was cleared

The Telegraph

27/12/21 Visakhapatnam, road tanker LPG AP, India

Gas tanker overturned in Parawada area as driver was parking near IOC bottling plant; as responders were lifting the truck, a hole developed in the tank, leaking LPG; nearby residents evacuated

Times of India

6/1/22

Surat, road tanker chemicals Gujarat, India

Road tanker parked near factory developed leak from valve; toxic gas escaped; six factory workers died, 22 hospitalised; not known what the chemical was but it was said to be being discharged illegally

PTI

8/1/22

Sanandaj, road tanker fuel Kurdistan, Iran

Road tanker overturned in Hosseinabad area; unspecified fuel cargo caught fire; driver killed; burning fuel spilled to nearby village, spreading fire that killed two residents, caused further damage

Tasnim

9/12/21 Seremban, road tanker NS, Malaysia

MARINE/INLAND WATERWAY INCIDENTS Date

Location

Vessel

Substance

Details

Source

21/11/21 Volga Caspian Abeskun crude oil Canal, Russia

Product tanker (965 dwt, 1970), reportedly with cargo of crude oil for Astrakhan, grounded in sea canal; no leak reported; tug on site same day to assist with refloating; some delays to canal traffic

FleetMon

18/12/21 Mongla, Monowara fuel oil Bangladesh

Coastal tanker with fuel oil collided with underwater wreck in Mongla port area; ballast tank breached, causing water ingress; tanker resting on bottom (or wreck); cargo transferred to another vessel

FleetMon

24/12/21 Bahamas Tropic Breeze LPG, gasoil

Tanker (750 dwt, 1989), carrying LPG and fuel to Great Stirrup Cay, was rear-ended by super-yacht Utopia IV; tanker’s stern was pierced, causing it to sink; all crew rescued; authorities investigating

Maritime Executive

6/1/22

Product tanker (600 dwt, 2014) grounded on rocky embankment in mouth of Karnafuli River in dense fog; tanker listing but no leaks reported; refloated on high tide

FleetMon

Chittagong, Fazilat oil Bangladesh

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

SAFETY 39

MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS Date

Location

Details

Source

Four killed, four injured by explosion of anti-personnel mine during detonation of decommissioned munitions; similar accident killed one worker in May 2019; investigation underway

Romania Journal

21/11/21 Pearl Harbor, tank farm fuel oil Hawaii, US

Underground storage tank at US Navy’s Red Hill facility developed a leak, spilling some 14,000 gal (53 m3) fuel/water mixture to drain line; later reports suggest some off-site impact

Maritime Executive

23/11/21 Belgrade, Serbia

munitions explosives factory

At least two killed, 16 injured by massive explosion in warehouse of munitions factory just south of Belgrade; warehouse, used to store rockets, was completely destroyed, leaving a crater; homes nearby suffered damage

27/11/21 Dzerzhinsk, Russia

munitions explosives factory

Two workers injured in explosion at Sverdlov munitions factory near Nizhny Novgorod; reports indicate there were several explosions at the site, used to produce explosives, munitions and industrial chemicals

TASS

1/12/21 Skikda, oil refinery oil Algeria

Nine workers injured by fire that broke out during routine maintenance work at Sonatrach refinery; production not affected by the incident, which was brought under control quickly

APS

1/12/21 Noakhali, Bangladesh

fireworks explosives factory

Three people killed, another three badly hurt by explosion at illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in house; part of the building was blown off in the blast, other buildings damaged; police investigating

News18

6/12/21 Felipe Ángeles, Puebla, Mexico

fireworks gunpowder factory

Six people killed, nine injured by explosion at illegal fireworks factory at house in Santiago Tenango; two of those who died were children; at least six other homes were severely damaged

MND

9/12/21 Catriel, Río Negro, pipeline crude oil Argentina

Major spill of oil reported from Oleoductos del Valle trunk line; affected area cordoned off, line repaired, spill cleaned up, though significant decontamination work needed to remedy environmental damage

Merco Press

16/12/21 Panchmahal, Gujarat, India

Five workers killed, 15 injured in explosion following fire that broke out at Gujarat Fluorochemicals plant in Ranjitnagar; responders continued to comb the devastated plant looking for survivors and injured workers

News18

Three workers killed, more than 40 injured by flash fire on gasoline unit at IOC refinery during maintenance shutdown; many of the casualties said to be contract workers; fire extinguished by site responders

Indian Express

18/11/21 Babeni, Vâlcea, Romania

Plant type

Substance

weapons mine factory

chemical chemicals plant

21/12/21 Haldia, oil refinery gasoline W Bengal, India

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BUMPS AND SCRAPES TANK CONTAINERS • DISRUPTED SUPPLY CHAINS HAVE RAISED SOME NEW SAFETY ISSUES IN THE USE OF TANK CONTAINERS, AS TT CLUB’S LATEST CLAIMS ANALYSIS ILLUSTRATES INCREASED USE OF tank containers to carry chemicals and other liquids in the primary east-west trades during the Covid-19 pandemic, prompted by changes in delivery patterns and customer behaviour, have altered the risk profile in the use of tank containers. While in previous years there has been a consistent dominance of contamination as the major source of losses for tank container operators, latest figures show that impact incidents are now the main cause. That is the conclusion of an analysis of 2020 claims by the TT Club, which is responsible for insuring more than half the global tank container fleet. That analysis showed that impact damage accounted for 36 per cent of all claims, while internal pitting corrosion accounted for 27 per cent and contamination, previously the major cause, had fallen to 18 per cent. “The most significant trend we see is the relative increase in claims originating from impact incidents and from pitting of the tank’s internal steel surface,” says Mike Yarwood, managing director of loss prevention at TT Club. “Historically we have experienced higher levels of contamination-related claims.” The increased occurrence of impacts involving tanks would seem to be a factor of higher container volumes handled at maritime and intermodal terminals, as some 63 per cent of recorded claims shows impact incidents occurring at these locations. “Volume increases at terminals, and

 HAVING MORE TANK CONTAINERS HANDLED IN TERMINALS RAISES THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGE, TT CLUB THINKS

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

associated congestion puts additional pressure on operators of handling equipment to achieve greater throughput levels. This effect, exacerbated by many tanks being ‘super-heavy’, has elevated risk,” Yarwood says. Road traffic accidents, at 24 per cent, are the second highest cause of impact damage to tank containers with a higher proportion occurring in the Americas (almost 50 per cent) despite this region accounting for only 21 per cent of total impact-related damage incidents. A further 7 per cent of impact damage was caused by rollover incidents. OPERATOR BEWARE Of those claims involving pitting damage, an overwhelming proportion occurred in Asia (87 per cent), and the majority involved hazardous materials (59 per cent). Yarwood comments:

“While there is a plethora of potential causes for this damage, there is currently no identifiable trend causing the increase in claim frequency. It would however be prudent for operators to be mindful of this exposure; ensuring where possible tanks are prioritised for cleaning once in an ‘empty dirty’ state and considering more regular inspections.” The lower incidence of contamination shown in this latest analysis compared with previous years can also be explained by the increased volumes of trade, capacity restrictions and the beginning of serious congestion experienced in recent years. “An assumption that one could reasonably reach, given the supply chain constraints, is that consignees are arguably more willing to accept cargoes, even where they suspect a negligible contamination issue, on the basis that replacing the product from its supplier could be complex and time consuming,” Yarwood suggests. To help avoid incidents in the use of tank containers, TT Club offers some advice and guidance, especially its StopLoss publication on the subject, published in 2020. That can be freely downloaded from the Club’s website at www.ttclub.com/news-and-resources/ publications/stoploss/stoploss-tankcontainers/. This past December it also issued an alert on the mis-classification of divinylbenzene in tank container shipments from China to Europe and the US. www.ttclub.com

SAFETY 41

to be adopting this important industry solution. We have been a strong advocate of this kind of screening approach for some time and are glad to be one of the first companies to adopt this new technology. The key criteria for moving to Hazcheck Detect was the desire to have a common screening approach for all major container lines to help avoid undeclared cargo rejected by one line being presented again as a booking to another line. Hazcheck Detect, with three major container lines on board, is well on the way to creating this common industry solution. We are extremely pleased to be working alongside NCB and Exis in this venture and we encourage all other major container lines to engage with the service.”

