European Shippers Council says no increased safety out of IMO decision
Monday, 30 September 2013 00:52
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Dangerous goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers Committee of the International Maritime Organisation last week agreed in principle to the proposal not to load any container on board a vessel of which the certified/verified weight is not obtained in due time before the ship’s loading.
With this decision, a big step has been taken towards the implementation of a measure that obliges all shippers globally to certify the method with which they obtain the weight of their packed containers. If the proposals that have now passed the intermediary stage will be confirmed in the following step in May 2014, the measure is expected to take effect only in July 2016.
The European Shippers’ Council considers that these measures, first of all do not add anything to safety of containers at sea in the immediate and in the future. The only measure that would have helped immediately to improve safety is to ensure ship owners to take into due consideration during the process the shippers’ verified information on weighing to replace the booking one.
These measures to enter into force in July 2016 – if approved in 2014 – will only add to extra costs and administrative burden to shippers around the world with consequences to global supply chains.
The European Shippers’ Council (the ESC) represents cargo owners i.e. freight transport interests (import and export and intra-continental, by all modes of transport) of some 100,000 companies throughout Europe, whether manufacturers, retailers or wholesalers, which are collectively referred to as “shippers”. ESC, based in Brussels, was founded in 1963.
