Flags of ConvenienceWord文档格式.docx

Flags of ConvenienceWord文档格式.docx

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Twocountriesprovidingflagsofconvenience（FOC）tomerchantvessels,PanamaandCyprus,threwuproadblockstothesafecarriageofcontainerizedcargolastweek. 

Withover80%ofworldcargobeingmovedoncontainershipsandthoseshipsgettingeverlarger,anymeasurethatcanmaketheseshipmentssafermustbeconsidered. 

Sadly,thesecountriesfindthatsomeproposedmeasuresareinconvenient.

TheInternationalMaritimeOrganization’s（IMO）Sub-CommitteeonDangerousGoods,SolidCargoesandContainerswrappedupitsmostrecentmeetingon21September2012. 

Amongtheitemsontheagendaweremeasurestopreventthelossofcontainersatsea. 

TwoproposalsweresubmittedtotheSub-Committeerequiringaccuratecontainerweights–onefromacoalitionoftheWorldShippingCouncil（WSC）andnumerousindustryadvocacygroupsandcountries,andtheotherfromGermany.

TheWSCpublishedasynopsisofmaritimecasualtiesinvolvingoverweightcontainerson12December2011.Thepaperindicatesthatseriousmaritimecasualties,includingthecapsizingofonevesselandstructuralfailureofanother,aswellassignificantcargoandvesseldamage,canbedirectlyattributedtomisdeclaredcontainerweights. 

Insomeinstances,theactualweightofcontainerswasupto350%higherthandeclared.

ThetwoproposalsdifferedinthattheWSCproposalrequiredtheactualweighingofthestuffedcontainerwhereastheGermanproposalwouldalsoallowthecalculationofthecontainerweightbytheshipperbasedonthetareweightofthecontainerandtheweightofthecontents. 

Whileneitherproposalreceivedoverwhelmingsupport,memberstatedelegationsagreedthatamendmentstoSOLASwererequiredtoincreasetheresponsibilityoftheshipperinregardtothedeclarationofcontainerweights.

Dueto“technicalobjections”bythedelegationsfromPanama,CyprusandGreece,furtherdiscussiononthismatterhasbeenpushedtoacorrespondencegroupwithanotherreportdueinSeptember2013. 

Atthispoint,theearliestaSOLASamendmentrequiringtheaccurateweighingordeclarationofweightofacontainermightcomeintoeffectis2017. 

AWSCrepresentative,possiblyindicatingwhatwasdiscussedbehindthescenes,stated,“Alternatively,thoseresistingchangemaycontinuetosucceedindelayinganeffectiveregulatoryresponsebytheIMOtothisproblem.”

Meanwhile,thoseloadingcontainershipsorworkingincontaineryardsareleftwiththequestion,“Whatdoesthatcontainerreallyweigh?

” 

Fornow,wemustaccepttheshipper’sdeclarationforwhatitis–possiblyuseless. 

Themonitoringofoutsideindicatorssuchasstrainonlashingorcargogearorpositionoftheloadlinemaybetheonlytrueindicationofwhatthatcontainerreallyweighs.

CaptainRichardMaddenisamaritimeconsultantandSUNYMaritimegraduatewithover20yearsofindustryexperience. 

HeholdsaUSCGUnlimitedMaster’slicenseandhassailedongovernmentvessels,offshoretowingvessels,tankers,containerships,coastaltowingandgeneralcargovessels. 

Heisanactivelysailingmerchantmarinerwithafocusonsafeoperations. 

maddenmaritime@

Unioncallsforterminalstoverifycontainerweights

ByAlexLennane

10.23.2012·

PostedinLoadstarposts,Sea,SupplychainAddtofavorites

©

TheLoadstar

Inthecontinuingdebateoncontainerweights,theITFhasrespondedtonewsfromLloydsRegisterthatnewstackingmethodologycouldseeupto10%morecargoonsomelargerships,sayingthatuntilcontainerweightsarecorrectlymeasureditisimpossibletoensuresafety.

“Evenifashipcanadd10%weightcapacityonboard,itismeaninglessifthereisstillasizablepercentageofthecontainerweightsmisdeclared.Shipsof4,000teutothelatest16,000teuallhavethesameproblemofstabilityifcontainersarenotsituatedatthecorrectplaceontheshipduetoamisdeclaration,”explainedAlbetLeMonnier,formervicepresidentoftheILWUinCanadaandITFportsafetyrepresentativeattheILOandIMO.

MrLeMonnieralsohitbackatFiata’spositiononcontainerweighing–thatitis“lessinclinedtoacceptsuchasissuetobeonthelegislativeagenda”–sayingitwas“absurd”.

“Toleavethisonavoluntarybasisisabsurd.That’sthestatusquoasitis.UnderSolas[SafetyofLifeatSea],theshipperisonlyrequiredtodeclaretheweightofthecontainer,andlookattheproblemofmisdeclarationwe’reexperiencing.Asrule,selfregulationhasaverypoorrecord.”

Atarecentseminaronthetopic,coveredbyTheLoadstar,itbecameclearthateachpartyinthesupplychainfelttheresponsibilityforweighingcontainersshouldbeshared–orpassedonaltogether.Hauliersneededtheshippertocorrectlyidentifytheweight,whileterminaloperatorspointedoutthatthesheernumberofcontainersarrivingataterminalmadeitextremelydifficulttoweightthemthere.

