National Cargo Bureau, a not-for-profit container inspection company, has launched a remote container inspection service based on the Hazcheck Inspections web-based container inspections database and access portal developed with their software division, Exis Technologies.
The new service from the National Cargo Bureau uses mobile devices to connect customers with Continue reading “National Cargo Bureau to launch a remote container inspection service”
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a safety alert and is warning about the hazards of transporting discarded lithium batteries after a container illegally loaded with them caught fire while en route to the Port of Virginia, where it was set to be loaded onto a ship.
Thankfully the container was not loaded on a ship at the time. Rather, the container was being transported on a chassis from Raleigh, North Carolina when the discarded lithium batteries caught fire on the highway on August 19, 2021, resulting in loss of the cargo and significant damage to the shipping container. Continue reading “Container loaded with discarded lithium batteries catches fire”
NCB Group, the New York based cargo inspection company and the leading provider of transportation software has announced that Hapag-Lloyd, one of the leading liner shipping companies, has signed an agreement to adopt the Hazcheck Detect cargo screening tool to detect misdeclared and undeclared dangerous goods in containerised shipments. The solution has been developed and will be delivered by NCB’s software division, Exis Technologies, global leaders in IT solutions for the management of dangerous goods in sea transport.
Hazcheck Detect scans all cargo booking details for keywords and includes an industry library to enable suspicious bookings to be Continue reading “Hapag-Lloyd adopts Hazcheck Detect for misdeclared dangerous goods”
A collaboration between Standard Club and David Townsend, Principle Fire Investigator at Andrew Moore & Associates Ltd, has resulted in a helpful loss prevention alert for preventing fires onboard containerships while offering some suggestions for dealing with and improving the situation.
According to Mr. Moore, there has been an increasing number of fires onboard containerships in recent years, some with disastrous consequences, not only for the shipowner and the crew on board but also for the environment and the shipping industry’s reputation. Continue reading “Need to knows about preventing fires onboard containerships”
The container ship Zim Kingston that spilled 109 boxes off the Strait of Juan de Fuca on October 22 was at sea in a storm caused directly as a result of port congestion says a new report. Using satellite AIS data, Seattle public radio station KUOW found that the Zim Kingston loitered off the strait’s entrance in gale conditions, moving at three knots on a course beam to the prevailing winds for about six hours.
While she was off the Strait, significant wave heights of about 16 to 20 feet were noted and the sustained wind speeds were in the range of 35-40 knots. The Zim Kingston began to roll through 35 degrees, and with extreme forces acting on her stacked deck cargo, she lost more than 100 containers over the side. Continue reading “Loss of over one hundred containers from Zim Kingston due to heavy weather and port congestion says initial report.”
Mark Dunbar, Surveys Manager at West P&I Club, has highlighted practical aspects on the carriage of containers onboard dry bulk vessels. And as he says, individual cases will vary widely so the following should not be taken as exhaustive, but as an aide memoire for the major factors that need to be considered and addressed.
– Bridge visibility needs to meet SOLAS requirements.
– Vessel stability including bending moments and shear forces to be verified as within limits.
– Container stacking weights – check CSC plate for maximum allowable – US 53 foot containers are usually significantlylower than standard ISO containers.
– Strength of tanktop/hatch covers/deck plating – remember all the weight of a container is distributed Continue reading “Practical aspects of the carriage of containers on dry bulk vessels”
Claims relating to wet cargo damage are all too frequent. Many of these can be avoided entirely with a robust pre-loading condition checking procedure. While humidity and condensation are inevitable challenges through the supply chain, pre-existing CTU damages should be an easy check.
As TT Club regularly articulates, around 65% of cargo damage incidents are attributable in part to the way that goods are packed within the cargo transport unit (CTU). The CTU Code and the more recent ‘CTU Code – a quick guide’ and complementary container packing checklist published by the Cargo Integrity Group, provide invaluable guidance for actors in the supply chain to mitigate such risks. Continue reading “Preventing wet cargo damage”
The potential catastrophic impact arising from the deterioration of abandoned cargo cannot be disregarded as a remote risk. However, the considerable costs accruing from container demurrage, detention, storage and disposal regularly result from cargo that, for a variety of reasons, is no longer required by the original receiver or consignee, and is simply abandoned at a port terminal or cargo facility. Increased risks of safety and regulatory infraction are inevitably consequent, as well as significant demand on management and operational resources to resolve individual cases. Continue reading “Abandoned cargo: alert to risk escalation”
Inaccurate stability calculations caused the capsizing of the vehicle carrier Golden Ray that resulted in $200 million worth of damages, the National Transportation Safety Board reveals in its marine accident report. The report gives details of the NTSB’s investigation into the capsizing of the roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier as it transited outbound through St. Simons Sound near Brunswick, Georgia on 8 September 2019.
All 23 crewmembers and one pilot on board were rescued, including four engineering crew who were trapped in the vessel for nearly 40 hours. Two crewmembers sustained serious injuries. The Golden Ray sustained significant damage due to fire, flooding and saltwater corrosion and was declared a total loss estimated at $62.5 million. An estimated $142 million worth of cargo, including more than 4,100 Continue reading “NTSB reveals stability calculations caused Golden Ray capsize”
Bureau Veritas has published a comprehensive set of guidelines to promote and support the safe carriage of containers in bulk carriers. In recent months there has been unprecedented demand for the carriage of containers. This has prompted charterers to explore the possibility of using of bulk carriers for that task. Bulk carriers, in general, are non-cellular vessels compared to container ships.
Whilst the carriage of containers in bulk carriers is possible, but only after extensive planning, assessment and scrutiny, operators must liaise with their insurance carriers, the Class society of their vessel(s) and corresponding Flag Administration for advice and guidance on the necessary modifications and/or additions to satisfy their requirements.
The latest NTSB Safer Seas Digest report includes lessons learned from US maritime incident investigations. Following analysis of 42 cases NTSB warns that new lithium-ion battery hazards can be every bit as deadly as the worst storms.
NTSB commented, “The real world is a peculiar academy. We hope that this collection of lessons learned in the investigations closed in 2020 helps readers to take a step back and view their own operation with a cold, critical eye, then return to their day-to-day routines ready to take the appropriate action.”
The Safer Seas Digest runs to 112 pages. The key 14 highlights and lessons learnt from the Safer Seas Digest report are: Continue reading “NTSB Safer Seas Digest published and reveals 14 key findings from investigations in 2020”
The P&I Club, Steamship Mutual, has received a number of enquiries concerning the carriage of containers on vessels not primarily designed to carry containers on deck and/or inside cargo holds, such as bulk carriers and general cargo vessels. The Club is aware of at least one instance where carriage of containers in this manner on a bulk carrier has resulted in a container stack collapse within the hold, necessitating a return to port in order to restow the containers.
Steamship Mutual has issued this guidance concerning the risks presented by such operations and to draw attention to the need to ensure that a ship is suitable for the safe loading, carriage and discharge of the cargo and is equipped with the appropriate means of securing such cargo. The note identifies some of the primary information gathering and reporting necessary for considering such activities, along with other considerations of due diligence and risk assessment to mitigate and minimise the potential risks. Continue reading “Safe loading of containers on vessels other than container ships”
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