Author: Brian McIver

I'm a freelance writer from Brisbane. I have a Bachelor of Social Science, and a Graduate Certificate in Journalism.

Beef nomenclature for sale and export.

IMDG lays out clearly how we are to specify and describe our wonderful exports of dangerous goods; specifically the order and agreed correct spelling of words. I remember once when working for a shipping line when a customer asked why the correct spelling of “Nitric Acid” was so important that I had refused acceptance of his hazardous cargo until it was correctly spelt. I calmly explained to him that as he had written Citric Acid on the DGD, yet had made a booking for Nitric acid we needed clarification about what exactly he intended to ship.
Likewise, the “language(s)” used to describe cuts of beef is complicated and technical; yet its specificity and lack of ambiguity is its greatest strength, just like in the case of IMDG.
This language assigns a unique name to each primal (a muscle, or group of muscles), and to each subprimal (a muscle, or group of muscles derived from a primal). As an example, one primal would be the “rump”, and the subprimals it contains are the tritip, rump cap and d rump. To separate a primal into its constituent subprimals (not always possible) simply requires a sharp knife and a skilled hand.
Unlike IMDG, there is no global set of rules for meat descriptions, which would then be enforced at a country level. There are simply general similarities and general differences between the names used by different countries to describe cuts of beef.
The way that these differences are most apparent is the labelling required at a country level for imported beef. Through the use of ciphers (used to denote age and dentition of the animals), and local language (where required), meat exporters are able to comply with importing laws for different countries and get their meat onto plates and supermarket shelves. Countries vary in terms of the degree of labelling required; some allow the same descriptions (usually in English) as used in the exporting country, while others require a full translation into local language (including alternate alphabets such as Arabic, Chinese or Cyrillic).
These local variations do not, by themselves, represent a safety measure in the same way that DGDs do. By themselves, they simply ensure that the labelling contains the same information as meat domestically produced. However when used in conjunction with a health certificate ( please see our earlier article detailing Australian health certificates) , labels can be used to match the meat inside the carton to the corresponding line on the health certificate detailing health, location, age, date of slaughter and production, and halal status.
A lot to consider next time you see an Australian or American steak on a menu in Hong Kong or Dubai!

When supersized aeroplanes are the answer…..

anatov

Maersk Line’s new E-class vessel, built in Korea, has been getting a lot of recent press as the cleanest ever container vessel, and more importantly the largest. Its capacity in TEU is simply mammoth . Despite it’s size, this is still a vessel sailing on the sea; indeed its “green” factor necessitates slow steaming.

So it won’t break any records for getting that very urgent shipment to a faraway corner of the world.

What happens if there is a need for a sizeable amount of cargo , for a remote location , and there is either not enough time to wait for a container ship or there is insufficient port facilities to handle a large vessel ?

It’s time to charter a plane. A big, big, big plane.

The Boeing 747 is pitifully small, and the A380 is not much better.

The Russian built Anatov aeroplanes are a truly impressive machine; whenever they are written about, the authors seem to turn to a thesaurus to find a new word to describe their size . Whenever they are actually seen, people cannot look away. This can be a bit dangerous when driving around the airport !

Being lucky enough to work near an airport, and hence see aeroplanes taking off and landing each day, I guess that I have become maybe a bit too used to them.

In the last week however, Australia’s government reached an agreement with the Papua New Guinean government to settle all refugees arriving by boat in PNG, not in Australia. Leaving any political debates aside, the infrastructure now needed in PNG is vast . Buildings, machinery, and spare parts must now make their way to PNG as soon as possible.

A specialist logistics company, based in Brisbane, has been engaged to organise and oversee the transport of necessary cargo using charted Anatovs; over the last week in Brisbane, 3 of these aircraft have flown out laden. One was parked near where I work ( I drove past it on my way in and again on my way home ) and must have taken days around the clock to pack. And the sound when they take off was so loud ! Only regret is that I didn’t get a good photo…had to use one found on the net.

Driving home….

 

End of the week, and it had been a rainy day. As usual, I hadn’t parked my car under cover .I was glad I don’t drive an open top car as I would have undoubtedly left the roof down all day. Luckily the rain had stopped by this time……

The earlier rain, and the fact that it was peak hour meant the traffic was slow-moving . I glanced to my right and saw a truck roll past. A huge , long, double-axle truck.