DETECTING MIS- AND UNDECLARED dangerous goods is key to removing their scourge from the international containerised chain. Some shipping lines have introduced their own screening tools but, as has been pointed out before, rogue shippers may just book with another line that is not so picky. And with the nature of the liner shipping industry, that may mean that the mis-declared goods end up on the first line’s ship, with all the hazards that it presents. In order to provide the industry with a common platform to avoid these issues, Exis Technologies last year introduced Hazcheck

sector. It was rapidly taken up by Maersk Line and Ocean Network Express (ONE) and has now also been adopted by Hapag-Lloyd. Hapag-Lloyd has been a customer of National Cargo Bureau (NCB) and its subsidiary Exis Technologies’ Hazcheck Systems for many years, using the Hazcheck IMDG Code validation tools for declared dangerous goods cargo in its booking processes. NCB has worked closely with Hapag-Lloyd on container inspections, including the line in its 2018 container inspections safety initiative, an industry project to gather more in-depth data on

JOIN THE GANG Hazcheck Detect scans all cargo booking details for keywords and includes an industry library to enable suspicious bookings to be identified that may be mis-declared or undeclared dangerous goods or other compliance cargo. The service is interactive, allowing non-compliant cargo to be detected within seconds rather than days. Last minute changes to bookings, declarations, Bills of Lading and shipping instructions can be picked up in real time. This immediate response helps to prevent such cargo from being loaded onto a ship, thereby avoiding the risk of fires at sea. Ian Lennard, president of NCB, says: “We are delighted that Hapag-Lloyd has adopted Hazcheck Detect for their cargo screening, joining Maersk and ONE, the existing customers. It is a major boost that this industry solution will be used by a top container line with a long history of experience and interest in cargo screening themselves. Hapag-Lloyd was a trail-blazer in the creation of an industry solution with common rules. Working with container lines like Hapag-Lloyd will help us to further develop the tool using machine learning and AI techniques to enhance the screening processes as part of our not for profit mission,

Detect to its suite of online offerings for the

container safety. The screening of containers to prevent dangerous goods from being loaded onto ships in the first place is a topic that both companies have been working on intensively for some time. Ken Rohlmann, senior director, dangerous goods at Hapag-Lloyd, says: “We are pleased

Safety of Life and Cargo at Sea. Data across our Hazcheck tools will help us enhance the screening process using validation results and feedback from container inspections, helping with safety throughout the whole dangerous goods shipping process.” existec.com/product-category/hazcheck/detect/

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? CONTAINERS • WITH HAPAG-LLOYD NOW ON BOARD, HAZCHECK DETECT IS PLAYING A MAJOR ROLE IN ADDRESSING THE PERENNIAL PROBLEM OF MISDECLARED AND UNDECLARED DANGEROUS GOODS

 WITH HAPAG-LLOYD AS ITS THIRD MAJOR CONTAINER LINE USER, HAZCHECK DETECT IS NOW WELL ON ITS WAY TO OFFERING AN INDUSTRY-WIDE CARGO SCREENING SOLUTION

WWW.HCBLIVE.COM

LEST WE FORGET AMMONIUM NITRATE • THE 2020 BEIRUT EXPLOSION WAS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR MANY AROUND THE WORLD. A RECENT WEBINAR EXAMINED THE CURRENT SITUATION AND HOW IT CAN BE IMPROVED THE MASSIVE EXPLOSION in the port of Beirut in August 2020 was devastating and deadly – but not unprecedented. Sadly, lessons had not been learned from other, similar incidents in the past. In an attempt to make sure that those lessons are learned now, to prevent incidents in the future, a one-day webinar was organised by the UN and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), at the behest initially of the EU, to discuss best practice and experience in the management of the risks

“Major accidents involving ammonium nitrate and ammonium nitrate-based fertilisers are neither uncommon nor new. But such accidents can be prevented, and their impacts mitigated by using available tools,” stressed UN ECE Deputy Executive Secretary Dmitry Mariyasin to the more than 500 stakeholders from around the world who attended the event. He also stressed that the lessons of ammonium nitrate explosions are relevant to other high-hazard sectors and products.

presented by ammonium nitrate during storage and transport.

While there were plenty of attendees from the developing world, all regions face risks. There have been many examples of major incidents in the developed world, notably the Toulouse fertiliser plant explosion in France some 20 years ago, the 2013 explosion at the West Fertilizer plant in Texas, the catastrophic

 BEIRUT’S PORT AREA WAS DEVASTATED BY THE AMMONIUM NITRATE EXPLOSION IN AUGUST 2020

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

blast in Tianjin port in 2015 and, going back further, an explosion at the BASF plant in Oppau, Germany 100 years ago. Those accidents have all provided lessons that can be used to improve safety in the handling of ammonium nitrate in the supply chain and the seminar aimed to provide a bridge between the various industrial sectors and nations involved, allowing expertise and knowledge to be exchanged. The Beirut blast was the trigger for this event but investigations have revealed some significant similarities between that and the Tianjin port explosion; the major blast that in both cases caused tremendous damage and loss of life was indeed ammonium nitrate, badly stored, but the initial fires that led to those explosions involved something else – nitrocellulose in Tianjin and, in all likelihood, fireworks in Beirut. COMMON CAUSE Some basic information on the hazards presented by ammonium nitrate (AN) and AN-based fertilisers was provided by Michael Struckl, vice-chair of the UN ECE Industrial Accidents Convention’s bureau, who stressed the importance of the proper classification of AN mixtures and the effective training of all

SAFETY 43

employees who work with these products. Land-use planners also need to be more aware – the pattern of industrial and residential development side-by-side has revealed significant risks to nearby populations in many incidents. But, he said, administrative structures are often complex, which can make it hard to prepare effective response plans. Struckl also highlighted that cross-border impacts need to be recognised and addressed in any risk management process. This point was picked up by Zahi Chahine, head of Lebanon’s disaster risk management unit, who said that disasters always start at the local level and there is a need to have sufficient response capacity available. But, for a country like Lebanon, the response from the wider global community to the Beirut disaster was crucial, he said. Maureen Wood of the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Centre looked at 23 major AN incidents over the past 100 or so years, of which around half took place during transport or storage. Their details were, she said, remarkably similar: contamination of the AN during storage or transport and a lack of effective firefighting in place. Industry needs to implement proper storage and handling practices to avoid the potential for contamination – and for one thing this means not storing AN in wooden crates. As an example, Wood discussed the incident at the AZF fertiliser factory in Toulouse, France in September 2001. In this case, the material involved was off-spec and was being collected for return. This involved the participation of different sub-contractors to collect, remove and unload the product, resulting in a chaotic operation. The site had undertaken risk assessments but the scenarios used did not include downgraded AN. Moreover, there were no nitrogen oxide detectors in place that could have alerted the operator to the decomposition of the material

a lot of AN stored at the site (more than it was permitted for), a lack of monitors and alarms at the plant, and a longstanding lack of communication between the owner and local responders. The explosion killed 15 people, mostly volunteer firefighters, unaware of the contents of the building. Clearly the lessons from Toulouse had not been learned, Wood said.

prior to the explosion. That incident involved between 200 and 300 tonnes of granular AN; the explosion killed 31 people, injured more than 2,400 and resulted in damages valued at some €2.3bn. The explosion at the West Fertilizer plant in Texas in April 2013 was similar: there was

and for safety distances to residential areas and public transport. It is clear that the incident in Beirut happened at a site where none of these provisions was observed. The warehouse contained around 2,750 tonnes of AN, haphazardly piled in big bags, in close

TAKE IT ONBOARD The EU did learn some lessons from the Toulouse accident, introducing changes to the Seveso Directive (in 2003/105/EC) that more tightly defined the thresholds for different types of AN, including fertiliser-grade (two classifications), explosives-grade and off-specification material. The EU also responded to the Beirut explosion, asking all national competent authorities to check AN storage facilities; these were mostly found to be in good order but, Wood said, these lessons need to be learned more widely – this was the very point of the webinar. More detailed technical information was provided by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Materials Research and Testing (BAM), whose Heike Michael-Schulz explained that the explosive power of AN is, in its pure form, around half that of TNT. However, contaminated AN can have an explosive power much greater than TNT. Even a small degree of contamination can, tests found, cause very rapid deflagration at a temperature of 180°C and can easily move to a detonation explosion. In terms of storage requirements, Germany classifies AN material into one of five groups, the most stringent of these, for detonatable material, requires packaged AN to be stored in sub-sets of no more than 25 tonnes and with sufficient distance between sub-sets so that, in the event of a detonation, there is no direct impact on other sub-sets. There are also specifications for warehouse construction

proximity to a stock of fireworks. That we know so much about what happened in Beirut is due in no small part to an investigation by Forensic Architecture, which put together a 12-minute video, aggregating a lot of publicly available images from CCTV and smartphones, that allowed a thorough analysis of where the fire started and how it spread through the warehouse. That video, well worth watching, is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=SuE7dh3bi4I&t=6s. AVAILABLE TOOLS A major aim of the webinar was to disseminate to countries less prepared to deal with an AN explosion or similar event the tools that already exist to prevent them in the first place. To do that, Rosa Garcia Couto, scientific affairs officer at UN ECE’s Sustainable Transport Division, and Franziska Hirsch, secretary of the Industrial Accidents Convention, UNECE, ran through some of the legal instruments and recommendations provided by the UN and OECD. There are many instruments that refer to general chemical safety, they said, identifying the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (the ‘Model Regulations’), the Globally Harmonised System of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS) and the Manual of Tests and Criteria. Hazard characterisation is the first step to identifying appropriate safety measures, they stressed, and it is important that these instruments are applied. In addition, the speakers mentioned the UN ECE Industrial Accidents Convention, which contains provisions for the storage of dangerous chemicals, including threshold limits; the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Recommendations on the Safe Transport of Dangerous Cargoes and Related Activities in Port Areas (MSC.1/ Circ.1216); the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Flexible Framework for addressing chemical accident prevention and preparedness; and a number of other mechanisms, regulations and directives. More specifically, the UN ECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents lists hazardous substances

