Containers

Keel laid date or similar stage of construction interpretation published

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Keel laid date or similar stage of construction interpretation published
Keel laid date or similar stage of construction interpretation published

The US Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance has published ‘Determinations for a Vessel’s Keel Laid Date or Similar Stage of Construction.’ The instruction was updated on September 20, 2019.

This work instruction aims to establish the interpretations of when a vessel’s keel is considered to be laid or the vessel is at a similar stage of construction.

It also provides guidelines for Officers in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMIs) to determine what may be accepted for the purpose of establishing a vessel’s laid date.

Regulatory applicability may depend on a ship’s keel laid date or a similar stage of Continue reading “Keel laid date or similar stage of construction interpretation published”

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug season requires increased inspection in New Zealand and Australia

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Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

According to Gard P&I Club, the 2019/20 Brown Marmorated Stink Bug season has arrived and ships arriving in New Zealand and Australia from countries with established stink bug populations must prepare for increased surveillance and inspection. Last season, New Zealand turned away four contaminated vessels from its waters.

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is an agricultural pest that feeds on, and can severely damage, fruit and vegetable crops. The pest has spread from its native range in East Asia to establish populations in North America and Europe but is not yet established in Australia and New Zealand. If the pest were to find its way to Continue reading “Brown Marmorated Stink Bug season requires increased inspection in New Zealand and Australia”

More carriers set to impose fines on rogues shippers for misdeclared cargo in containers

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Shippers are expected to be fined for misdeclared cargo
Shippers are expected to be fined for misdeclared cargo

Carriers are cracking down on rogue shippers by threatening significant financial penalties for misdeclared cargo following a series of vessel fires. Evergreen was first out of the gates announcing fines ranging from $4,000 to $35,000, for misdeclarations with Hapag-Lloyd and OOCL following suit.

TT Club risk management director Peregrine Storrs-Fox said, “We welcome such initiatives, following a spate of fires and growing concerns about cargo packing.

“We have been collaborating with stakeholders through the supply chain to highlight ongoing risks arising from poorly packed and Continue reading “More carriers set to impose fines on rogues shippers for misdeclared cargo in containers”

BSU draws attention to watertight integrity after collision

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BSU draws attention to watertight integrity after collision
BSU draws attention to watertight integrity after collisionGermany’s Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) has drawn operators’ attention in a recent collision incident involving a container ship and a fishing vessel on the river Elbe off Stadersand earlier in 2019.

The German schooner ‘No. 5 Elbe’, built in the 19th century, collided with the Cyprus-flagged 141-meter-long container ship ‘Astrosprinter’ about 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of Hamburg on 8 June 2019.

A total of 28 passengers and 15 crew were onboard the schooner at the time of the incident.

The vessel managed to reach the Schwinge estuary without assistance, Continue reading “BSU draws attention to watertight integrity after collision”

Big four have formed the Digital Container Shipping Association in joint initiative

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Thomas Bagge is appointed CEO and Statutory Director of the recently formed Digital Container Shipping Association
Thomas Bagge is appointed CEO and Statutory Director of the recently formed Digital Container Shipping Association

Four container shipping heavyweights, Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and Ocean Network Express, have come together to establish the Digital Container Shipping Association on 10 April 2019 in Amsterdam.

The parties said that the aim of the association is to create common information technology standards to make the industry more efficient for both customers and shipping lines.

The plan to create a neutral, non-profit association for ocean carriers was first announced in November 2018. The association, focusing on driving standardization, digitalization and interoperability in container shipping, is now starting operations with a leadership team made up of industry veterans, including Thomas Bagge (pictured) from A.P. Moller – Maersk, who was appointed CEO and Statutory Director of the Digital Container Shipping Association.

Continue reading “Big four have formed the Digital Container Shipping Association in joint initiative”

Advice on how to ensure containers are stacked safely on board container ships

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Container shipUwe-Peter Schieder, Loss Prevention Manager at GDV (German Insurance Association – Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft) and Vice-Chair of IUMI’s Loss Prevention Committee, provides his comment on securing containers on deck of a container ship.

Mr. Schieder says that there are six different motions in which vessels move in the sea, with the main of them being pitching, heaving and rolling.

However, lateral rolling motion presents the greatest risk for stacks of containers.

In order for containers to be safely transported on the deck of a container ship, this must be done with the help of twistlocks.

These are inserted into the corner castings of the containers, which have elongated holes. There, the rotating lug of the twistlock engages locks the Continue reading “Advice on how to ensure containers are stacked safely on board container ships”

Campaign for greater container safety must focus first on dangerous goods

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Fire crews tackle a container blaze onboard Maersk Honam in 2018
Fire crews tackle a container blaze onboard Maersk Honam in 2018

The recent reports of container ship fires has once more focussed those in the container supply chain on safety issues related to the incorrect processing of dangerous goods. The nascent Cargo Integrity campaign initiated by the international transport and logistics insurer TT Club has, as a consequence, gained renewed impetus.

