There is an increasing issue of hazardous goods being undeclared and mis-declared, resulting in maritime incidents such as explosions and fires on board vessels. These incidents can cost millions of dollars and result in the loss of lives.
 Dangerous goods certificates must list all characteristics of a hazardous shipment so that it can be approved for loading prior to ocean carriage. Without correct documentation, a ship’s master cannot accurately plan the stowing of hazardous goods, and will also struggle to determine the correct course of action in case of an emergency. In some cases, the crew attending a problem may need breathing apparatus or protective clothing before they can safely get near the cargo. Other causes can be sub-standard handling of cargo, poor-quality packaging and incorrect labelling.
When choosing to accept hazardous cargo, a carrier will take into account a number of factors, such as risk of carriage, risk to the ship, and risk to the crew. One very important consideration is the compatibility with other cargo on the same ship. Certain hazardous goods cannot be shipped alongside other goods – for example, very dangerous cargo would not be stowed next to hot engines, or toxic chemicals would not be stowed next to food products. There is a lot of extra work involved in the carriage of hazardous cargo which is the primary reason there are hazardous goods surcharges.
Importance of documentation
In any situation involving hazardous goods, the first point of call when a problem arises is reference back to the dangerous goods declaration. If this is accurate and honest, then the ship will have more of a chance of containing the problem. If it is incorrect, then the ship and crew could be walking into a life-threatening and very costly problem.
As soon as a large marine incident occurs, the ship’s owners will want to determine the cause. If the problem is blamed on another party’s negligence or dishonesty, the underwriter will be seeking compensation. Paying a hazardous surcharge fee pales in comparison to the cost of a marine disaster! The insurance claims for these disasters can take years and cost millions.
Danger on the roads too
The problem is not limited to marine transport. Truck drivers caught without dangerous goods certificates are fined thousands of dollars and lose their licence. The driver would often be an innocent party as they would be unaware that the container held hazardous goods.
If undeclared hazardous cargo was involved in a road accident, there would be great difficulty in identifying the substance without the correct dangerous goods paperwork. The hazardous substance could pollute water supplies, creeks and rivers, and pose a risk to the driver and witnesses. Treatment and solution to these problems would have to wait until the cargo was identified.
The potential pollution is also an issue on ships – not only could the hazardous cargo end up in the ocean, but so too could the ship’s fuel, which could be a major environmental issue.
Stricter regulations needed
The way cargo is packaged and labelled is critical and sometimes handled by persons who have no practical knowledge of the procedures of ocean carriage and transport. One possible improvement to the problem could be stricter regulations for exporters of hazardous cargo; also wider training of warehouse staff that handle and package dangerous goods.
In a time-critical industry, it would be unrealistic for every container to be opened and checked prior to loading. If every port company were to open and check all export containers declared as hazardous prior to loading, this still would not solve the issue of hazardous cargo being completely undeclared.
But unless the issue is addressed and some improvements are made, there will be more incidents resulting in the loss of lives and millions of dollars.
Olivia Kinnane’s full 2000-word essay, of which the above is a summary, won her the CBAFF Young Achiever of the Year award, sponsored by Singapore Airlines Cargo. Olivia is a trade assistant within the Christchurch office of Oceanbridge Shipping.
|
