2 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Shipper November / December 2017
2 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Shipper November / December 2017
The right way to get packing
Improper packing of freight containers continues to haunt global supply chains . Safety improvements throughout the international supply chain can be made through the proper packing , handling and transport of cargo transport units ( CTUs ), including containers , according to four bodies making up an industry coalition . The Global Shippers ’ Forum , ICHCA International , TT Club and World Shipping Council have come together to highlight the varied challenges the industry faces in achieving such improvements . While credible statistics are hard to compile due to a lack of engagement by state authorities the four groups suggest that as many as 24 percent of containers carrying dangerous goods are “ badly packed ”. Having addressed national government delegates at the IMO in the summer , impressing on them the shared responsibility to promote the use of the Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units ( CTU ), the coalition members turned their attention to cargo handlers and stevedores . “ Terminal operators and stevedores in many locations play a relatively minor role in packing containers and other CTUs . They nevertheless play an important role in identifying eccentrically loaded , overweight , bulging and otherwise dangerously packed units , and in taking appropriate steps to address any safety concerns ,” says Captain Richard Brough of ICHCA International . In highlighting the need for stepping up efforts to communicate the Code and its content , Peregrine Storrs-Fox of TT Club adds : “ We recently surveyed some 6,000 industry professionals to ascertain their knowledge of the ( CTU ) code . A low level response of 5 percent completing the questionnaire in itself indicates a lack of awareness . Of those expressing an opinion , just 56 percent felt the code is sufficient to address safety issues . Given its comprehensive nature , this suggests a need for more clarity and explanation of its important safety recommendations . Cooperation from all stakeholders across the global supply chain in order to improve this communication of the code and , importantly , its uptake is vital .” Storrs-Fox points out that the freight container has diversified the responsibility for safe cargo packing away from the historic concentration of expertise at quaysides and docks . “ Those packing containers at factories , warehouses and depots situated remotely from the port , or indeed from a railhead or other intermodal hub , are generally unaware of the consequences of a poorly packed steel coil and unsecured drum of hazardous chemicals ,” he says . “ As a specialist insurer , TT Club continually sees the sad repercussions of truck rollovers and train derailments , cargo spillages , and explosions and fires at ports or on-board ships .” Exemplifying one aspect of the code ’ s complexity but also its remarkable comprehensiveness , Lars Kjaer of the WSC examined the issue of pest contamination of containers and their cargoes at a special session of ICHCA International ’ s 65th anniversary conference in Las Palmas , Spain . “ The International Plant Protection Convention ( IPPC ) confirms that the packing of sea containers with cargo is the most likely stage in the sea container supply chain at which pest contamination can occur ,” he said . “ Use of the Code , supported by targeted guidelines , will assist in efforts to mitigate this problem as all involved in the international container supply chain have a duty to ensure that CTUs and their cargoes are not infested with soil , plants , plant products , insects or other animals .” It is clear that shippers and those acting on their behalf in packing containers and other CTUs around the world are a key group to be engaged in efforts to promote the code in practice . Chris Welsh , representing the Global Shippers Forum , which also met in Las Palmas , is keen to spread the message . He commented : “ It is key to bring our important safety messages to all elements of the supply chain and particularly those responsible for packing and securing cargo in CTUs . We continue to call for co-operation from all such stakeholders to improve the industry ’ s safety record in this crucial regard .” While in Las Palmas , the TT Club and UK P & I Club announced they have joined forces with Exis Technologies to move the Hazcheck Restrictions Portal into its next development phase . Hazcheck Restrictions enables participating shipping lines to enter ( or upload ) and maintain the operator , vessel and port restrictions for their operations , check for dangerous goods ( DG ) compliance with partner lines and accept provisional bookings . The portal started as an initiative with several major container lines that already used Exis Technologies range of Hazcheck compliance systems for their DG shipping operations , particularly to resolve issues posed under vessel sharing agreements .