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(including AN and mixtures thereof) and sets obligations for “hazardous activities” that could cause an effect across national boundaries, including those that migrate via waterways. It promotes international cooperation in accident prevention, preparedness and response, and supports policy-making and industrial safety governance. UN ECE has developed a set of guideline documents and has an ongoing project involving capacity building and information sharing. The Convention is also the legal instrument for risk reduction under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. OECD has its own set of recommendations that are available for use by member states and other countries, accompanied by an Assistance and Cooperation Programme to support countries in eastern and southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and central Asia. It offers online information on land-use planning and best practices in industrial safety and was to hold a hybrid seminar on good practices in implementation in early February. The organisation also has a number of legal instruments relating to chemical accidents,

covering: prevention, preparedness and response; the provision of information to the public and public participation in decisionmaking; the exchange of information concerning accidents capable of causing trans-boundary damage; and the application of the polluter-pays principle. These instruments are now under review with the aim of consolidating them. MORE TOOLS The International Labour Organisation (ILO) also has several conventions in place, as Manal Azzi, global team leader on occupational safety and health (OSH) at ILO, explained. These have been developed by states, workers and employers and have a greater focus on worker safety. They are also designed to offer models for adoption by states in their domestic legislation. Azzi observed that the problem is not so much in the area of regulating safety but in enforcing the regulations that exist. Countries have to put in sufficient resources to have inspectors available and properly trained in order to reduce hazards to workers. After the Beirut explosion, ILO embarked on a gap analysis to identify what else is needed

in terms of OSH and accident prevention, specifically for Lebanon. This aims to generate a national OSH profile and a series of interactive training workshops to address concerns identified in the gap analysis. These workshops will target specific stakeholder groups in the country that are critical to chemical safety and accident prevention. ILO also has technical material relating to OSH, Sound Chemicals Management and their synergies with GHS. It put together a global review of the burden of chemical exposure and health impacts at work, looking at regional trends, gender issues and priority action areas. Antti Nironen, technical officer at IMO’s Maritime Safety Division, explained that IMO develops its regulations on the basis of proposals and input from its member states; their implementation, however, is the responsibility of the various national maritime administrations. He ran through the changes that appeared in the 2007 revision of the Recommendations on the Safe Transport of Dangerous Cargoes and Related Activities in Port Areas, which highlighted inter alia the importance of land use planning, with specific attention to certain dangerous cargoes and to the location of warehouses and terminals. It also requires minimum training standards to be established and enforced, introduces security provisions, and sets out the responsibilities of regulatory authorities, port authorities, vessels, berth operators and other stakeholders. It also includes specific recommendations for dangerous goods in packaged form, liquid bulk dangerous goods (including liquefied gases) and solid bulk dangerous goods. Nironen pointed out that the Recommendations do not apply to long-term storage but they do apply to cargoes that are held temporarily in the port area as part of the transport chain. The definition of “temporarily” was certainly stretched in the case of the Beirut explosion. Industry also has its portfolio of initiatives, codes and guidance, as set out in a joint presentation by Fertilizers Europe, the

 IMO HAS REVISED IT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE STORAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS IN PORT AREAS

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Institute of Makers of Explosives (IME) and the Australasian Explosives Industry Safety Group (AEISG). These specialised bodies have long experience in working with AN and share that with their members; it is also available to external parties. Fertilizers Europe, for example, has published many guidance documents, some covering difficult issues such as the compatibility of blending materials and the safe handling and use of non-conforming solid fertilisers; its sister body in the US, the Fertilizer Institute, has published safety and security guidelines for the storage and transport of fertiliser-grade AN. IME was founded in 1913 and promotes safety and the protection of people and the environment through a library of publications as well as advocacy and outreach. WHO DOES WHAT In the wake of the Beirut explosion, UN ECE carried out a survey under the aegis of the Industrial Accidents Convention, to see how countries around the world had responded and how their domestic measures stack up against the weight of available information. The results of that survey were presented by Joseph Orangias, consultant to the secretariat of the Convention. The secretariat received 101 submissions in total, of which 66 contained usable data; responses came from all around the world and from various different national authorities as well as from academia and industry. Notably, 30 countries had taken action since the Beirut explosion. These included: • Carrying out more inspections of facilities housing AN and AN-based fertilisers to ensure compliance • Following up on non-compliant facilities and suspected irregularities • Initiating media discussions, including how Covid-19 might impact such accidents • Awareness raising among local communities • Establishing expert groups for AN

 AMMONIUM NITRATE ACCIDENTS ARE ALL TOO COMMON, DESPITE THERE BEING PLENTY OF GUIDANCE AVAILABLE

management, risk investigations in ports and the development of recommendations, and • Identifying a need for inventories in the storage and transport of hazardous substances. It was evident from the survey that most countries apply multiple international instruments and have their own national legislation and regulations, some of which are specific to AN. Some countries divide this regulatory process between national, sub-national and local levels and it can be a challenge to ensure national harmonisation. There is no common definition of ‘intermediate’ or ‘temporary’ storage, Orangias reported. Rules and exclusions may apply on the basis of location, the duration of storage, threshold quantities and the properties of the hazardous substance or mixture, although there is often a general requirement to remove hazardous substances from port areas as soon as practicable. Synthesising the results, Orangias identified some examples of good practice, such as limiting the quantity of AN per ship within ports, having water and pumping facilities available to fight fires, ensuring port workers are aware of the risks and the regulations,

and conducting preventative checks and regular training for port workers. The challenge is to ensure that those good practices are known, understood and thoroughly applied in all ports. As a result of the survey, UN ECE has come up with some suggestions as to how AN risk management can be enhanced worldwide: • There is a need to widen knowledge and understanding of the different types of AN in commerce, and their behaviour during a fire • Traceability and inventory systems should be developed and maintained • More knowledge is needed on the risks related to contamination of AN and its co-storage with other chemicals • Coordination across relevant authorities and with industry should be improved • More training of workers is needed on accident prevention, preparedness and response • Public awareness should be enhanced in terms of the hazards and risks of AN and appropriate emergency response • Knowledge sharing and information exchange across countries can be enhanced • Wider awareness of international and

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national instruments and recommendations is needed, and • International organisations should raise awareness and provide assistance to countries to help strengthen their preventative measures and response capabilities. HOW ARE WE DOING Orangias’ presentation was followed by a series of papers looking at how different countries legislate and regulate the storage and transport of AN and what those countries have done since the Beirut explosion to improve safety and security. For instance, Claude Pfauvadel of France’s Ministry of Ecological Transition explained that a multi-agency mission was set up to verify the current situation and make recommendations for change; these have included the revision of the size of stockpiles and separation distances (still in draft form for consultation) and the possibility of developing a national framework for the regulation of inland ports, which are currently covered by local rules. Speakers from Estonia and Lithuania

highlighted the requirements for land-use planning in respect of AN facilities and storage. Richard Bilman of AEISG noted that states and territories in Australia all have their own standards, which can lead to confusion and inconsistencies; AEISG has developed a best practice document that is due for publication in 2022, based on risk assessments, that it hopes will standardise the provisions. Philipe Pontes Barbeiro, representing Brazil’s National Environmental Agency (Ibama), reported that the country had already been looking at the risks following a massive release of nitrous fumes from the Global Logística plant in São Francisco do Sul in 2013, which involved AN, ammonium diphosphate and potassium chloride; there was no explosion – which was just as well since there was some 10,000 tonnes of material at the plant – but a massive evacuation and chaotic response. After the Beirut explosion, a multi-agency task force was established; it started work by investigating the area around Santos and found two sites holding AN that needed

improvement. The task force has since then extended its investigations to other ports in Brazil. “The Beirut explosion woke up South Africa,” said Jurie van Staden, section commander of explosives control at the South African Police Service (SAPS). The Ministry of Transport (MOT) set up a task group with the Responsible Packaging Manufacturing Association of Southern Africa (RPMASA), with five expert work groups looking at: • Data gathering – the what, where and how much of dangerous goods storage • Legal – undertaking a gap analysis • Monitoring and enforcement – looking to improve collaboration and remove duplication of effort • Risk assessment – making sure this is done properly, not just a box-ticking process, and • Training and awareness. What the work groups found was that there are various overlapping mandates shared across different ministries, each with its own systems. These needed to be linked to avoid repetition and the duplication of work. It was also found that some rules are out of date. “We need to drag down the silos and work together and improve legislation,” van Staden said. South African is also looking to benchmark itself against other countries and learn about best practice around the world. From the US, Lisa Long, director of the Office of Engineering Safety at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), explained that a national working group had been set up following the West Fertilizer explosion and it has continued its work, going wider than its original focus on AN risks. She reported that different industries using AN are at different levels of sophistication in terms of safety management. Smaller operators, such as agricultural co-operatives, may have difficulty with complying with the various requirements. And she also noted that AN is often hard to classify accurately and that its behaviour can vary widely.

 AMMONIUM NITRATE IS A VITAL COMPONENT OF FERTILISERS AND EXPLOSIVES, BUT NEEDS TO BE UNDERSTOOD

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WRAPPING UP It seemed clear after all the presentations that the situation is clear: there is plenty of knowledge and guidance out there and safety in the storage and transport of AN in all its forms can be improved through the dissemination of that knowledge and guidance. It is a matter of generating awareness among those who need to know, including port operators, whether that is guiding them to the right place to find the right information or just making them aware of the risks they are handling. Kishore Shah, consultant for Fertilizers Europe, began to bring things to a close with a statement, noting that in the explosives sector the risks are well understood and operators are generally very responsible. The fertiliser business, on the other hand, is open to a much larger community. “There is plenty of guidance available – but we need to get that out to those handling the product,” he said. Responsible manufacturers know that they need to work with experienced and similarly responsible transport operators, Shah pointed out. But there are a lot of merchants and less scrupulous shipowners active in the movement of AN, as the Beirut explosion proved. There is a need, agreed Rachel McCann, chair of the OECD Working Party on Chemical Accidents, to cooperate more, share knowledge and ensure the application of best practice across the supply chain. The event was brought to a final conclusion by Torill Tandberg of Norway’s Directorate for Civil Protection. She began by saying that strengthening implementation of and compliance with legal and policy instruments already in place that address hazardous substances, including AN, and related accident prevention, preparedness and response is essential. National authorities, with the involvement of all stakeholders must ensure a multi-hazard approach to disaster risk reduction, with a continued emphasis on accident prevention. Furthermore, past incidents show that having good preparedness and response plans

