PRESS RELEASE: Exis Technologies, with the support of leading shipping and freight insurers, TT Club and UK P&I Club, is announcing its next phase of implementation of its Hazcheck Restrictions Portal at the transport industry’s Multimodal 2018 event at Birmingham’s NEC today*
In order to help reduce incidents caused by undeclared or misdeclared dangerous goods (DG), Exis Technologies’ Hazcheck software has been facilitating the operations of a number of major container shipping lines. However, a key element of streamlining is now being offered through the development of a portal integrating port restrictions. This portal is designed to simplify the end-to-end management of DG booking processes, taking account also of carrier, ship and partner line restrictions.
Supported by the two insurance mutuals and developed with the in-house IT expertise of Exis Technologies, the Hazcheck Restrictions Portal is now moving into a new implementation phase. This concentrates on urging container lines, ports and terminals to upload their DG handling policies and restrictions into the portal free of charge, allowing use by shippers, forwarders and others involved in the movement of such goods.
TT Club’s Risk Management Director, Peregrine Storrs-Fox commented, “Varying estimates put declared DG at around 10% of all containerised shipments, with the result that some ships will have in excess of a thousand DG containers on any given voyage. As recent incidents of on-board fires have shown, the cocktail of DG can have catastrophic effects. There are numerous issues involved, but the business case to engage with a uniform data process is clear. All supply chain stakeholders benefit from improving clarity for carriage by sea; the most urgent need is for the port/terminal community to commit to upload and maintain the relevant data via the Exis portal.”
UK P&I Club’s Stuart Edmonston is equally supportive of the Exis initiative synching with both Clubs’ missions to improve safety in DG shipping, “We are delighted to collaborate with Exis in promoting the work on this portal. Clearer information on how DG should be correctly handled and shipped is vital in avoiding loss of life and damage to ships and cargo at sea. Our recently published guide ‘Book it right and pack it tight’ also encourages best practice for packing dangerous goods for carriage by sea.’**
There is a growing awareness among the shipping community that each carrier has been collating its own record of restrictions in relation to house policies, ship owner policies, ship constraints and restrictions applied at ports/terminals of loading, transit, transhipment and discharge. This inconsistent approach is complex, creating possibility for error or failure to update, and pure inefficiency – all in an area that is intended to achieve compliance and safety, but is hugely burdensome and delivers zero competitive advantage.
The Exis Hazcheck Restrictions Portal is aimed at resolving these inefficiencies. Simple comparisons demonstrate that there are material differences in understanding and interpretation about the way that, in particular, port/terminal prohibitions, restrictions and additional requirements operate. Exis Technologies is exhibiting at Multimodal to encourage stakeholders to take advantage of making their own rules and regulations clearer to users of shipping and port services.
*Visit stand TV6, Tees Valley Pavilion for more information
**www.ttclub.com/fileadmin/uploads/tt-club/Documents/UK-TT_BIRPIT_2018_secured.pdf