We are familiar with what theoretically happens with our DG cargo packed inside shipping containers. Packed, trucked, booked, documented, loaded, delivered. For most people, this is handled over the phone and electronically. Most of the actual transport of these sea cargoes is handled by specialists; piloting the vessels and working in the terminal . Away from our eyes, behind gated compounds and on the open sea.

But let’s go back a few steps. Trucking. Where we can see DG being transported in an everyday situation. Depending on whether the dangerous goods are either packed in bulk, packed in dunnage ( bracing ) on the back of the track or are individually packed and containerised, the required placard would either be on the truck itself ( i.e. a tanker ) or on a shipping container loaded on the truck.

The instances where we would see bulk DG whizzing past in a tanker are often where a flammable liquid is involved; petrol tankers transporting fuel from the refineries to the service stations are a common sight.

For cargoes packed in dunnage ( i.e., gas cylinders secured to the bed of the truck ) , these would most likely be pressurised retail goods such as small gas tanks for a backyard barbecue, or larger LPG ( liquefied petroleum gas ) tanks  for trade or manufacturing operations. Oxygen tanks, either for scuba diving or medical facilities, are another example of cargoes packed in dunnage when trucked.

Trucks carrying DG in shipping containers are usually on their way to or from the wharf. Sometimes in consolidated shipments, the container is filled in stages at different packing establishments operated by different exporters; this could be a situation where the DG is packed in a container and transported by road, but is not yet on its way to the wharf.

The relevant legislation that each of the above scenarios must adhere to varies; for a load being transported within a country and not ultimately being transported internationally by air or sea – then that countries national legislation would apply. The legislation would  likely be interpreted and enforced at a state level.

For any shipment being exported via air or sea and involving a prior road or rail leg, compliance with both IMDG and the equivalent national code is necessary . In broad terms IMDG is usually the more stringent code; so a DGD fulfilling the requirements of the IMDG code will also fulfil the requirements of the national code. But there are also practical concerns such as allowable routes / times for certain UN numbers to be moved, weight thresholds for certain roads, right down to requirements such as wearing a high visibility vest and carrying a first aid kit when transporting via road.

Additionally, certain UN numbers are considered to be High Consequence Dangerous Goods and are subject to further strict controls when transported . A common HCDG is Ammonium Nitrate . Most shipping lines will not carry Ammonium Nitrate in its emulsified ( liquid ) form due to its volatility; but there are other security concerns with Ammonium Nitrate even when it is carried in its more chemically stable solid form. This is due to the fact that it is an effective precursor to powerful explosives and hence is an attractive target for terrorist activities.

These security restrictions are often centred around dwell time in terminals and also usually require a permit / pre-advice to the authorities in charge of the road network ( usually the department of transport, who usually also regulate and enforce national level dangerous goods legislation as a whole ).

So the trucks we see driving past carrying DG are regulated nationally ( sometimes internationally ) , may require special permission on a “trip” basis and often the driver has to observe certain conditions and routes ( i.e., staying away from residential streets and roads )

The truck slowly pulling past me was carrying a load of Chlorine, UN 1748. Chlorine in its dry, powdered form is usually used as a cleaning agent for pools. I guessed that it was not being exported, as it is usually not practical to export UN 1748 due to the shipping line requirements ( oxidising agents require special stowage ). Most likely it was being driven to a pool shop for sale.

Booking validation

 

Container ships accommodate an extremely broad range of different cargoes; with this range come different requirements for stowage. Most of these requirements are specified at time of booking by the exporter. The shipping line would then record the booking, making note of the requirements and releasing appropriate equipment for the cargo.

So, from looking at the above – it all seems quite easy, doesn’t it ? The consignor has a particular shipment to send , and tells the container line the weight and size of the shipment  and also any special requirements for carriage.

Realistically, however the person placing the booking is rarely the same person packing and transporting the cargo. These tasks are often split over different offices and even different companies. A common scenario is the shipper creating an export booking with the shipping line, and then arranging for a transport company to collect, pack and deliver the container to the wharf.

