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Maritime Transport of Packaged Dangerous Goods
Maritime Transport of Packaged Dangerous Goods
Jayakrishna.A.V
Abstract:
The word danger in sea transportation was considered to be objective in past, but today its more specific, surrounding all who are affected by these cargoes. The history of dangerous cargoes starts from centuries ago and in past safety aspects were mainly concentrated on safety of vessel, her crew or passengers and the cargoes .In present day along with the previous aspects more focus is given to the protection of marine environment. Dangerous goods/cargoes are carried in
water in form of bulk (oil, chemicals, oil products, liquefied gas.etc) or in packaged form .Dangerous packaged cargoes comprises of 10-15% of total cargoes carried by sea (Berry, Antony; Collier & Paul 2008)This paper deals with the different perspectives of dangerous packaged cargoes along with the responsibilities involved in the safe movement of these cargoes in sea.
It is evident that the improper packing of above listed goods can causes serious threat to a lot of factors. (Armstrong,2007)
Packing of cargo
Packing is the process of assembling items into a unit with necessary
protection coatings and marking , it plays an important role in minimizing the risk associated with the nature of the goods(Willinger,1981).Packing is done for the following reasons To avoid exposure to the atmosphere Easy identification from other goods Durability of the goods Easy and safe recovery of the cargo in case of incidents
Dangerous goods should use good quality packings to withstand shock and load occurring during transportation and it must be closed tightly to prevent leakage and loss of contend.
Outside force such as impact or vibration. Contamination due to unwanted substances like water, air. Climatic condition.
Packing is either done by the shipper himself or by a third-party and naturally the responsibility falls on him for the comprehensive and relative legislation which must be observed during the preparation for transportation (Wong, 1976)
Some of the guidelines of marking dangerous packaged goods are stated below
The size of the labels depends on amounts of goods packaged Labels should be placed in such a way that they should be visible when packages are stacked. Format, design and colour of the labels should follow the standards as per the Dangerous Goods Code. Packaging should be of a contrasting colour or be clearly visible against the packaging used on the other goods. Requirements for inner package marking are different from standard marking and for packages the standard marking must include:
Proper shipping name of each type of dangerous goods in the package UN Number Class label for each class of dangerous goods in package
Markings must pass tests for legibility, water resistance, colour fastness and staying affixed (stickers are commercially available) (Armstrong,2007)
Placards should be attached on cargo transport units to notify that the contents of the unit are dangerous goods and present risks, unless the labels affixed on the packages are clearly visible from the exterior of the cargo
Source:UKOOA 2002
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The cargo will only be accepted if all the above steps have been taken. Failure to comply with any of the above steps will result in rejection.
UN number on goods
Information about other packaged goods (non dangerous goods) within the load and placed after listed dangerous goods(IMDG Code,1965)
Common law
In common law, the common carrier is the insurer of the goods and is bound to carry goods he publicly professes to carry unless there is reasonable excuse. He may, however, refuse the goods where there is no possibility to carry the goods in safety or where the goods are insufficiently protected. Based on these notions, it has been said that there are no common carriers of dangerous goods.(Hameed,1996)
Conclusion
An increasing number of dangerous cargos are now transiting our globe. In present day there is still doubt about the problem arising out of transportation of dangerous and hazardous goods like noxious and polluting substances and industrial wastes. The only way to eliminate this risk is either to prohibit the carriage of dangerous goods by sea or to impose such strong measures, but this is practically impossible but however packaged goods generally cause less accidents, but they are handled frequently and in close proximity to people. They are mixed freely with a great amount of normally combustible material, namely general cargo, in circumstances with a high potential for minor troubles. However rarely, packaged dangerous goods also have reported some major disaster.
Reference:
Armstrong (2007) Prepare for transport of packaged dangerous goods Learners Guide, Australian National Training Authority, Australia
Barker(1992),Hazardous goods at Sea, Marine policy Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd Publication Berry, Antony; Collier, Paul (2008): Risk in supply chains: exploratory case studies in the automotive industry. International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management. Year: 2008 Volume: 7 Issue: 8.
Hamid.A,(1996) Loss or Damage from the Shipment of Goods, Rights and Liabilities ofthe Parties to the Maritime Adventure Unpublished Thesis Southampton University PP 117. IMDGC(2010) International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code 6th edition, Vol 1Chapter 11 Page 167,Available From : http://www.flexocleaners.com/pdf/imdgmaritime-shipping-codes.pdf Accessed on 24 November 2010
IMO(2010) International Maritime Organisation, Available from http://www.imo.org/OurWork/Safety/Cargoes/Pages/DangerousGoods.aspx Accessed on 30th November 2010
Jackson(1981), Dangerous Cargo- A Legal Overview in Maritime Movement of DangerousCargoes- Public Regulations Private Liability
Karan(2004), The Carriers Liability under the International Maritime Conventions the Hague,Hague-Visby, and Hamburg Rules
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Ozbek.G(2008) The Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Sea Hamburg Studies on Maritime Affairs Springer publication Berlin Heidelberg
Peermohamed.A (2002) Dangerous Cargo [2002] P&I International Publications pp 17, 19.
UKOOA(2002) Guidelines for the Safe Packing and Handling of Cargo to and from Offshore Locations UK Offshore Operators Association Limited 2nd Issue November
Willinger, Johann(1981) Dangerous, hazardous and noxious cargoes ButterworthHeinemann Ltd Publication
Wong K.K(1976) Packing Dangerous Goods 8 J. Mar L. & Com. PP 387, 395
Williams(1999), The Implications of Shipping Dangerous Cargo, in Pursuit and Defence of Cargo Claims, International Symposium on the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Sea and Inland Waterways 10th & 11th May 1, 13.
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