30 Years Ago

A LOOK BACK AT MAY 1990

These columns often find parallels between the news HCB was presenting thirty years ago and the pages of the current issue. The basics are very much the same: for instance, in May 1990 we wrote about the European road tanker market, the growth of the tank container sector in the US, combined road/rail transport, gas shipping, US packaging specifications, and the latest deliberations at the UN Sub-committee and the ADN Safety Committee. Environmental issues were there too, though perhaps not as high-profile as they are these days, even if the concept of ‘sustainability’ had not been defined. Digitisation was some way off, though we reported back then about the installation of onboard computers on trucks.

Another parallel could be found in the Safety pages of the May 1990 issue, where we reported on the travails experienced by Exxon in the year since the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in March 1989. On Christmas Eve that year, two people were killed and others injured by a “thunderous explosion” at the company’s Baton Rouge refinery in Louisiana, which set fire to five storage tanks, and on 2 January 1990 Exxon’s underwater pipeline in New York harbour sprang a leak. Readers might want to refer to this month’s Incident Log, where we record another explosion at the same refinery, though this time fortunately without fatalities.

In Europe, preparations were being made for the single market’s arrival in 1992. As part of that, the UK was looking to adopt ADR for domestic as well as international road transport of dangerous goods and HCB had sampled industry’s appetite (or otherwise) for the change. In general, we reported, there was a mood to support alignment but there were still qualms about the applicability of ADR to UK operations. In particular, industry did not want to lose the established Hazchem marking system for road tankers, although reassurance was offered that this would still be available for use, as it still is to this day. One particular qualm was the lack of an emergency contact number on the ADR plate and there was talk at that time of adding it, though nothing came of the initiative.

Interestingly, as we report in this issue from presentations at the BADGP annual conference, the UK Department for Transport is wrestling with similar issues as the UK prepares for the full effect of Brexit, with a lot of legislative changes in the offing.

We did not forget our US readers in May 1990, of course, and there was a further article from Ron Bohn of the National Cargo Bureau, who looked in particular at the way in which the US was applying the IMDG Code. Ron noted that the latest version of the US Hazardous Materials Regulations, ‘revised as of October 1, 1989’ had just been published; however, the ‘Optional Table’ in 172.102 of HMR was still four IMDG amendments out of date. There was a provision to allow shippers to use the proper shipping names in the IMDG Code as if they were in the Optional Table, but this would require approval from the US Department of Transportation. There were also differences in the regulation of the transport of motor vehicles in closed containers, though that has now at last been aligned.

CONTENTS

VOLUME 41 • NUMBER 05

UP FRONT Letter from the Editor 30 Years Ago View from the Porch Swing Response and recovery NCEC advice on Covid-19 Let’s work together GPCA appeals for global action Learning by Training 01 02 04

06

08 09

STORAGE TERMINALS Put the brakes on Crisis threatens expansion plans 10 In good health Vopak sees little market impact 23 Essential service ILTA provides a lifeline for members 24 News bulletin – storage terminals 26

TANKS & LOGISTICS Counting tanks ITCO survey sees further growth 28 All about the tank Tank container guidance from TT Club 32 See where you are Best practice on visibility from ECTA 34 Clean and clear ClearMetal gives end-to-end visibility 38 First past the post Stolt-Nielsen warns of upcoming slump 40 News bulletin – tanks and logistics 42

CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION Do the Poznán Bodo Möller sets up bigger hub 45 News bulletin – chemical distribution 46

COURSES & CONFERENCES Training during lockdown Exis online courses come into their own 48 Conference diary 50

SAFETY Incident Log 52

Candy store Consafe adds DGOffice modules 54 Inglorious mud North P&I alert on bauxite by-product 55 Keep your distance Remote surveys are here to stay 56

REGULATIONS Gas works UN experts make Class 2 changes 57 Beat the clock What we missed at BADGP seminar 64

BACK PAGE Not otherwise specified 68

NEXT MONTH Gas tanker fleet review A look at tank container manufacturing FIBCs in focus Terminal equipment news roundup

Editor–in–Chief Peter Mackay Email: peter.mackay@hcblive.com Tel: +44 (0) 7769 685 085 Campaigns Director Craig Vye Email: craig.vye@hcblive.com Tel: +44 (0) 208 371 4014

Commercial Director Ben Newall Email: ben.newall@hcblive.com Tel: +44 (0) 208 371 4036 Production Manager Binita Wilton Email: binita.wilton@hcblive.com Tel: +44 (0) 208 371 4041 Managing Editor Stephen Mitchell Email: stephen.mitchell@hcblive.com Tel: +44 (0) 208 371 4045

Designer Jochen Viegener

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HCB Monthly is published by Cargo Media 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.