The next phase of implementation involves encouraging container lines , ports , terminals , shippers and forwarders to upload their data into the portal free of charge for a minimum of two years . Facilitating the retrieval of the whole range of information from the portal for operational use may lead to a new global portal for the whole supply chain to use in helping to make operations more efficient and safer . Peregrine Storrs-Fox commented : “ TT Club has been working alongside Exis Technologies since 2009 to deliver e-learning training solutions to the
global supply chain . The Hazcheck Restrictions portal is an ambitious initiative aimed at reducing incidents related to dangerous goods shipments . Stakeholder engagement , particularly from ports and terminals , has the potential to deliver a portal which will make a huge difference for the intermodal industry .” James Douglas , director , Exis Technologies , said : “ We are delighted that TT Club and UK P & I Club have recognised the potential in our Hazcheck Restrictions portal . We hope that the supply chain will join us in our efforts to create this exciting new portal ”. It is estimated that 10 percent of containerised shipments include DGs , with the result that some ships will have in excess of a thousand containers on any given voyage . This necessitates critical checks to be made against the particular voyage legs ( voyage segments between ports and terminals ) for all the DGs being shipped . These checks are complex . Most lines restrict or prohibit certain classes of DG ( particularly explosives , radioactive materials and some organic peroxides in reefer containers ) so the booking line needs to know if the partner line that will carry the box or boxes will accept the DG . Detailed stowage requirements , such as on deck only , away from accommodation , or away from sources of heat , mean that suitable space is finite . Many ports and individual container terminals also have strict rules on the classes of DG that can be
Terminal operators play a relatively minor role in packing containers but they have an important role in identifying eccentrically loaded , overweight , bulging and otherwise dangerously packed units loaded , unloaded or transhipped , or even present on board while the ship is in port . Significant disruption can ensue if the ‘ wrong ’ DG is aboard a ship . Multiply this process by the thousands of partner line DG bookings made each day and by the number of ports and terminals in the network , under time pressure , and the scale and complexity of the problem becomes clear . Unlike airline cargo shipments there is no single database of port and terminal restrictions or indeed operator restrictions . This leaves each shipping line trying to capture and keep its own record of port and terminal restrictions as they change on a frequent basis anywhere in their global network As Stuart Edmonston , loss prevention director for UKP & I Club , summarised : “ The vision of the Hazcheck Restrictions Portal is to deliver significant simplification for all stakeholders , and improve safety and compliance ”.
Carriage of charcoal guidelines
New guidelines for the carriage of charcoal and carbon in containers have been published jointly by CINS ( the Cargo Incident Notification System ) and the International Group of P & I Clubs . Charcoal / carbon is a black residue , consisting of carbon and any remaining ash obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances . However , it is considered to be a self-heating substance , which , in contact with air and without energy supply , is liable to self-heating . A reaction may result in extensive heat development and fire . There have been a number of reported fires in recent years involving the carriage of charcoal in containers . With global production of wood charcoal and carbon amounting to over 50 million tonnes a year , the practices set out in the guidelines are intended both to improve safety during the carriage of these products , and to ensure that it is properly declared , packaged and carried . The transport of charcoal and carbon must be in compliance with the requirements set out in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code ( IMDG Code ). The new guidelines include selected provisions from the IMDG Code , together with additional precautions to enhance its safe carriage . The guidelines were prepared by a work group comprising CINS Members , including shipping lines , the International Group of P & I Clubs and the TT Club . They are available to download from www . cinsnet . com www . igpandi . org
Top performers
Gartner has released the findings from its annual European
Supply Chain Top 15 , identifying supply chain leaders and highlighting their best practices . Analysts announced the results at the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference , held in London , UK . “ Europe-based supply chains built on their strong performance in 2017 ,” said Stan Aronow , research vice president at Gartner . “ Ten European firms made it into the global top 25 , one more than 2016 and five more than 2015 .” In the European top 15 , Unilever , Inditex and H & M took the top three spots , in that order . There were three new entrants this year : No 13 Adidas , No 14 Roche and No 15 Siemens . They replaced three companies exiting since the 2016 ranking : British American Tobacco , Ahold Delhaize and Bayer . “ The companies in the European top 15 demonstrated strong growth of 6.8 percent , which is more than double the average growth of the global top 25 ,” said Aronow . “ Moreover , European companies scored above average in corporate social responsibility .”
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