The globe’s leading delivery line Maersk has actually executed brand-new standards on the stowage of harmful items after an evaluation of its security treatments in the results of the terrible Maersk Honam fire back in March.

The delivering business states the brand-new standards will certainly boost security throughout its fleet of container vessels.

“Following the tragic fire aboard Maersk Honam in March this year, Maersk took measures and implemented additional preliminary guidelines for stowage of dangerous goods,” Maersk stated in a news release revealing the standards. “The company evaluated over 3,000 United Nations (UN) numbers of hazardous materials in order to further understand and improve dangerous cargo stowage onboard container vessels and developed a new set of principles called Risk Based Dangerous Goods Stowage.”

Working with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABDOMINAL MUSCLE), Maersk held a workshop with various other market agents to carry out a thorough Hazard Identification research study that confirmed the brand-new standards. Maersk has actually currently currently executed the standards throughout Maersk Line’s fleet of greater than 750 vessels.

In March of this year, 5 staff participants of the Ultra Large Container Vessel (ULCV) Maersk Honam were eliminated when a significant fire began in an onward freight hold of the ship. Maersk stated that although harmful items existed in the freight hold where the fire came from, there was no proof to recommend that harmful items had actually created the fire, and also since today Maersk is still waiting for the examination to develop the origin of the fire.

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“All cargo aboard Maersk Honam was accepted as per the requirements of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code and stowed onboard the vessel accordingly. Despite this, as the fire originated in a cargo hold in front of the accommodation which held several containers with dangerous goods, it had an unbearably tragic outcome,” states Ole Graa Jakobsen, Head of Fleet Technology at Maersk.

“This clearly showed us that the international regulations and practices with regards to dangerous goods stowage needs to be reviewed in order to optimally protect crew, cargo, environment and vessels.”

Maersk stated the brand-new standards, which it calls theRisk Based Dangerous Goods Stowage concepts, have actually been created with the goal of reducing danger to staff, freight, setting as well as vessel in instance a fire creates. “The different container vessel designs were reviewed from a risk mitigation perspective and ultimately six different risk zones defined,” Maersk clarifies.

“Cargo covered under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code will no longer be stowed next to accommodation and main propulsion plant which is defined as the zone with the lowest risk tolerance. Similarly, risk tolerance will be low below deck and in the middle of the vessel, whereas the risk tolerance will be higher on deck fore and aft. Utilising statistics on container fires in the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS), Maersk defined which UN numbers can be stored in each risk zone,” statedMaersk

Maersk will certainly remain to assess its guidelines as well as plans for approving harmful items as well as examine just how to more boost them. Together with various other participants of the CINS, Maersk stated it looking for to transport these experiences right into establishing brand-new market finest methods.

Denmark- based Maersk has actually likewise offered Risk Based Dangerous Goods Stowage to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in addition to the Danish Maritime Authorities.

“Container ship fires are a problem for our entire industry and we intend to share and discuss our learnings from this thorough review within relevant industry forums. We very much believe that discussions, views and insights among container carriers can further improve fire safety in our industry,” statesOle Graa Jakobsen “We aim for long term improvements by reviewing our systems and then designing an end-to-end process that is safe for our seafarers and smooth for our customers.”

In the coming months, an evaluation focused on developing finest administration methods for harmful items stowage will certainly be embarked on with assistance from ABS, Lloyds Register, the International Group of PandI Clubs, National Cargo Bureau, the TT Club as well asExis Technologies Once the task is finished the most effective administration methods will certainly be released as well as offered to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).