 AN EXPLOSION INVOLVING AMMONIUM NITRATE CAN DEVASTATE A WIDE AREA

in place pays off when a disaster strikes. On-site contingency plans must be developed and implemented by industry, while off-site plans, developed by public authorities in collaboration with industry and local communities, must likewise be regularly tested. In addition, land-use planners need to take risk assessments into account and be alert to trans-boundary effects. Countries also need to ensure stringent inspection and enforcement activities are developed and maintained. On a technical level, more work needs to be done to differentiate the various types of AN and AN-based fertilisers, their characteristics and behaviours in a fire. A focus on intermediate or temporary storage should disentangle the often overlapping regulations and responsibilities, which calls for different authorities to work together and align their

public living nearby, including in neighbouring countries. Cooperation and coordination across national and with local authorities is essential given the number of regulations that apply and authorities that oversee AN and AN-based fertilisers throughout their lifecycles, as well as with industry, stakeholders and the public. Finally, further experience exchange and knowledge sharing is important, Tandberg concluded. International organisations have an important role in facilitating this, in identifying good practices and in supporting countries with their policy making, governance and training. Clearly this is not the last we will hear of work towards making the ammonium nitrate supply chain safer; UN ECE, OECD, UNEP and other bodies have work underway and further, updated guidance will be forthcoming

approaches to risk management. Training, as ever, is essential – and not just within industry. Authorities, inspectors, firefighters and other first responders need to be informed about the location of hazardous substances and what their risks are. Information should also be shared with the

shortly. HCB will endeavour to keep readers informed. Meanwhile, a summary of the UN/OECD seminar, together with links to all the presentations, can be found at https://unece.org/ media/transport/Dangerous-Goods/ press/363546.

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NEWS BULLETIN

SAFETY

SIRE IN SIGHT

The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) has published the full set of questions that may be asked during a SIRE 2.0 tanker inspection, when its new Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE) inspection regime is implemented during the second quarter. The long-established SIRE inspection regime is being overhauled with the introduction of tablet-based inspections, a more comprehensive inspection process and enhanced policies and procedures that will bring significant changes to how tankers are assessed by inspectors. As vessel owners, operators, managers and crew, inspectors or recipients of the SIRE 2.0 inspection reports will not be able to predict the inspection questions in advance, they should be prepared to respond to all questions within the SIRE 2.0 Question Library applicable to a particular vessel. “All users of the programme are strongly encouraged to take the time to review the SIRE Question Library documentation in full and follow the necessary Management of Change (MOC) actions,” advises Sam Megwa, programmes director at OCIMF. “SIRE 2.0 is a significant departure from the existing inspection regime and all parties are advised to do their utmost to prepare for the change. Full details of SIRE 2.0 have been published on the OCIMF website and can be found at https://ocimf.org/programmes/sire-2-0 MILBROS ADDS POLYMERISERS

Q88 has added a new function to its Milbros Onboard and Milbros Premium chemical tanker monitoring software. The new Styrene Monomer Temperature Log and Inhibitor Depletion Tool provides oversight of the condition of styrene monomer carried in bulk, monitoring cargo temperature and inhibitor levels to give advanced warning of any conditions that could result in a runaway polymerisation reaction.

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The new tool gives an instant warning when inhibitor levels are low and cargo needs to be tested or discharged immediately; it is, Q88 says, easily integrated into existing Milbros software and allows information to be shared across the ship and shore staff in real time. corp.q88.com ONLINE WITH LABELMASTER

Labelmaster has announced an updated portfolio of online training solutions for 2022, revised to take account of recent regulatory changes. It is offering DOT 49 CFR courses for those shipping hazardous materials within the US, as well as a dedicated version for ground carriers, along with IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations training. “Employees involved in shipping, handling, loading and transporting dangerous goods must receive training, but selecting a cheap, basic training course in order to simply ‘check the box’ with regards to compliance not only puts your business and employees at risk, but hinders your ability to improve efficiency and profitability,” says Rhonda Jessop, director, global learning, Labelmaster. “Labelmaster’s DG training curriculum provides interactive training programs that better prepare supply chain personnel, enable them to train and recertify employees remotely, and deliver real business value.” Full information on the new courses can be found at www.labelmaster.com/shop/training. CANADA WANTS YOUR REPORT

Transport Canada has published a guide for reporting dangerous goods incidents, as a reference document to assist dutyholders in determining the exact requirements. Section 18(1) of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act 1992 and Part 8 of the TDG Regulations require that any person in charge of a means of containment shall report any release or anticipated release, loss or theft of dangerous goods. The requirement applies to

a wide range of individuals in the supply chain, covering all modes of transport. The new guide, published on the Transport Canada website, provides links to the relevant parts of the legislation and regulations, and takes the reader through the process, explaining under what circumstances a report is required and when and how it is to be delivered to Transport Canada. More information on the guide and the new reporting requirements can be found at https:// tc.canada.ca/en/dangerous-goods/canutec/ reporting-requirements/guide-reportingdangerous-goods-incidents.

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CLOSE TO THE EDIT MULTIMODAL • THE CHANGES THAT WILL APPEAR IN THE 2023 TEXTS OF RID, ADR AND ADN ARE NOW ALMOST COMPLETE FOLLOWING A LENGTHY AND PRODUCTIVE JOINT MEETING

been done by the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Harmonisation of RID/ADR/ADN with the UN Model Regulations, which had looked in detail at the amendments included in the 22nd revised edition of the Model Regulations and come up with plans for revisions to RID, ADR and ADN to maintain harmonisation (HCB January 2022, page 50).

THE AUTUMN 2021 Joint Meeting of the RID Committee of Experts and the Working Party on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (WP15) of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) was held in Geneva this past 21 September to 1 October, with Claude Pfauvadel (France) in the chair and Silvia García Wolfrum (Spain) sitting as vice-chair. The session was attended by representatives of 24 nations, the European Commission, the EU Agency for Railways (ERA) and 20 non-governmental organisations.

Following the recent pattern, as a result both of Covid-related restrictions and ongoing work at the UN’s Palais des Nations in Geneva, the session was held in hybrid format although an easing of the sanitary arrangements after July meant that there was some improvement in the level of interaction and greater access to interpreters. That was just as well, since the Joint Meeting had a lot on its plate if it was to agree the changes to the regulations governing the transport of dangerous goods by rail (RID), road

TANKS MATTERS As is the normal course of events, those papers and proposals relating to the transport of dangerous goods in tanks were remitted to the Working Group on Tanks, which met for three days under the chairmanship of Arne Bale (UK). The Working Group’s first task was to look at the work that had been done by the informal working group on the inspection and certification of tanks (the ‘London IWG’) towards the modification of the administrative procedures and controls for tank inspection

(ADR) and inland waterway (ADN) for further consideration and adoption by the modal bodies in the subsequent months, in time for those agreed amendments to be sent back up the line of command for formal adoption so as to be able to enter into force in 2023. In fact, much of the legwork had already

and approval. It aimed to set common requirements on the approval and supervision of inspection bodies, with a view to their mutual recognition, by harmonising the procedures for the inspection and approval of tanks intended for the carriage of gases of Class 2, as currently prevail within the

 THE LONDON WORKING GROUP HAS DONE A LOT TO IMPROVE AND HARMONISE THE INSPECTION AND APPROVAL OF TANKS INTENDED FOR THE CARRIAGE OF CLASS 2 GASES

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European Economic Area (EEA), and those intended for the carriage of dangerous goods of Classes 3 to 9, as set out in RID/ADR. Although the London IWG has not yet completed its work, the UK arrived with extensive proposals for amendments in Chapters 6.8 and 6.2, sections 1.8.6 and 1.8.7, as well as some transitional provisions, and this was accompanied by a detailed and lengthy explanatory document from Switzerland. Following a few editorial amendments and additions, the Joint Meeting accepted the proposed changes. These are many and various, differing in some places between RID and ADR and with some text still to be confirmed by the December 2021 meeting of the London IWG. A full examination of the amendments will be included in HCB’s upcoming reports on the meetings of the RID Standing Working Group and WP15. The Ad Hoc Working Group on the Harmonisation of RID/ADR/ADN with the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods had asked the Working Group on Tanks to check the tank code and special provisions for the new entry, UN 3550 Cobalt dihydroxide powder. Based on the rationalised approach and in comparison with other similar substances, the Tanks Working Group determined that they were correct; the Joint Meeting agreed with that recommendation and removed the square brackets against that entry in columns (9a), (12) and (13) of the List of Dangerous Goods in Chapter 3.2. France had been working hard to find a way to accommodate the new provisions adopted in Chapter 6.9 of the UN Model Regulations on the design, construction, equipment, type approval, testing and marking of fibrereinforced plastics (FRP) portable tanks. The solution offered was to incorporate that Chapter 6.9 and to create a new Chapter 6.13 for ADR based on the pre-existing Chapter 6.9

