Policy & Compliance
1. Charcoal/carbon 2. Calcium Hypochlorite 3. Lithium-ion batteries 4. Cotton and wool 5. Fishmeal and krill 6. Seed cake.
Spill or leak risks: these commodities can present a risk if not packed/prepared properly or the packaging is damaged. Spills or leaks from these cargoes can damage the health of people cleaning up a spillage and the environment. The study has shown six commodities that pose a particular risk: 1. Hides and skins (particularly not correctly tanned/prepared) 2. Wine 3. Bitumen 4. Cocoa butter 5. Waste recycled engines and engine parts etc, particularly where oil is still present 6. Vegetable and other oils, particularly when packed in flexitanks. Risks due to incorrect stowage: certain commodities, due to their shape, size and weight, cause difficulties. Very often incorrect loading of the container will result in onshore accidents. The types of identified goods were: 1. Logs and timber 2. Steel coils 3. Marble and granite. It is estimated that there is one serious fire on board a container vessel every month, such incidents can lead to the loss of a vessel or, worse still, loss of life. Ensuring safety at sea is everyone’s responsibility; sometimes these standards lapse leading to dangerous incidents. Breaches of the regulations, as demonstrated by the MSC Flaminia incident (July 2012), can lead to litigation, severe penalties and fines. The other non-financial consideration is reputational damage which can have consequences even greater than the previously mentioned punishments. Resources
Damaged cargo on MSC Flaminia in 2012
instructions confirming the nature of the goods that are then accepted in writing by the BIFA Member. This Clause also confers the right of the BIFA Member to dispose, remove or otherwise deal with such goods at the customer’s expense, should the company determine it necessary and the latter be unable and/or unwilling to do so. It is important to read Clause 15 in conjunction with Clause 18, by which the customer indemnifies the Member against all penalties, claims, damages, costs and expenses whatsoever. Collective responsibility Ensuring supply chain safety is everybody’s responsibility and the best approach is collaborative. Whilst certain products are clearly hazardous, it is not as clear in all cases that the goods need special handling. Whilst it is important to identify all hazardous materials and ensure that they are properly packed, documented and handled, recent work has identified 15 products that are less obvious but cause concern. These can be divided up into three categories: Reactive Hazards: these are cargoes that can catch fire and cause considerable damage and casualties under certain conditions. Usually, these goods are subject to IMDG regulations. Items identified are:
BIFA Members can access a recording of the July webinar ‘Safety in the Maritime Containerised World’ by scanning the QR code. The TT Club issues regular newsletters and publications which can be viewed at www.ttclub.com/news-and- resources/publications/. One
BIFA webinar recording
publication of particular interest should be Book it Right and Pack it Tight, which can be downloaded by scanning the QR code. The BIFA Standard Trading Conditions, and guidance on their use, can be downloaded from https://bifa.org/information-guidance/trading- conditions/bifa-standard-trading-conditions-2021/.
Book it Right and Pack it Tight,
September 2024 | 15
www.bifa.org
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