Archives for October 2017

London and Darlington, UK, 3 October 2017

To be announced at ICHCA Conference, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain

2-6 October 2017

Freight insurance specialist TT Club and the UK P&I Club, a leading provider of P&I insurance and other services to the international shipping community, two Thomas Miller managed transport insurers have joined forces with Exis Technologies to move the Hazcheck Restrictions Portal into its next development phase.  Hazcheck Restrictions enables participating 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.

The announcement is made at the International Cargo Handling Association (ICHCA) Conference held in Las Palmas, this October, attended by shipping lines, ports and terminals, as well as shippers and intermodal operators, discussing the latest ways to improve the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the cargo handling industry worldwide.

Peregrine Storrs-Fox, Risk Management Director, TT Club 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”.

Why is the portal needed?

It is estimated that 10% of containerised shipments include DG, 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/ terminals) for all the DG 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 have strict rules on the classes of DG that can be 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/terminals in the network, under time pressure, and the scale and complexity of the problem becomes clear. Unlike the world of 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. The vision of the Hazcheck Restrictions Portal is to deliver significant simplification for all stakeholders, and improve safety and compliance.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About TT Club

TT Club is the international transport and logistics industry’s leading provider of insurance and related risk management services. Established in 1968, the Club’s membership comprises ship operators, ports and terminals, road, rail and airfreight operators, logistics companies and container lessors. As a mutual insurer, the Club exists to provide its policyholders with benefits, which include specialist underwriting expertise, a world-wide office network providing claims management services, and first class risk management and loss prevention advice.

TT Club is managed by Thomas Miller.

www.ttclub.com

About UK P&I Club

The UK P&I Club is a leading provider of P&I insurance and other services to the international shipping community. Established in 1865 the UK P&I Club insures over 239 million tonnes of owned and chartered shipping through its international offices and claims network. ‘A (Stable)’ rated by Standard & Poor’s with free reserves and hybrid capital of $558m, the UK P&I Club is renowned for its specialist skills and expertise which ensure ‘best in class’ underwriting, claims handling and loss prevention services.

The UK P&I Club is managed by Thomas Miller, an independent and international insurance, professional and investment services provider.

www.ukpandi.com

About Thomas Miller

Thomas Miller is an independent and international provider of insurance, professional and investment services.

Founded in 1885, Thomas Miller’s origins are in the provision of management services to mutual organisations, particularly in the international transport and professional indemnity sectors; where today they manage a large percentage of the foremost insurance mutuals. Thomas Miller also manages insurance facilities for all the self-employed barristers in England & Wales, as well as trustees of pension schemes, patent agents and housing associations.

Principal activities include:

• Management services for transport and professional indemnity insurance mutuals
• Investment management for institutions and private clients
• Professional services including legal services, claims and captive management
• Managing General Agency

www.thomasmiller.com 

About Exis Technologies

Exis Technologies, headquartered in Darlington, UK, has been a leading supplier of compliance systems for the management of dangerous goods in sea transport for nearly 30 years. They serve 9 of the top 10 container lines.  Exis has been developing e-learning courses for the transport industry since 2009 in collaboration with the International Maritime Organization and in partnership with the TT Club and ICHCA. www.existec.com

The industry coalition committed to promoting the use of the Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code)* stresses two of its primary aims: the need for more widespread communication of the Code’s existence and greater cooperation from all parties in the supply chain in putting the Code’s guidelines into practice in accordance with their roles and responsibilities.

Las Palmas, Spain, 3^rd October, 2017

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 the four bodies making up the industry coalition, and which are responsible for a broad cross-section of the global CTU freight  industry.  Speaking at a special session of ICHCA International’s 65^th anniversary conference in Las Palmas, Spain today a spokesperson from each coalition member – Global Shippers’ Forum, ICHCA International, TT Club and World Shipping Council – highlighted the varied challenges the industry faces in achieving such improvements.

Having addressed national government delegates at the IMO last month, impressing on them the shared responsibility to promote the Code’s use, the coalition members today 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,” said Captain Richard Brough representing the hosts, ICHCA International.  “In terms of disseminating this message, we are particularly pleased today to be able to address such a significant group from CARC, the Canarias/Africa Chapter of ICHCA, who are meeting with us this week.”

In highlighting the need for stepping up efforts to communicate the Code and its content, Peregrine Storrs-Fox of TT Club commented, “We recently surveyed some 6,000 industry professionals to ascertain their knowledge of the Code.  A low level response of 5% completing the questionnaire in itself indicates a lack of awareness. Of those expressing an opinion, just 56% felt the Code is sufficient to address safety issues.  Given the comprehensive nature of the Code, 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.”

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. “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,” emphasised Kjaer.  “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, also meeting in Las Palmas this week, is keen to spread the message. He commented, “Today’s meeting brings together in a single venue those who operate cargo handling facilities and the shippers and packers who initiate the movement. It is a key moment 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 cooperation from all such stakeholders to improve the industry’s safety record in this crucial regard.”

*IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Safety/Cargoes/CargoSecuring/Pages/CTU-Code.aspx

ENDS

Notes for Editors

The Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF) is the world’s leading global trade association representing shippers engaged in international trade moving goods by all modes of transport. Chris Welsh MBE chaired the Expert Working Group charged with drafting IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code). More information is available at: www.globalshippersforum.com

The International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the safety, security, sustainability, productivity and efficiency of cargo handling and goods movement by all modes and through all phases of national and international supply chains. ICHCA actively participated in the Expert Working Group and debates leading to the approval of the CTU Code. More information is available at:  www.ichca.com

The TT Club is the international transport and logistics industry’s leading provider of insurance and related risk management services. The TT Club participated in the Expert Working Group and debates leading to the approval of the CTU Code. More information is available at: www.ttclub.com

The World Shipping Council (WSC) represents the global liner shipping industry on regulatory, environmental, safety and security policy issues.  The WSC has observer status at the IMO and was actively involved in the development of the CTU Code. More information is available at: www.worldshipping.org