Business, Feature, Freight News, Sea

Be Diligent to Avoid Ship Fires, TT Club

[ September 10, 2024   //   Gary G Burrows ]

Four fires aboard container ships, two in port and another two at sea within the last four months, has prompted the TT Club to reiterate its longstanding message for shippers and those facilitating the supply chain to be more diligent over how their cargoes are classified, packaged, packed, declared and handled.
The list of explosions and fires extends from Northern Juvenile in the South China Sea in May, to Maersk Frankfurt in the Indian Ocean, to more recent incidents in quick succession, which involved MSC Cape Town III in Colombo and YM Mobility in Ningbo.
“The causes remain under investigation,” said TT Club Risk Management Director Peregrine Storrs-Fox. “However, there are strong indications that potentially explosive chemicals and fire accelerators, such as lithium-ion batteries, may be involved in at least two of the cases. As with historic incidents, it is likely that various errors occurred as the shipments were initiated and the exact nature of the cargoes was communicated to supply chain counterparties, giving rise again to ‘perfect storms.’ Every participant in the process needs to act in the best interests of safety at every point in these cargoes’ journeys.”
This spike in serious container ship fires is reminiscent of the spate in 2019, although the 30-year average frequency may remain one every 60 days. Of the recent four, unusually two took place while the ship was berthed and shore-side emergency services responded quickly to minimize damage and loss of life – although pollution and potential berth blockage risks emerged. When incidents occur at sea much more serious consequences can develop, as exemplified by Maersk Frankfurt, where one crewman died, the fire burnt for several days, and the ship remains with salvors at sea.
The exact number of containers carrying dangerous goods that are shipped annually is difficult to estimate due to mis-declaration and non-declaration. Partly in response to the issues around inaccurate declaration, the International Maritime Organisation amended the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Inspection programs for Cargo Transport Units in 2022 to urge governments to inspect all types of units, regardless of the declared cargo. The recently released consolidated results, from just eight countries (or 5 percent of the signatory states), for 2023 evidence continuing safety concerns.
Although, from the minute sample size of about 0.03 percent of containerized traffic, placarding and marking shows some improvement, this deficiency, being for first visual alert for many stakeholders and particularly emergency responders, remains above 40 percent. Further, reports noting deficiencies in stowage and securing (within units) – a core CTU Code issue – indicates a rapidly worsening trend over the last five years and the worst position since reports began in 2001.
Also of note is the five-year worsening trend relating to errors found in documentation, another key risk indicator. Care of every shipment requires good communication along the supply chain, due diligence undertaken by every player and a culture of ‘know your customer and operating partner.’
“In this regard, we applaud the recent statement by China’s Maritime Safety Administration that underlined shippers’ responsibilities, in addition to those of the carriers,” Storrs-Fox said. “Such warnings and encouragements by regulatory authorities are to be welcomed. However, TT would reiterate the statement that regulations merely set the baseline.”

Tags: TT Club