TANK CONTAINERS 07
TANK PEOPLE REPORT • ITCO’S AMSTERDAM MEETING DREW A LARGE CROWD, KEEN TO HEAR HOW RECENT ACCIDENTS AND REGULATORY ACTIVITY WILL IMPACT THEM AND THEIR OPERATIONS The disaster aboard the containership MSC Flaminia in July 2012 is still causing waves in industry. A court judgment in New York last year divided liability for the incident between Deltech, manufacturer of the cargo of divinyl benzene, which is thought to have almost certainly been the seat of the initial fire aboard the ship, and Stolt Tank Containers, in its role as an intermediary in the transport and operator of the tank containers that the product was stowed in. The realisation of the potentially enormous
container operators and their partners in the supply chain was perhaps one reason for the big turnout at the annual members’ meeting of the International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO), which took place in Amsterdam on 30 September and 1 October this year. Nearly 150 people attended the event, which in its open sessions featured a panel discussion moderated by HCB’s editor-in-chief Peter Mackay and a series of presentations on topics of crucial interest to the sector. Delegates were welcomed by Reg Lee,
liabilities that could land at the doors of tank
ITCO president, and the format was explained by Patrick Hicks, general secretary of the Organisation.
THE FULL IMPLICATIONS OF THE MSC FLAMINIA INCIDENT AND COURT JUDGMENT ARE ONLY NOW BECOMING APPARENT
THE ROOT CAUSE While there was more to talk about than just the MSC Flaminia incident, the keynote session
started with a presentation by Peregrine Storrs-Fox, risk management director of the TT Club, a mutual insurance group with a focus on dangerous goods in the international maritime supply chain, who recapped the events that led to the fire and explosion aboard the vessel, with the loss of three lives, and the attempts made to save the ship and to investigate the cause. He also gave some indication of the extraordinary length of the court case, the results of which are still subject to appeal. It was, though, heartening to hear from Storrs-Fox that the MSC Flaminia case is one of the very few that has been directly linked to tank containers, which in general are an exceptionally safe way of moving dangerous products. That does, though, not prevent this incident having repercussions arising from the court case. For a start, the judge who made the allocation of liability was very clear that the regulations governing the transport of dangerous goods merely set the baseline for compliance. Shippers and their intermediaries should of course comply with the regulatory requirements but in addition should make sure to provide all relevant information to other parties in the supply chain, whether or not it is required by regulation. Storrs-Fox »
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