Investigators in Germany are contacting the International Maritime Organization to upgrade guidelines associated with the carriage of charcoal freights in containers after different fires on board 2 containerships.

In both situations, the self-ignition of charcoal freights was located to be the resource of the fires.

The fires burst out aboard the Panamanian- flagged MSC Katrina on November 2015 and also aboard the German- flagged Ludwigshafen Express on February 2016.

In each instance, the charcoal freights were filled wholesale in containers stemming from Borneo, Indonesia and also predestined for the exact same consignee in France.

Due to the resemblance of both situations, both occurrences were summed up in one examination record released by Germany’s Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU).

In the very first event, occurring on 20 November 2015, containers having charcoal ignited aboard the MSC Katrina when the vessel remained in the Elbe tidewater. The fire triggered an action from firemans with Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, that snuffed out the fire without any damages to the vessel and also just very little damages to the containers.

The Ludwigshafen Express, on the other hand, experienced a fire while underway in the Red Sea on 21 February 2016. The vessel’s staff achieved success in snuffing out the fire and also there was no damages created to the vessel.

In order to stop comparable mishap from taking place in the future, the Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation has actually advised that Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and also Digital Infrastructure get in touch with boards of the International Maritime Organization to change guidelines of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code in order to stop the self-ignition of charcoal which is not identified as a course 4.2 hazardous great.

Under the IMDG code, just charcoal of pet or plant beginning is identified as a self-heating course 4.2 material.

The BSU better advised that the IMO take into consideration upgrading stowage demands that make sure that any kind of sort of self-heating material is constantly carried on deck with enough availability. A comparable suggestion was additionally made to Mediterranean Shipping Company, driver of MSC Katrina, relating to upgrading its step-by-step directions and also standards relating to freight stowage to make sure that self-heating freight filled in containers is constantly carried on deck with enough availability

The last suggestion was guided in the direction of Orient Overseas Container Line, as the having service provider of the Ludwigshafen Express, to onward details on freight to companions within the port charter contract also if it does not comprise hazardous items, yet postures an enhanced danger, such as that of self-heating.

With concerns to the Ludwigshafen Express, OOCL co-operated with Hapag-Lloyd in a port charter contract within the structure of a partnership. During the examination, a Hapag-Lloyd depictive specified that the containers having the charcoal would certainly not have actually been carried considering that charcoal from Indonesia got on the firm’s exemption checklist.

As constantly, we motivate you to check out the whole Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation at the adhering to web link (opens up as pdf in home window): Investigation Report 455/15 and 58/16