Whilst perishable cargo is often valuable freight, it can also give rise to higher exposures, which should provide adequate incentive for extra care to be taken by all stakeholders.
A recent Supreme Court decision seeks to lay to rest the way that the burden of proof may pass and be discharged under the Hague Rules, reversing the Court of Appeal decision. This is an update from the earlier report.
The problem of uncollected cargo is a perennial problem for NVOCC operators, often resulting in considerable bills on warehousing, container demurrage, and disposal costs. Apart from anything else, there is a significant drain on management resource to bring resolution.
Joint industry guidelines for the carriage of Divinylbenzene (DVB) in containers have been published by CINS, the International Group of P&I Clubs and the TT Club.
Much can be learnt about the logistics industry – in terms of complexity, practices and expectations – from the ‘MSC Flaminia’ judgment analysing and establishing the responsibilities in this casualty.
This January sees a new Amendment to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code released, Amendment 39-18, entering its transitional year before being mandated from 1 January 2020.
There are known issues relating to aluminium dross, being an example of waste/recycling streams that are now carried in containers. Not a frequent issue, but another where a ‘perfect storm’ may expose issues.
The judgment in ‘MSC Flaminia’ found that extensive information available concerning the stability of the commodity was ignored and not disclosed to the carrier. “Disaster was foreseeable result”.
