WHILE the issue of misdeclared container weights may have been solved by the introduction of the rules requiring the verification of the gross mass of containers, data captured by the Cargo Incident Notification System over the 2013-2014 period indicates that 27% of incidents in terms of detected causation were attributable to cargo being misdeclared.
“All dangerous goods must be carried in accordance with the provisions of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, which is a set of globally accepted rules that enables packaged dangerous goods to be carried safely by sea,” said UK P&I Club risk assessor David Nichol.
“As around 10% of all container cargoes constitute dangerous goods, virtually all containership services fall within the scope of the code.”
Mr Nichol said it was imperative for the safety of the ship and crew that all necessary steps were taken to handle and stow dangerous goods in a way that reduced the risk of an emergency incident, and that crew had the information they need to respond quickly with the appropriate measures.
“To enable this, a ship’s master must be provided with a correct, universally recognised description of the goods and the potential hazards they may present,” he said.
Factors contributing to incidents on board included misdeclaration or non-declaration by shippers; the quality and type of packaging used; accuracy of documentation; and mishandling of containers.
Mr Nichol pointed to calcium hypochlorite, which is unstable at high temperatures and can cause fires and explosions, as an example of where misdeclaration was common.
“There have been instances where calcium hypochlorite has been misdeclared as calcium chloride and other names encountered have included BK powder, bleaching powder, CCH, disinfectant, hy-chlor, chloride of lime, or chlorinated lime,” he said.
“It is a requirement of the IMDG Code that cargoes are declared by their proper shipping name, to combat issues of misdeclaration. Calcium hypochlorite is a proper shipping name and as such should only be carried under that name, with the appropriate UN number.”
The International Group of P&I Clubs and the carrier members of the CINS have recently produced a new set of guidelines for the carriage of calcium hypochlorite in containers.
It is hoped these new guidelines will be seen as providing clearer and more logical, step-by-step guidance from issues surrounding cargo hazards, categorisation under the IMDG code, container selection, container packing and stowage on board ship.
This article appeared previously on lwww.lloydslist.com
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