After the container has been packed and is ready to be loaded on the vessel, the terminal ( who will receive and load the container ) must be given both prior notice and details of the nature of the cargo. This notice is known by different terms in different ports ( in Australia for example, it is called a Pre Receival Advice, abbreviated to simply PRA ) , but usually takes the form of an EDI message being sent to the terminal detailing the :

  • Booking number
  • Container number
  • Container size
  • Temperature setpoint ( for chilled cargo )
  • Cargo type; including dangerous or out of gauge details if applicable
  • Container weight ( net, tare and gross )
  • Time of intended delivery

Pre-advising the terminal is an excellent concept ( and in most countries a legal requirement ), however again the person packing the container and the person sending the pre-advice are not always the same. This can and does cause problems for terminal staff receiving the cargo

For example, during the loading of  vehicles and / or mining equipment , there might be a part of the vehicle now protruding,meaning the cargo will now not fit within the confines of a standard shipping container and is hence classified as Out of Gauge. A special crane might be needed to offload and then load the container onboard the vessel.

Or what if, during loading an FAK ( Freight of All Kinds ) container, someone decided to add ten or twenty cartons of party poppers. The consignee may have requested these due to some extra container space and a confirmed buyer at origin. The container would now be classified as a Class 1 ( Explosives ) and would likely have a much shorter receival window at the wharf ( loaded last on, first off ).

Due to various reasons, these changes may not have made its way back to the person who preadvised the terminal ,or made the original booking with the shipping line.

These two examples would require different last minute adjustments by the terminal in order to accommodate the cargo correctly, as noted the former case would probably require special lifting equipment; and the latter case would need suitably trained personnel to safely receive, transport and load the explosives. These last minute changes incur a significant cost if the terminal has to call in special labour. The charge is passed on to shipping lines, who will usually ( but not always ) absorb the cost.

What effect can these misdeclarations have on the shipping lines, the operators of the vessel ?

Well, in the case of OOG cargo – the cargo “kills” the slots either above or around it ( parts of the cargo protrude into the next slot, meaning that that slot cannot be used ) . So if the crew weren’t aware of this prior to the cargo being presented for loading, it would mean that something could get left behind due to there not being enough space . The crew would not normally be aware of the commercial yield of each container, so would not necessarily choose to carry the most profitable container ( the OOG container could be carrying scrap metal being carried at a bargain rate, while the container left behind could be carrying highly profitable tobacco).

In the case of the party poppers, the crew would need to ensure that the container was not near anything potentially dangerous, such as a container with flammable liquids packed inside , or reefer containers ( as powered containers can malfunction and provide an ignition source due to sparking ). Again containers could be left behind due to last minute replanning of the vessel in order to comply with IMDG stowage and segregations.

The problems with last minute replanning are myriad; think of playing Jenga with a friend who pulls out a huge block from nowhere and tries to force it in. It’s just not possible without causing problems. Problems include lost productivity, port fines, customer dissatisfaction and increased bunker ( fuel ) costs to regain vessel proforma.

So, the logical next step becomes clear : in order to minimise replanning of the vessel and extra handling costs from the terminal, there needs to be a reconciliation between the shipping line booking and the pre-advice to the terminal.

Many of the larger transhipment hubs around the world use a validation tool where the pre-advice to the terminal will only be processed if the information matches that of the shipping booking. The shipping line provides a booking list to the terminal and all pre-advices must match this. If the pre-advice does not match, it is not accepted by the terminal , and the container would not be physically accepted at the terminal gate. The transport company calls the exporter, the exporter contacts the shipping line and checks their records against the shipping lines. Any necessary changes to the booking can be made. If the change involves new special cargo details ( i.e., the cargo is now considered out of gauge or DG and needs special stowage ) and there is not enough time to replan the ship, the container will be rolled over to the next sailing.

The stowage planning deadline usually falls on or slightly earlier than the general cargo cut-off . So if the validation tool picks up the error in time ( i.e., the shipper submits their pre advice as early as possible) – the shipper can correct the booking, there is time to replan the vessel to accommodate their cargo and everyone is happy!

Tweet from Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun)

Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun) tweeted at 5:12 AM on Thu, Mar 21, 2013:
ALERT: 5 cars derail from CP train near Smith Falls. 1 contains dangerous goods. No threat to public. VIA trains delayed – via @ottawasuncom
(https://twitter.com/TheTorontoSun/status/314454296282398720)

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