The last word on container safety

GET IT RIGHT

MARITIME • RECENT FIRES ABOARD CONTAINERSHIPS HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED FOR SHIPPERS TO PROPERLY UNDERSTAND THE PROVISIONS OF THE IMDG CODE

BOOK IT RIGHT and Pack it Tight, the longrunning guide to the consignment of dangerous goods by sea, has been updated by the UK P&I Club and TT Club. The latest edition, published in December, reflects the changes introduced into Amendment 39-18 of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, which became mandatory as from 1 January 2020.

Writing in the foreword to the new edition, Uffe Ernst-Frederiksen, head of cargo management at Maersk Line and chair of the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS), observes: “While the IMDG Code has existed for over five decades and training has been mandatory since 2004, the consequences of poor understanding and practices continue to reverberate through the maritime supply chain. In particular, the frequency of major ship fires shows little sign of abating and the resultant costs to life, assets and the environment are devastating.

“The scale of unitised operations globally is such that great reliance has to be placed on the competence and integrity of each of the actors involved,” he continues. “The system is based upon trust, which has been sorely strained through the incidents incurred aboard ships and in port areas. The multitude of Vessel Sharing Agreements across the carriers merely underlines the need for a common and practical understanding of the requirements involved in transport of dangerous goods.

“Regardless how sophisticated electronic tools become, it is vital that the people

ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THE TRANSPORT OF

PACKAGED DANGEROUS GOODS BY SEA SHOULD

involved at each stage of the process have appropriate understanding and expertise in order not just to carry out their immediate function but also to be able to validate what is presented on a screen. Such diligence is necessary to manage the unforgiving laws of physics and chemistry that govern the nature of the goods carried in ships and stacked in container terminals in ports,” Ernst-Frederiksen concludes.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT The book, written as ever by Richard Masters, with input from Will Bartle of Exis Technologies, is intended to support shippers, forwarders, shipping line booking staff and those who pack dangerous goods into cargo transport units for carriage by sea in the technical aspects of the IMDG Code. It is arranged so that it follows all the steps required when booking and packing a consignment of dangerous goods with a shipping line: - Classifying the goods - Selecting the appropriate packaging - Marking and labelling the packaging - Preparing the transport documentation - Applying the segregation rules - Packing the cargo transport unit - Producing the packing certificate.

The second part of the book provides references to the provisions in the IMDG Code and explains in straightforward terms some of the basic principles of the UN classification system and the technical terms used in the IMDG Code, along with useful background information on common IMDG issues such as Limited Quantities procedures.

The Clubs that produce the book are aware that the IMDG Code is a complex document and that a lack of understanding of its provisions, notwithstanding the training requirements, can contribute to the number of incidents in the maritime transport sector. In recognition of that, the TT Club has made the guide freely available on its website (www.ttclub.com/ fileadmin/uploads/tt-club/Publications___ Resources/Document_store/Book_it_right_ and_pack_it_tight_amendment_39_18.pdf), although hard copies are also available for purchase.

One salient development since the book was last published came with the New York court judgment on the MSC Flaminia case, which pinned liability on the shipper of the goods responsible for the explosion and fire aboard the ship, together with the tank container operator, acting as a non-vessel owning common carrier (NVOCC) under US law. Richard Masters notes that this judgment sends a clear message to shippers of the need to comply with their own procedures and to ensure that any actions they take are “considered and justifiable”. Furthermore, the court was equally clear that NVOCCs are exposed where their negligence causes or contributes to a loss that is foreseeable.

Within that framework, it is more important than ever not only to ensure compliance with the IMDG Code but also its intentions. That makes this latest edition of Book it Right and Pack it Tight more crucial than ever for anyone involved in the shipment by sea of packaged dangerous goods. www.ttclub.com