Canadian customs gets tough on dangerous goods paperwork

ALAN PEAT IT IS now vital to get the paperwork absolutely spot-on for shipments of dangerous goods to Canada, or stand the chance of having containers detained by the country’s customs authorities, warns CargoCare MD Roland Raath. “Transport Canada has recently been interdicting containers with DG cargo and delaying their release until they verify that all documentation is in order.” His warning stems from correspondence from the Canadian-based Gillship Navigation, a division of the Gillespie Munro group, which said: “Please note that any hazardous cargo sent in groupage containers – or full container loads (FCLs), for that matter – must have a range of items clearly indicated on the Imco declaration.” These include the proper shipping name (if described by numbers, then the actual chemical name in brackets); class number; UN number; packaging group; flashpoint (if applicable); 24-hour emergency telephone; and the container packing certificate. According to Raath there are two items on the documentation that bear special scrutiny – the 24-hour emergency telephone number and the container packing certificate. He also added that the Imco document must be signed by a person of appropriate authority in dangerous goods transportation.