The Working Group on Tanks agreed the French proposal but felt that some transitional measures should be included, since the newly adopted text would otherwise render existing FRP tanks non-compliant. It proposed open-ended transitional periods, which were agreed by the Joint Meeting. The International Union of Wagon Keepers (UIP) returned to the topic previously raised by Poland, viz the operation of tanks whose intermediate inspection has expired, which situations are not properly dealt with in the regulations, it felt. At the spring 2021 meeting it had been acknowledged that the current text would benefit from improvement although UIP’s paper explained that no consensus had been reached within the Working Group on Tanks and presented two alternative solutions. Realising perhaps that this issue needed some sort of resolution, the Joint Meeting agreed by majority to change the text to allow tanks filled before the date of the next inspection to have three months after that date to finish the transport operation, with no additional period allowed for the return of dangerous goods for disposal or recycling. It affects 4.3.2.3.7, 1.4.2.2.1(d) and 1.4.3.3(b), with a consequential amendment in 6.8.2.4.3. The Working Group on Boiling Liquid Evaporating Vapour Explosions (BLEVE) had been asked to prioritise three measures to improve safety in the transport in tanks of flammable liquefied gases. While WP15 was looking closely at two of these, it was felt that the issue of safety valves was relevant to both road and rail transport and Liquid Gas Europe presented the outcome of discussions. The proposal involved significant changes to 6.8.3.2.9 so that it becomes mandatory to fit safety valve or valves to all tanks that may carry flammable liquefied gases; the new requirements have been adapted from Chapter 6.7. The Working Group on Tanks made some

in RID/ADR, amended to be in line with the UN text and taking account of subsequent amendments adopted by the UN Subcommittee of Experts (HCB December 2021, page 44). This new Chapter 6.13 also refers back to the new Chapter 6.9 in various places, to avoid duplication of long pieces of text.

adjustments to the text offered, along with some transitional provisions, and these were adopted in turn by the Joint Meeting. It was also agreed that a new mark will be needed; Liquid Gas Europe offered a simple solution: a white square (minimum dimensions 250 mm x 250 mm) with the letters ‘SV’ (at least 120

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mm high) in black. This will be submitted as a formal proposal for the March 2022 session, allowing delegates time to consult parties involved. The secretariat of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) enquired whether the new provisions for 6.8.3.2.9 should also be partially applicable for tank wagons equipped with safety valves on a voluntary basis; the Joint Meeting recommended that the RID Committee of Experts should consider this subject. It was noted that, due to a lack of time, the Working Group on Tanks had not been able to consider all the documents laid before it. Authors of the remaining documents were asked to let the UN ECE secretariat know how they would prefer those to be followed up.

 AS EVER, THERE WERE PLENTY OF NEW AND REVISED STANDARDS TO CONSIDER, MANY RELEVANT TO THE USE OF TRANSPORTABLE PRESSURE EQUIPMENT AND CYLINDER VALVES

SETTING STANDARDS The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) provided an update on its work relevant to the standards referenced in RID/ADR/ADN. It has started work on revision of the existing standards for foot valves and product discharge and air inlet valves for tanks, and has also published draft revisions to a number of other standards relating to LPG equipment, pressure tanks and valves for cryogenic applications. There were also a number of newly adopted revisions, which were examined by the Working Group on Standards and recommended for adoption into the regulations. These are agreed by the Joint Meeting. They involve the following updates: • EN 1439:[2022] LPG equipment and accessories – Procedure for checking transportable refillable LPG cylinders before, during and after filling, referenced in packing instruction P200 (11) and (12) • EN ISO 14245:2021 Gas cylinders – specifications and testing of LPG cylinder valves – Self-closing, referenced in 6.2.4.1 • EN ISO 15995:2019 Gas cylinders –

specifications and testing of LPG cylinder valves – Manually operated, referenced in 6.2.4.1 • EN 13799:[2022] LPG equipment and accessories – Contents gauges for LPG pressure vessels, referenced in 6.4.2.1 and 6.8.2.6.1 • EN ISO 23088:2020 Gas cylinders – Periodic inspection and testing of welded steel pressure drums – Capacities up to 1 000 l, added to the table in 6.2.4.2 • EN ISO 20475:2020 Gas cylinders – Cylinder bundles – Periodic inspection and testing, referenced in 6.2.4.2 • EN 12493:2020 (except Annex C) LPG equipment and accessories – Welded steel pressure vessels for LPG road tankers – Design and construction, referenced in 6.8.2.6.1 (ADR only). In addition, in the table in 6.2.4.2, all rows that show “Until December 2021” or “Until December 2022” in column (3) are deleted, since these standards will no longer be applicable when the 2023 editions of the regulations are published; this involves EN 1968, 1802 and 1803, EN ISO 10462 and earlier editions of EN 1440 and 16728. CEN also offered a paper in response to earlier comments that the introductory paragraphs to the tables of standards in Chapters 6.2 and 6.8 are unclear and can be misunderstood. CEN presented some suggested text to clarify matters, which was entrusted to the Working Group on Tanks. CEN volunteered to submit an official document for the March 2022 session, taking into account any comments made. France reported that it had identified a number of non-conformities in non-refillable metal pressure receptacles used for the transport of helium and had taken steps to ban them from being placed on the market. This has highlighted some difficulties in applying EN ISO 11118:2015, as referenced in 6.2.4 of RID/ADR. In particular, the standard lacks any criteria for assessing the resistance of the material of construction to brittle fracture, as required by 6.2.1.2.2; it lacks criteria for the acceptance levels of defects in welded or brazed joints; it does not fully define the qualification tests for welders; it does not require the verification of minimum thickness

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of cylinders during mass production, contrary to 6.2.3.4.1 of RID/ADR; and the inclusion of paragraph A.4.3(a) of the standard is inappropriate. France invited the Joint Meeting to consider its complaint and CEN said that the concerns raised in the paper would be forwarded to the relevant ISO technical committee, due to meet in October. All delegations were invited to send further comments to CEN, which will report back at the next session of the Joint Meeting. PENDING PROPOSALS The secretariats of OTIF and UN ECE had been looking at the provisions agreed at the spring meeting relating to the use of US Department of Transportation (DOT)-approved refillable pressure receptacles, designed to facilitate the international transport of such receptacles between Europe and the US.

 THE WORKING GROUP ON TANKS HAS AGREED A NUMBER OF CHANGES THAT WILL HAVE TO BE CONFIRMED AT THE NEXT SESSION OF THE JOINT MEETING

They had found some technical problems in the wording already agreed and proposed some changes to overcome those problems. The Joint Meeting concurred. In 1.1.4.7 a new Note is added after the heading: NOTE: For carriage in accordance with 1.1.4.7, see also 5.4.1.1.23. That 5.4.1.1.23 is another addition, reading: Special provisions for refillable pressure receptacles authorized by the United States of America Department of Transportation For carriage in accordance with 1.1.4.7, a statement shall be included in the transport document, as follows: “CARRIAGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH 1.1.4.7.1” or “CARRIAGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH 1.1.4.7.2”, as appropriate. EIGA provided updated information on test periods for battery vehicles filled with certain gases in accordance with packing instruction P200 and the progress of ongoing work on an amendment to the note in the table in 6.2.4.2 to limit the application of EN ISO 18119. Switzerland followed up on decisions made at the spring session based on its proposals to

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extend the exemption from the requirement to carry orange-coloured plates to wagons and vehicles carrying bulk containers, tanks and multiple-element gas containers (MEGCs). It felt that the wording in the Note to 5.3.2.1.5 was not as it had intended, as ‘bulk container’ applies only to those containers meeting the requirements of Chapter 6.11 (BK codes), whereas it had intended it to apply also to those containers falling under the VC codes in 7.3.1.1(b). Despite some objections the Joint Meeting accepted the proposal to change “bulk containers” to “containers for carriage in bulk” in the Note to 5.3.2.1.5. There were also a number of amendments agreed to the French text, while the secretariat noted that the German text would also require some changes. NEW PROPOSALS

approved and supervised by an Xa inspection body, even though that may carry out inspection services for third parties. Germany offered an amendment to 6.2.2.11 and 6.2.3.6.1 as well as a new transitional measure. Most delegates who took the floor supported the need to clarify the situation and to agree on a uniform practice within the contracting states/parties but were of the opinion that the current practice did not cause issues and that there was no urgency. EIGA also spoke against the proposal, saying it would interrupt a system that appears to be working well. Furthermore, the London IWG is looking at similar issues regarding the inspection of tanks and it would be worth waiting for the outcome of those discussions before making any changes. Sweden felt there was growing urgency to clarify and develop additional transport provisions for electric energy systems

Germany sought to clarify the position regarding the use of in-house inspection services to carry out periodic inspection of pressure receptacles. Unlike Xa and Xb inspection bodies, which must be accredited in accordance with EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012, in-house inspection bodies are merely

containing lithium ion batteries, in view of the increasing pressure to decarbonise transport and industrial activities. Its paper acknowledged that the issue has been raised several times before and that the existing entry UN 3536 and its special provision 389 do not seem to fit all eventualities. It offered an

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amendment to 1.1.3.1(c) and a new special provision to make explicit the distinction between electric energy systems used to provide power internal or integral to the cargo transport unit and those only providing power external to the unit. There were several comments on the paper, many recalling earlier discussions and the difficulties that emerged. One suggestion was to use the model provided by the provisions in RID/ADR for the transport of liquid fuels used for power to external units. Sweden invited all delegates to provide their comments in writing so that a formal proposal might be worked up for the next session. Italy referred to the carriage of UN 3509 packagings, discarded, empty uncleaned and the provisions in RID/ADR. It noted that the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code does not allow the entry for transport by sea, requiring that all discarded packaging meets the requirements of 4.1.1.11. Italy felt it would be worthwhile including a Note in 2.1.6 to clarify that UN 3509 can not be used when the transport chain includes maritime carriage. Most of those who commented raised concerns over such an idea, saying that referencing other legislation would mean constant tracking of changes (albeit special packing provision B13 of packing instruction IBC08 in RID/ADR does exactly that). The Joint Meeting therefore did not support the amendment. Ireland appealed for the amendment of 1.1.3.2(e) so as to provide in RID/ADR an allowance contained in special provision A302 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Technical Instructions for the carriage of live fish in tanks with a compressed air/oxygen feed from a cylinder. RID/ADR allow “gases contained in the special equipment of wagons or vehicles…” to be used for this purpose but Ireland contended that this does not permit the carriage of “special