ButMrLeMonniertoldTheLoadstarthattheITFbelievescontainerterminalsarethebestplace.

“TheITF’ssolutiontotheproblemisforthecontainertobeweighedindependentlyfromtheagentthatmadetheweightdeclaration,whichcouldbetheshipper,theconsignorortheconsolidator.Roadsideweighbridgescanbereliableifthey’reontheroute,areopenandthehaulierisnothaulingtwo20ftcontainers.Themostpracticalplaceisattheportterminalfacility,becauseithastheequipment,weighbridgeandliftingequipmentscales,andisatthecentreofthemulti-modalinterface.”

Headdedthatbecausethereisalreadyanexistingcommercialrelationshipbetweentheterminalandtheshippingline,itwouldbesimpleforthelinestopaytheterminal.“Inturn,thecarrierwillchargetheshipperfortheverification.Ultimatelythecostwillbeintheconsumerprice,buthardlynoticeable.”

MrLeMonnierderidedarecentidea,outofGermany,thatthepackerweighsthepackagesbeforeloading.“ITFandmanyothersfeltthatthisdidn’treallyconstituteavalidverificationprocess,andwasessentiallystatusquo.”

Healsorejectedtheideaofimplementinganyregulationtoosoon.“Whatisimportantistogetitright.Containerweightshavegoneonmisdeclaredforyears.Towaitoneortwomoreyearswon’tmakeadifferenceiftheremedyadoptedisn’teffective.”

ACorrespondenceGrouphasbeenformedtoexaminetheissueandworkoutthecontainerweightsamendmenttoSolasrejection.ItisduetoreportbacktotheIMObyJune2013,fordeliberationinSeptember.

Meanwhile,LloydsRegisterhasannounceda“breakthrough”incontainershipcapacity.Newresearchandmethodologyhasshownthatstackingweightsdifferentlywouldallowshipstocarrymorecargo.Thegroupclaimsthatinan18,000teushipweightscouldrisebyasmuchas10%,newswelcomedbytheshippinglines.

“Theseresultsindicateclearlythatwewillbeabletoallowmuchhighercargoweightsandenablemoreoperationalflexibility–andtodothisinsafety,”saidTomBoardley,marinedirector.“Thepotentialincargoincreaseisconsiderable.

“Clearlytherehasbeenscepticismovermanyshipefficiencyclaimsandmuchoftheproblemcomesdowntolackofcommonapproachestomeasurement,soyouendupcomparingappleswithoranges.Buttheworkthatwehavebeendoinginexaminingtheforcesinvolvedincontainerstacksisthrowingupsomereallyinterestingandinnovativeresults.”

However,headded:

“Insomelocations,insomedesigns,youmayhavetoreducecontainerweights.Buthavingsatisfiedourselvestherisksaremanagedtherearebigbenefitsinoverallcarryingcapacity.”

Dutchu-turnthrowsmandatorycontainerweighingintodoubt

ByGavinvanMarle

03.27.2013·

PostedinLand,Loadstarposts,SeaAddtofavorites

TheDutchgovernmentwillhavetoreverseitssupportforthemandatoryweighingofcontainerspriortobeingloadedonvesselsaftermembersofitsTweedeKamerderStaten-Generaal（HouseofRepresentatives）votedoverwhelminglytorejectthepolicy.

AmotionwasputforwardtoDutchMPsinmid-Marchbythecountry’sliberalpartyandco-signedbyitslabourpartywhichproposed,firstlythatDutchministerfortheinfrastructureandenvironmentMelanieSchultzvanHaegenstoppursuingtheintroductionofmandatorycontainerweighingand,secondly,thatitshouldlooktogether“withtheotherstakeholdersinthesupplychainforalternativestothelossofcontainersatsea,”accordingtotheEuropeanShippers’Council’smemberofitsmaritimetransportcouncil,MarcoWiesehahn.

TheresultisthattheDutchgovernmentisnowobligedtoopposethemandatoryweighingofcontainers,aTweedeKamerderStaten-GeneraalspokesmanconfirmedtoTheLoadstar.

“Whatwewouldliketointroduceisadeadlinebywhichshippershavetosubmitthecorrectweightofthecontainer,butalsothatthecarrierisusingthedatawhichismostup-to-date,”MrWiesehahn,oneofthemostvocalcriticsofmandatoryweighing,toldTheLoadstar.

MrWiesehahnarguedthatratherthanlookingatthelossofcontainersatsea,theissueappearedtohavebecomesolelyfocusedonthecommonrule-of-thumblawthat20%ofallcontainershavemisdeclaredweights.

HesaidtheESC’sresearchhadfoundthatshippershavenotbeendeliberatelymisdeclaringtheweightofcontainers“sotheycanmovemorecargoinfewerboxesandsosavemoney”.

“Thereisnomotivationforshipperstodothat–theyhavetofilloutthecorrectweightsforcustoms,otherwisetherewillbefinancialfinesandotherpenalties.Butcarriersseemtoassumethatthereisalargeproportionofshipperswhopurposelygivethewrongweights.”

Heclaimedi