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Committee On Dangerous Goods News

24 Sep 2013

Mandatory Verification of Container Weights Increases Safety

Photo: Danish Maritime Authority

At last week’s meeting in the IMO, it was decided that the weight of containers are to be verified before it is possible to carry them by sea. This will prevent ship accidents and prevent the loss of containers into the sea. The IMO Sub-Committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC) recommends new international (SOLAS) regulations stipulating that containers must not be carried by sea until their weight has been verified and the shipper has informed the ship about the correct weight.

16 Sep 2013

Heavyweights ITF Back Action on Container Weighing

The ITF is calling on governments and industry bodies to back a proposed amendment that will tackle the dangers posed by unweighed or mis-declared shipping containers. The amendment – to the existing Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) – will be tabled at the present meeting of the IMO (International Maritime Organization) sub–committee on dangerous goods, solid cargoes and containers.The meeting will decide if the weighing of packed shipping containers will be made mandatory. The ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) has been lobbying for nearly a decade for a compulsory international system of container weighing to be introduced in ports. Currently there is a reliance on self regulation by shippers.

15 Nov 2012

IMO PaperSmart Meeting Restructures Sub-Committees

The IMO Council, meeting for its 109th session in London has endorsed, in principle, a restructuring of IMO's Sub-Committees. The Council meeting was the first “PaperSmart” meeting for the Organization, and was considered a success by delegates. Delegates were invited to make the meeting "paperless" (PaperSmart), to reduce costs and make IMO meetings "environment friendly". Delegates were asked to come to the meeting with their own laptops, tablet computers, etc., together with their own Internet cables to connect to wired access points in the main meeting room. An enhanced wireless facility (Wifi) was provided for improved wireless access to the IMO documents site (IMODOCS) and to the Internet. The restructuring is part of a review and reform process initiated by Secretary-General Mr.

24 Sep 2012

Enclosed Space Entry Safety Amendments Agreed

SOLAS amendments to mandate enclosed space entry and rescue drills agreed by IMO Sub-Committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid cargoes & Containers. Draft amendments to SOLAS regulation III/19 to mandate enclosed space entry and rescue drills were agreed by the Sub-Committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid cargoes and Containers (DSC), when it met for its 16th Session. The draft amendments will be forwarded for review by the Sub-Committees on Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG) and Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW) and then finalized by DSC 17 before submission to the Maritime Safety committee (MSC) for adoption. The draft amendments are aimed…

11 Jul 2012

FONASBA Supports Container Weight Verification Initiative

FONASBA, the international ship brokers and ship agents federation, this week gave its full backing to international government and industry efforts aimed at ensuring that shipping containers for export are accurately weighed. The initiative, which is being led by the World Shipping Council in concert with shipowners’ association BIMCO, the International Association of Ports and Harbours, the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Transport Workers Federation, as well as the maritime administrations of Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States, will be launched at the 17th session of IMO’s Sub-Committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC 17) in September. The problem of under-declared and unverified containers is a serious one for ports and ships.

04 Jan 2012

Another Hazardous Cargo, Another Ship Sinking

On Christmas day, the bulk carrier VINALINES QUEEN, carrying a cargo of nickel ore from Morowali, Indonesia to China, went missing. The ship and its crew of 22 must now be considered lost. Although it is certainly too soon to ascribe a known cause of sinking, it is probably fair to say, as an American judge did many years ago: “Sometimes circumstantial evidence can be very convincing, just as when you find a trout floating in the milk”. There continues to be a crying need for greater information, understanding and enforcement of regulations – as well as testing – of cargoes that may liquefy.

18 Aug 2006

Shipping Coordinating Committee to Meet

The Shipping Coordinating Committee (SHC), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, will meet in Washington, DC on August 29. The purpose of the meeting is to prepare for the upcoming session of the IMO Sub-Committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers.