Dangerous cargo transportation - need uniform consensus
Several issues has been raised after and it is still hot topic in debate in transport sector whether the recent changes in policies regarding the issuance of Container Packing Certificates (CPC) by the Port Klang, Malaysia is in line with international norms and regulation of United Nations regarding the cargo transportation.
There are so many safety issues as related to new norms issued by the Port Klang authorities, some concerned person expressed their opinion that certain security measures have not met the attention which they deserve in turn about of Container Packing Certificates. The core of this discussion is UN recommendation on the cargo transportation of hazardous goods.
At International level the transportation of dangerous good by sea route was viewed with a very serious note by the UN committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Good in Geneva, in December 2000. The recommendations during this meeting introduced International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) code as a universal guideline for the transportation of dangerous goods by sea as framed from the 1960’s International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (Solas).
Under the law, a number of safety codes were issued regarding the recommendations for individual substances and operations for the flow of the goods and practices like terminology, packing, labeling, stowage, segregation and emergency responses action. Under guideline, the objects put under the category of dangerous goods are explosives, gases, non-flammable, non-toxic gases, flammable solids, organic peroxides, toxic and infectious substances etc.
So, the recommendations of the 2000 summit expected from all the Contracting Governments to ensure best security as according to the ISPS Code. During the 2000 Millennium Summit Secretary General Kofi Annan said,
“We will not enjoy development without security, we will not enjoy security without development, and we will not enjoy either without respect for human dignity. Unless all these causes are advanced, none will succeed.”
Safety at sea is a matter of grave concern for all those who are, related to security of ship. There are instances when a ship had to be scrapped due to the toxic spill from containers and damage was beyond repair.
However LPK, one of the authorities to issue CPC (Container Packaging Certificate) that was earlier in practice of issuing the CPC certificate even by a dispatch clerk neglecting all the security measures of highest importance. Soon after realizing the importance of CPC, LPK started issuing of LPK by properly trained competent and independent surveyors. It organized examination and selected the best candidates to issue CPC and appreciated by other port authorities and soon as the ports, local insurance companies, shipping lines from all over the world began full support to LPK, is suddenly scrapped all new CPC issuing system and all the system went into futile, further issued grave security concern for the cargo security at Port Klang, Malaysia.
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