 THE REGULATORS ARE TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO ALIGN OVERSIGHT OF IN-HOUSE AND THIRD-PARTY INSPECTION AND TESTING PROCEDURES FOR PRESSURE RECEPTACLES AND TANKS

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equipment” when the gas supply is part of the equipment rather than the wagon or vehicle itself. Moreover, as the cylinder is transported with an open valve, packing instruction P200 cannot be complied with. The UK agreed with the issue and offered a slightly different solution but the Joint Meeting, while sympathetic, felt there were unanswered questions and, in particular, that the provision should be limited to the supply of compressed air or oxygen. Ireland offered to study the comments made and return with a new proposal for the spring 2022 session. The secretariat had done its regular job on the transitional provisions, identifying those that are now out of date. The Joint Meeting took note and deleted 1.6.1.41, 1.6.1.44, 1.6.1.46, 1.6.2.16 and 1.6.4.32. In an informal document, Liquid Gas Europe proposed expanding 6.2.3.9.4, which exempts pressure receptacles for UN 1965 hydrocarbon gas mixture, liquefied, nos from the marking requirements in 6.2.2.7.3(g) and (h) and 6.2.2.7.4(m), to other entries for liquefied petroleum gas (UN 1011, 1075, 1969 and 1978), on the basis that all entries are similar

in nature. Following an exchange of views, Liquid Gas Europe offered to come back to the spring session with a revised proposal including detailed justification and background. The International Association of Dangerous Goods Safety Advisers (IASA) sought to widen the scope of special provision 668, which exempts elevated temperature substances used for road markings from the provisions of ADR/RID under certain circumstances. IASA pointed out that other substances are used in a similar way, such as bitumen for repairing road surfaces, and it could see no reason why they should not be treated equally. Most delegations did not support the proposal, seeing the wording as being too broad. IASA offered to submit a revised proposal with additional justification at the next session. Another paper from IASA argued that heat pumps are basically the same as refrigerating machines, merely operating in reverse, and should therefore enjoy the same benefits included with special provisions 119 and 291, which allow such units with a capacity of up

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to 12 kg of gas to be exempted from the provisions of RID/ADR. Most delegates supported this proposal, though some thought it ought to go up the regulatory ladder to the UN Sub-committee of Experts first. Others suggested amending the current transitional measure at 1.6.1.46. However, in the end it was decided to make the suggested amendments, which involve adding a new Note at the end of SP 119 and SP 291: For the purposes of carriage, heat pumps may be considered as refrigerating machines. The European Council of the Paint, Printing Ink, and Artist’s Colours Industry (CEPE) followed up on its informal document presented at the previous session, which highlighted the change in the approach of the EU Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP).

 THE USE OF PRESERVATIVE BIOCIDES IN WATER-BORNE PAINTS HAS BROUGHT THE TRANSPORT REGULATIONS INTO CONFLICT WITH THE EU’S CLP REGULATION; A TEMPORARY SOLUTION HAS BEEN AGREED

While manufacturers have consistently moved away from solvent-borne paints and inks to water-borne versions, to reduce their environmental impact, those water-borne paints and inks contain biocides to protect against spoilage. The 15th Adaptation to Technical Progress (ATP) of the CLP Regulation adopted a change to classification that means that products containing 0.025 per cent or more of certain preservatives will have to be classified for transport under UN 3082, packing group III. That ATP applies from 1 March 2022 but, CEPE pointed out, suitable UN packaging is not yet available for all product types. CEPE proposed a transitional provision to suspend the requirement for UN packaging until 2025. After comments and some amendments, the idea was adopted as a new 1.6.1.51: Adhesives, paint and paint related materials, printing inks and printing ink related materials and resin solutions assigned to UN 3082 environmentally hazardous substance, liquid, N.O.S., packing group III in accordance with 2.2.9.1.10.6 as a consequence of 2.2.9.1.10.51 containing 0.025 % or more of the following

substances, on their own or in combination: • 4,5-dichloro-2-octyl2H-isothiazol-3-one (DCOIT); • octhilinone (OIT); and • zinc pyrithione (ZnPT); may be carried until 30 June 2025 in steel, aluminium, other metal or plastic packagings, which do not meet the requirements of 4.1.1.3, when carried in quantities of 30 litres or less per packaging as follows: (a) In palletized loads, a pallet box or unit load device, e.g. individual packagings placed or stacked and secured by strapping, shrink or stretch-wrapping or other suitable means to a pallet; or (b) As inner packagings of a combination packagings with a maximum net mass of 40 kg. The footnote 1 provides details of the EU and EC regulatory provisions. As the changes to the CLP Regulation will take effect on 1 March 2022 and the transitional provision will not appear in RID/ ADR until the publication of the 2023 texts, Norway has initiated multilateral agreements to bridge the gap; these are 7/2021 for RID and M341 for ADR. INTERPRETATION ISSUES After raising the issue first with WP15 in May 2021, the UK came as requested to the Joint Meeting to seek delegates’ views on the requirement in 5.3.2.2.1 that orange-coloured plates should be capable of remaining attached for 15 minutes in a fire. Why was this provision introduced and on what basis? How can the fire engulfment performance of plates be tested? What sort of fire should be involved? The Joint Meeting acknowledged the problem but did not offer a solution, although Spain offered to share its national requirements as a first step. France had a similar problem, though it related to the transport of lighters for recycling. These often contain flints, which are transported separately once lighters are in the recycling process. Flints fall under UN 1323 Ferrocerium, for which special provision 249 specifies that such material, when stabilised against corrosion and with a minimum iron content of 10 per cent, is not subject to the requirements of RID/ADR. Has any competent authority defined the criteria, tests and

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standards to be used for stabilisation? What is the current industry practice? The Joint Meeting did not find the issue of concern in other RID/ADR states and saw no need for additional provisions. The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) sought clarification of the issuance of competent authority approval for self-reactive substances and organic peroxides that are “not listed” in the appropriate tables, particularly with the need for that competent authority to be that of the country of origin. What if this country is not a contracting party/ state to RID/ADR? And if substances are diluted to the point that they are no longer in the specified concentration range, should they then be considered as “not listed”? The Joint Meeting agreed that such diluted substances should be considered “not listed”. It also confirmed that, when a product is listed on the basis of old test data and new test data shows another classification, carriage in accordance with the new classification is also subject to competent authority approval until such time as the list is updated. On the topic of “country of origin”, it was agreed that, if the transport starts in a country that is not an RID/ADR contracting state/party, the competent authority of the first RID/ADR state/party that the consignment reaches must issue the approval. Germany sought opinions on whether multilateral agreements under RID and ADR should automatically be taken to apply equally to ADN. This issue had cropped up at the ADN Safety Committee in relation to M337 under ADR, which had been concluded within the framework of dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic. Parts 4 and 6 of ADN refer exclusively to the contents of ADR and this dynamic reference means that periodic amendments to the same Parts of ADR are not necessarily examined before being incorporated into ADN. This is useful for multimodal harmonisation.

 THE ADN SAFETY COMMITTEE QUERIED WHETHER MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS UNDER RID AND ADR SHOULD ALSO APPLY TO INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT

Discussion at the ADN Safety Committee had led to different opinions being expressed. Some assumed that it was already the case that multilateral agreements under RID and ADR were automatically applicable within the scope of ADN, while others preferred to take a case-by-case approach. The Joint Meeting was cautious about making RID/ADR multilateral agreements automatically applicable for ADN. For one thing, the competent authorities in each country may be different depending on the transport mode. It was felt preferable that multilateral agreements should be concluded for each of the three modes. The World LPG Association (WLPGA) and Liquid Gas Europe advised that they had submitted a paper to the UN Sub-committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods seeking the alignment of the provisions for the location of marks on gas cylinders with the guidance in ISO 13769. At present, the UN

some inspection bodies are following the example shown in 6.2.2.7.5 and requiring all three groups to be placed together. The paper included a proposal to revise the wording of 6.2.2.7.5 to make it clear that the three groups do not need to be placed together. Those who spoke at the Joint Meeting preferred to keep the current text of 6.2.2.7.5, at least until the UN Sub-committee has made a decision.

Model Regulations (and RID/ADR) require that the manufacturing, operational and certification marks be placed in three groups, with the illustration showing those three groups placed together. ISO 13769 shows them positioned separately and this is the guidance that industry has followed. However,

March 2022. The Joint Meeting also heard that Cefic’s regular representative, Erwin Sigrist, was to retire in November 2021. It acknowledged his contributions over the past two decades and wished him all the best for a long and happy retirement.

