Misdeclaration of cargo has been identified as one of the root causes of fires aboard vessels. It was an issue that was of great concern to cargo insurers, said Mike Brews, director of Horizon Underwriting Managers. “It would appear that cargo is misdeclared in an attempt to reduce shipping costs and import duties, but it has serious repercussions,” he told FTW. “If containers that hold dangerous goods are stowed in the incorrect position on vessels, such as next to the engine room for example, it can cause massive on-board vessel fires with the potential of sinking the entire ship.” The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) has publicly stated its concern, declaring misdeclarations as one of the root causes of fires on board vessels. According to the Cargo Incident Notification System, which is designed to identify risks caused by certain cargo, anything up to a quarter of all serious incidents on board containerships can be attributed to misdeclared cargo. “It is impossible to inspect every container loaded onto a vessel to ensure that the goods have been declared correctly and therefore stored correctly,” said Brews. “While the shipping lines are attempting to penalise the shipments that are caught or do cause fires, it is quite often impossible due to international law, or the cargo owner just declaring insolvency.” According to the IUMI, it is time to take action against container fires. At its annual conference in Toronto earlier this year, salvage company Ardent’s salvage master Jeroen Mooij said business could not continue as usual as not all measures were in place to effectively deal with container fires on board vessels. He said improved firefighting systems were required on board vessels, while preventive measures should be mandatory for all ships through rules and regulations. –Liesl Venter
INSERT: It would appear that cargo is misdeclared in an attempt to reduce shipping costs and import duties. – Mike Brews