The recent fire aboard ‘Yantian Express’, details of the final judgment on the ‘MSC Flaminia’ explosion in July 2012, and the ongoing investigation of the ‘Maersk Honan’ fire are currently making headline news. Then just days ago news has come in of ‘Grande America’ sustaining a container fire in the Bay of Biscay and subsequently sinking. These perilous incidents not only frequently cost lives, millions Continue reading “Campaign for greater container safety must focus first on dangerous goods”

Ensuring safe passage for a steel coil cargo

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Steel coils come in many sizes and weights, and can be arranged in various ways regarding the placement of the locking coil, the number of tiers, and the dunnage.
Steel coils come in many sizes and weights, and can be arranged in various ways regarding the placement of the locking coil, the number of tiers, and the dunnage.

Often cargo planners who are preparing the stowage of steel coils in the cargo hold of a general dry cargo ship or bulk carrier, do not have the necessary cargo type specific information required to help them decide the permissible cargo load, thus preventing damage to the ship’s structure.

As Jan Rüde, Ship Type Expert MPV, DNV GL explains, according to SOLAS Chapter VI, Reg. 5, every ship must have an approved cargo securing manual.

Nonetheless, the majority of these manuals do not include detailed information about the carriage of steel coils or the only contain only particular types of steel coil. Continue reading “Ensuring safe passage for a steel coil cargo”

Shipowners Club warns of the dangers following a spate of enclosed space incidents

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Between September and November 2018, there were 8 reported fatalities related to enclosed spaces.
Between September and November 2018, there were 8 reported fatalities related to enclosed spaces.

Although the industry continuously reminds the industry of the dangers of entering enclosed spaces, this remains the hidden enemy for crews. Between September and November 2018, there were 8 reported fatalities related to enclosed spaces. With this ongoing issue in mind the Shipowners Club has published a sample risk assessment addressing the various hazards associated with entering enclosed spaces.

In a span of just 18 months, the Club alone has experienced 15 related claims due to falls, asphyxiation, explosive burns and six fatalities. These alarming statistics have prompted the Club to produce a sample risk assessment on enclosed space entry as part of its ongoing campaign.

The guidance addresses the various hazards associated with an enclosed space entry operation, enclosed space entry requirements and Continue reading “Shipowners Club warns of the dangers following a spate of enclosed space incidents”

Beware the dangers of aluminium dross

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If the product meets the Class 4.3 criteria, it should be declared as UN 3170, noting the application of Special Provision 244 regarding ventilation and protection against water ingress throughout the intended journey.
If the product meets the Class 4.3 criteria, it should be declared as UN 3170, noting the application of Special Provision 244 regarding ventilation and protection against water ingress throughout the intended journey.

The UK P&I Club and the TT Club have published advice following an incident involving a consignment of aluminium pellets (or dross) that was found at the port of loading with the doors and sides of the container blown out. The terminal arranged to test the samples, as there was no evidence that the unit had been dropped during handling.

The test results indicated that aluminium dross is highly susceptible to a reaction with chlorides when moisture is present. The commodity produces gases when exposed to moisture and the build-up of gasses was considered the most likely cause of the container exploding.

The container was damaged beyond repair and it is understood that some lines and ports are refusing this cargo commodity.

According to the UK Club, at the time the material is tested, before filling the container and subsequent shipping, the moisture level is such that the reaction with the commodity does not generate Continue reading “Beware the dangers of aluminium dross”

Guidelines for safe carriage of divinylbenzene in containers are published

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According to the guidelines, the transport of DVB without any temperature control generally relies on the DVB being at a low enough temperature when shipped.
According to the guidelines, the transport of DVB without any temperature control generally relies on the DVB being at a low enough temperature when shipped.

The Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS), the International Group of P&I Clubs and the TT Club have published industry guidelines for the carriage of Divinylbenzene (DVB) in containers.

DVB is a chemical prone to polymerization (a form of self-reaction). When shipped in bulk, DVB polymerization can lead heat and flammable gas to be generated. Thus, the stowage of containers carrying DVB aboard vessels can present a risk of explosion and fire, if they are not properly presented for carriage.

As a series of polymerization incidents took place from the carriage of DVB by sea in 2018 the IMO approved changes to the way that polymerizing substances, like DVB, are carried, by amending the IMDG Code. These changes are included in amendment 39-18 of the IMDG Code, which will be mandatory from 1 January 2020, but may be applied voluntarily from 1 January 2019.

To ensure the safe carriage of DVB in containers before 1 January 2020, these guidelines Continue reading “Guidelines for safe carriage of divinylbenzene in containers are published”

Crush incident report involving a falling hatch cover on SMN Explorer published

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The accident was the result of procedural inadequacies and a lapse of supervision.
The accident was the result of procedural inadequacies and a lapse of supervision.

A crewman from the Liberian registered general cargo vessel, SMN Explorer, died when he was crushed by a falling hatch cover. The crewman was part of a working party stowing cargo slings used for the discharge of the ship’s cargo. The accident occurred when the crewman climbed up the inside of the open hatch cover after its locking pins had been removed.

The accident was the result of procedural inadequacies and a lapse of supervision. The investigation identified that the vessel’s safety management system was immature and the safety culture on board the vessel was weak. Risk assessments had not been conducted for routine tasks and a safe system of work had not been developed for opening and closing the forecastle (fo’c’s’le) stowage space hatch cover.

Safety issues

– the crewman walked under, and climbed up an unsecured hatch cover;
– the accident occurred because the Continue reading “Crush incident report involving a falling hatch cover on SMN Explorer published”

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