OTHER BUSINESS The European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) had provided more information to support its application for consultative status. This was noted and its request was endorsed by the Joint Meeting. On a proposal from Belgium, Claude Pfauvadel and Silvia Garcia Wolfrum were re-elected as chair and vice-chair, respectively, for 2022. The next session is schedule to take place in Berne from 14 to 18

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APPROACHING THE TERMINUS

RAIL • WITH MOST OF THE WORK ALREADY DONE TO PREPARE THE 2023 TEXT OF RID, THE RAIL EXPERTS SPENT THEIR LAST SESSION DELIBERATING ON FINALISING THE DETAILS THE RID COMMITTEE of Experts’ standing working group held its 13th session this past 15 to 18 November in Geneva, with participation from delegates working remotely. It was attended by representatives of 13 RID Contracting States as well as Russia, which is a member of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) but does not apply RID, the European Commission, the EU Agency for Railways (ERA), the Organisation for the Cooperation

 THE RID EXPERTS ACCEPTED NEW PROVISIONS FOR EXTRA-LARGE CONTAINERS, THOUGH FURTHER WORK IS THOUGHT TO BE NEEDED TO EXAMINE THE STRESSES THAT THE TANKS AND APPURTENANCES ARE EXPOSED TO

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of Railways (OSJD) and five non-governmental organisations. The meeting was chaired as usual by Caroline Bailleux (Belgium) with Othmar Krammer (Austria) as deputy chair. Its main aim was to agree the changes that will appear in the 2023 text of RID, which governs the transport of dangerous goods by rail in western Europe as well as in some other states in central and south-eastern Europe as well as Afghanistan. In fact, much of the heavy lifting had already been done on the latest biennial revision of RID: the working group’s first agenda item involved reviewing the decisions made at the previous session and by the Joint Meeting of RID/ADR/ADN experts at its two sessions in 2021. And a lot of the latest round of

amendments refer back to the 22nd revised edition of the UN Model Regulations. Nevertheless, there was a lot of detail for the RID experts to wade through, with the aim – in what was quite a short meeting – to effectively close out the work for the biennium. It is intended that the secretariat should be in a position to issue a consolidated version of the revised texts by mid-April 2022, taking into account any late changes from the spring RID/ADR/ADN Joint Meeting (scheduled to take place in mid-March) and only minor amendments to be agreed by the 14th session of the standing working group in May 2022. The final adoption of the 2023 texts will take place at the RID Committee of Experts’ meeting on 25 May 2022. HARMONISATION The working group examined a lengthy (more than 100 pages) document supplied by the Secretariat, consolidating the decisions taken by the Joint Meeting and by the working group at its previous session. These were all adopted, with some amendments. One important change, which has been in development for a long time, is a new 1.1.4.7 on the recognition of refillable pressure receptacles authorised by the US Department

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of Transportation (DOT). A Note points users to 5.4.1.1.23 in addition to the new provisions, which read: 1.1.4.7.1 Import of gases Refillable pressure receptacles authorised by the United States of America Department of Transportation and constructed and tested in accordance with standards listed in Part 178, Specifications for Packagings of Title 49, Transportation, of the Code of Federal Regulations accepted for carriage in a transport chain in accordance with 1.1.4.2 may be carried from the location of the temporary storage at the end point of the transport chain to the end user. 1.1.4.7.2 Export of gases and empty uncleaned pressure receptacles Refillable pressure receptacles authorised by the United States of America Department of Transportation and constructed and tested in accordance with standards listed in Part 178, Specifications for Packagings of Title 49, Transportation, of the Code of Federal Regulations may be filled and carried only for the purpose of exporting to countries which are not RID Contracting States provided the following provisions are met: (a) The filling of the pressure receptacle is in accordance with the relevant requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America; (b) The pressure receptacles shall be marked and labelled in accordance with Chapter 5.2; (c) The provisions of 4.1.6.12 and 4.1.6.13 shall apply to pressure receptacles. Pressure receptacles shall not be filled after they become due for periodic inspection but may be carried after the expiry of the time-limit for purposes of performing inspection, including the intermediate carriage operations. Among the various changes to the definitions in 1.2.1 is a revised version of the definition for ‘Recycled plastics material’, which is now taken to mean:

… material recovered from used industrial packagings that has been cleaned and prepared for processing into new packagings. The specific properties of the recycled material used for production of new packagings shall be assured and documented regularly as part of a quality assurance programme recognized by the competent authority. The quality assurance programme shall include a record of proper pre-sorting and verification that each batch of recycled plastics material has the proper melt flow rate, density, and tensile yield strength, consistent with that of the design type manufactured from such recycled material. This necessarily includes knowledge about the packaging material from which the recycled plastics have been derived, as well as awareness of the prior contents of those packagings if those prior contents might reduce the capability of new packagings produced using that material. In addition, the packaging manufacturer’s quality assurance programme under 6.1.1.4 shall include performance of the mechanical design type test in 6.1.5 on packagings manufactured from each batch of recycled plastics material. In this testing, stacking performance may be verified by appropriate dynamic compression testing rather than static load testing.

A Note following that definition – and it will be important for dutyholders to know that these provisions are found in the definition rather than in a more appropriate part of the regulations – points to additional guidance available in ISO 16103:2005 Packaging – Transport packages for dangerous goods – Recycled plastics material, with the caution that this standard is based on experience with manufacturing drums and jerricans from recycled plastics and may need to be adapted for other types of packaging. Section 1.8.6 on the administrative controls for the accreditation, approval and recognition of inspection bodies has been widely revised and expanded, following extensive discussions on the oversight of such activities. Dutyholders (and competent authorities) are advised to look closely at the changes, which are too lengthy to go into here. The Netherlands, which already has a national accreditation system in place, opposed the move, on the basis not least that the new provisions may have unintended legal consequences, but as they gathered general support it will comply with the decision of the Joint Meeting. The changes to section 1.8.7 on conformity assessment, type approval certificate issue

 PROVISIONS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED FOR SAFETY VALVES ON TANK WAGONS, ALTHOUGH MOST SUCH TANKS CARRYING LIQUEFIED GASES IN EUROPE ARE NOT FITTED WITH VALVES AND ARE HERMETICALLY SEALED

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and inspection are even lengthier. There are revised provisions for the carriage of polymerising substances, to clarify the requirements that were introduced over the past two editions. An additional sentence is added at the end of 2.2.2.2.1, 2.2.3.2.2, 2.2.61.2.1 and 2.2.8.2.1: If temperature control is required to prevent polymerization of a substance (i.e. for a substance in a packaging or IBC with an SAPT of 50 °C or less, or in a tank with an SAPT of 45 °C or less), the substance shall not be accepted for carriage. The last indent of 2.2.41.2.3 is amended to read: • Polymerizing substances in packagings or IBCs with an SAPT ≤ 50 °C and polymerizing substances in tanks with an SAPT ≤ 45 °C, therefore requiring temperature control: UN 3533 POLYMERIZING SUBSTANCE, SOLID, TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED, N.O.S. UN 3534 POLYMERIZING SUBSTANCE, LIQUID, TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED, N.O.S. Amendments and additions to the special provisions are mostly in line with those agreed by the Joint Meeting. Some to highlight

include a new Note to SP 119 and SP 291: For the purposes of carriage, heat pumps may be considered as refrigerating machines. Also, for clarification, a new Note is added after paragraph (a) in SP 225: This entry applies to portable fire extinguishers, even if some components that are necessary for their proper functioning (e.g. hoses and nozzles) are temporarily detached, as long as the safety of the pressurized extinguishing agent containers is not compromised and the fire extinguishers continue to be identified as a portable fire extinguisher. The first sentence of SP 389 is amended to read: This entry only applies to lithium ion batteries or lithium metal batteries installed in a cargo transport unit and designed only to provide power external to the cargo transport unit. In SP 663, the first paragraph under ‘General provisions’ is amended to read: Packagings, discarded, empty, uncleaned with residues presenting a primary or subsidiary hazard of Class 5.1 shall not be loaded in bulk together with packagings, discarded, empty,

uncleaned with residues presenting a hazard of other classes. Packagings, discarded, empty, uncleaned with residues presenting a primary or subsidiary hazard of Class 5.1 shall not be packed with other packagings, discarded, empty, uncleaned with residues presenting a hazard of other classes in the same outer packaging. Packing Instruction LP 906 has been subject to review and there are some significant changes. In particular, the requirements of the verification report have been extended and there is a new paragraph (4): The specific instructions for the use of the package shall be made available by the packaging manufacturers and subsequent distributors to the consignor. They shall include at least the identification of the batteries and items of equipment that may be contained inside the packaging, the maximum number of batteries contained in the package and the maximum total of the batteries’ energy content, as well as the configuration inside the package, including the separations and protections used during the performance verification test. Industry had expressed problems in applying the provisions in Chapter 5.4 on the transport of wastes, bearing in mind that it is often difficult to determine the hazards posed by mixed waste streams. In response, the regulators have come up with a new 5.4.1.1.3.2 to make life easier: If it is not possible to measure the exact quantity of the waste at the place of loading, the quantity according to 5.4.1.1.1(f) may be estimated for the following cases under the following conditions: (a) For packagings, a list of packagings including the type and the nominal volume is added to the transport document; (b) For containers, the estimation is based on their nominal volume and other available information (e.g. type of waste, average density, degree of filling);

 MORE THAN 100 PAGES OF AMENDMENTS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED, BASED ON PRIOR DISCUSSIONS AND THE DECISIONS TAKEN BY THE LAST TWO SESSIONS OF THE JOINT MEETING

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(c) For vacuum-operated waste tanks, the estimation is justified (e.g. by means of an estimation provided by the consignor or by wagon equipment). Such estimation of the quantity is not allowed for: • Exemptions for which the exact quantity is essential (e.g. 1.1.3.6); • Waste containing substances mentioned in 2.1.3.5.3 or substances of Class 4.3; • Tanks other than vacuum-operated waste tanks. A statement shall be included in the transport document, as follows: “QUANTITY ESTIMATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH 5.4.1.1.3.2.” Again in line with the work of the Joint Meeting, a new 6.5.2.1.2 has been added, requiring IBCs manufactured from recycled plastics material to be marked ‘REC’. One significant variation in RID’s 2023 text compared to ADR is that the RID experts have decided not to adopt Chapter 6.13, which in effect is the old Chapter 6.9 relating to the use of tank containers (or ‘portable tanks’ in RID-speak) with shells made of fibrereinforced plastics (FRP). ADR has taken Chapter 6.9 in from the UN Model Regulations, as has RID. Once more, the regulated community is invited to refer to the official text in the regulations as it is extremely lengthy. There are very many other amendments and additions, some of a purely editorial nature, and close reading of the new edition of RID will be vital. WP15 had, at its May 2021 session, added a reference to mobile explosives manufacturing units (MEMUs) in the model for report on occurrences during the carriage of dangerous goods (1.8.5.4). The Secretariat noted that the model report had been developed jointly by RID and ADR and that MEMUs can be carried by rail in piggyback transport; it seemed

