MARINE insurers TT Club have welcomed moves by container lines to discourage shippers from mis-declaring hazardous cargoes, which has caused or contributed to the cause of containership fires in recent months
MARINE insurers TT Club have welcomed moves by container lines to discourage shippers from mis-declaring hazardous cargoes, which has caused or contributed to the cause of containership fires in recent months. 'TT Club welcomes such initiatives by liner operators as the international transport insurer has growing concerns about the lax cargo packing practices and erroneous, sometimes fraudulent, declaration of cargoes,' said the TT Club.
'Under the banners 'Cargo Integrity' and #Fit4Freight, TT Club has been collaborating with stakeholders through the freight supply chain to highlight on-going risks, including severe ship fires, arising from poorly packed and declared cargo,' said the insurer's statement.
In light of the increase in incidents, the loss of life, significant costs and delays to cargo deliveries, the lines are strengthening their inspection procedures and imposing fines on those shippers found to have mis-declared, it said.
Said TT Club risk management chief Peregrine Storrs-Fox: 'Clearly, the shipper has primary responsibility to declare fully and honestly so that carriers are able to take appropriate actions to achieve safe transport. Since this is not always the case, carriers have to put in place increasingly sophisticated and costly control mechanisms to 'know their customers', screen booking information and physically inspect shipments.'
'A key element of the campaign is to identify levers - both sticks and carrots - that are available to improve a safety culture in container transport, including considering unintended consequences inherent in trading arrangements or fiscal/security interventions and the possibilities presented by technological innovation,' said the club statement.
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