 THE RID EXPERTS WILL CONSIDER WHETHER TO INCLUDE PROVISIONS FROM SGMS, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE SOME ASSISTANCE IN THOSE COUNTRIES THAT WORK ON BOTH SETS OF TRACK GAUGE

logical that the same change should be made in RID. The working group agreed and the change was adopted. OTHER PROPOSALS The secretariat noted that the Joint Meeting had at its autumn 2021 session agreed a proposal from Liquid Gas Europe on the mandatory fitting of safety valves on tank vehicles and tank containers used for the carriage of liquefied gases. That was adopted by means of an addition to 6.8.3.2.9. In ADR the new text applies to both columns but in RID only to the right-hand column, meaning that tank vehicles and demountable tanks are not covered. The OTIF secretariat had, at that Joint Meeting, queried whether the new provisions should not also be applied, at least in part to tank wagons. Although gases are mainly carried in

it was also decided to adopt a transitional measure to allow their continued use. The standing working group also agreed that the ‘SV’ marking decided in principle at the last Joint Meeting should also be applied to tank wagons, pending further discussion at the spring 2022 Joint Meeting. Following those decisions, the Netherlands argued the need for further discussion on the basis that the use of safety valves on tank wagons might create a higher risk; this was confirmed by the International Union of Wagon Keepers (UIP), which said that the high accelerations that occur during shunting may cause safety valves to be triggered inadvertently, with any escaping flammable gas potentially being ignited by flying sparks. UIP also recalled that the working group had previously decided to include in RID provisions for the mutual recognition of

hermetically sealed tanks in Europe, there are some, particularly in the UK, where safety valves are also used. The standing working group decided to adopt the secretariat’s proposal but, as there are some tank wagons in use fitted with safety valves that may not meet the new requirements in 6.8.3.2.9,

inspection bodies. A transitional provision in 1.6.3.54 allows a period of ten years for the accreditation bodies under the provisions in 1.8.6. UIP felt this same period should be allowed for the accreditation of experts by the competent authority in accordance with 6.8.2.4.6. The standing working group agreed

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with the argument, adopting a new transitional provision at 1.6.3.58. INTEPRETATION OF RID The Netherlands suggested discussing whether a list of interpretations that do not involve amendments to RID should also be published on the OTIF website, as the UN ECE does with interpretations of ADR. Perhaps also it should be discussed whether a systematic record of the background to RID amendments would be useful. The OTIF secretariat was amenable to the idea. Austria suggested that, as a first step, an edition of RID be published on the OTIF website showing the date of the entry into force of individual amendments, which would make it easier to locate background documents. At the same time, Austria warned, legal texts should not be issued if they – and their consequences – can only be understood with the help of background documents. As it was felt that most questions of interpretation are common to RID and ADR,

the standing working group invited the Netherlands to initiate a discussion on organising the work at Joint Meeting level. PROPOSALS FOR AMENDMENT UIP recalled the discussion at the standing working group’s previous session on folding panels, which show the name of the gas being carried and the load limits. The Joint Meeting had earlier decided to delete 4.3.3.3.2, according to which only information on the gas actually being carried may be inscribed on the wagon plate and any other particulars must be covered up. There have been continual problems in applying this rule and, furthermore, all information is included in the transport document. There had been some disagreement on whether to delete 4.3.3.3.2 from RID (WP15 having already agreed to do so for ADR) and UIP had been tasked with considering whether it made sense. UIP did see some advantages in taking the same step: folding panels as currently used require a relatively high level of maintenance;

detached an insecure folding panels have repeatedly led to hazards; and it is often the case that the panels on either side of a tank wagon show different products. UIP recommended that, at least for the sake of harmonisation, RID should follow ADR’s lead and delete 4.3.3.3.2 for the 2023 text. The standing working group agreed with UIP’s reasoning, noting also that the information on the last gas filled could be obtained from the transport document and the orange-coloured plate marking. It deleted 4.3.3.3.2 and adopted consequential amendments in 4.3.3.4.1(a) and 6.8.3.5.7. UIP and the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) proposed the adoption of a definition and provisions for extra-large tank containers, which have a capacity of more than 40,000 litres, to distinguish them from ISO tank containers. UIP and Cefic were asked to submit a proposal to the March 2022 Joint Meeting so that their definition could be included in the 2023 texts of RID and ADR, with a transitional measure. The working group also confirmed the changes to 6.8.2.2.4 on the test pressures for closures and hinged dome covers for use with extra-large tank containers, though this remains in square brackets pending confirmation by the Joint meeting in March. Cefic and UIP also proposed a minimum wall thickness of 4.5 mm for extra-large tank containers, regardless of the material of construction. This is thicker than standard tank containers and also than the 4.13 mm used by manufacturer Van Hool on the extra-large tank containers it developed with BASF. UIP and Cefic were asked to submit a proposal to the Joint Meeting, justifying any consequential amendments. UIP presented a discussion document proposing to revise the requirements for protecting tanks against damage caused by impacts and the overriding of buffers;

 THE REQUIREMENTS FOR FOLDING PANELS HAVE BEEN DELETED, THE INFORMATION BEING AVAILABLE FROM THE TRANSPORT DOCUMENT AND FROM ORANGECOLOURED PLATES

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UIP was planning to hold a workshop early in 2022 to discuss the issue. UIP will contact the OTIF secretariat after the event to arrange a meeting of the working group on tank and vehicle technology, if it is felt necessary. Cefic proposed deletion of the provision in 4.3.2.2.4, which requires that tank containers moving exclusively by rail must be filled to more than 80 per cent or less than 20 per cent of their capacity. This would respond to requests from shippers and might also boost the use of rail transport. Tests have been carried out with different degrees of filling and different densities of lading, which have not found any dangerous situations for tank wagons, tank containers or extra-large tank containers. Germany felt that the risk analysis presented by Cefic provided insufficient grounds to abolish the long-standing

IT IS INTENDED THAT A CONSOLIDATED REVISED TEXT BE ISSUED BY MID-APRIL, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ANY LATE CHANGES AGREED BY THE SPRING JOINT MEETING

requirements in 4.3.2.2.4. The German Centre for Rail Traffic Research was planning to look at the effects of surge movements in rail transport, including tank wagons and tank containers, which might provide more information. Other delegates were invited to inform Germany of any investigations they felt would be useful. The OSJD Committee proposed including provisions for tank wagons designed for use on 1,520-mm gauge tracks in RID, which could be of particular benefit to RID Contracting States that are also SMGS Contracting States. A detailed examination of Chapter 6.20 will be carried out by the working group on tank and vehicle technology. The RID standing working group will hold its 14th session on 23 and 24 May 2022, to be followed on 25 May by the 56th session of the RID Committee of Experts, which will aim to adopt the final 2023 text of RID.

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NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED IT’S A DRUG, NOT A DRINK In our younger days, we were often warned off over-doing it on tequila. Of course, that didn’t stop us and it was only the not-infrequent sight of grown men crawling out of bars on their hands and knees after one too many tequila slammers that drove the message home. But it’s not just tequila drinkers that suffer: in October last year there was a massive fish kill in the waters in Ayotlan, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, where 40 per cent of the land is given over to the production of tequila. Locals reported as many as 80 tonnes of dead fish being hauled out of a creek that feeds the San Onofre reservoir; they pointed their fingers at local tequila producers – not without reason, as the reservoir itself, along with the dead fish, bore the unmistakable scent of the liquor. Many of those locals relied on fishing for their livelihoods and are not best pleased with the outcome. It also seems this is not an isolated incident. While most tequila producers are licensed to dispose of the vinasse – the liquid dregs of the tequila-making process – in controlled land, researchers suggest that many just dispose of it in the nearest waterway. And one nearby water treatment plant had been closed the previous month after an inspection found that one of its lagoons holding vinasse had a rupture.

into overdrive by a combination of unusually heavy summer rains and temperatures of up to 40°C. Local police blamed the insects for a whole host of inconveniences: damaging the police station and other buildings, damaging cars, and stopping up the drains at a filling station. The insects are harmless but have a hard carapace – residents were warned to cover their faces while outside to avoid injury by the flying beetles. Some residents took to collecting them from their homes in boxes and driving them out of town to dump them. Stern measures were needed. The town was advised that its street lights had been attracting the beetles so it was decided to turn them off and go dark for several days, with the hope that this would encourage the insects to go and find somewhere else to bother. After three days of this, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of beetles, according to the deputy mayor.

IT’S A BUG’S LIFE Further south, residents in the small town of Santa Isabel in the Argentinian state of La Pampa had troubles of their own. In January the town was overcome by swarms of beetles, whose reproductive system had been kicked

found the snake just where the woman said it was, lying across a bench. It had not moved and, indeed, he could see it was not moving at all. He quickly realised it was actually a toy snake, which was returned to its owners, the children next door.

HCB MONTHLY | FEBRUARY 2022

SNAKES NOT ALIVE An animal also caused quite a stir last month in Cumbria, UK. A woman was horrified to see what she took to be a king cobra in her garden and called the RSPCA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), who turned up to the woman’s house, wary of what they might find – the king cobra is, after all, one of the world’s most venomous snakes. Arriving at the premises, the RSPCA officer

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HCB Magazine February 2022

Articles inside

Stolt-Nielsen gets a fillip from tanks

Letter from the Editor