29 September 2023 (Lloyd's List) - THE World Shipping Council has launched a request for proposals in an effort to develop a shared industry process for cargo screening and inspections.

“Building on screening processes and policies already in use by member carriers, the WSC is developing a shared industry process for cargo screening and inspections,” it said in a statement.

Undeclared and misdeclared cargoes continued to be the major cause of fires and explosions in the supply chain, said the WSC, which represents the world’s major container lines.

The past decade had seen a “disturbing rise” in the number of boxship fires, with a many leading to casualties and total losses.

And despite comprehensive regulations on the transport of dangerous goods, many were still either misdeclared or not declared at all.

Many carriers use screening tools to warn of potential risks and direct container inspections, but there has been no facility for carriers to share information on high-risk bad actors in the supply chain.

There is nothing in place to stop a rogue shipper whose cargo has been refused simply booking that cargo elsewhere.

Fears of competition rules and of falling foul of anti-trust regulations have prevented joint efforts between lines to collaborate on safety in the past. Existing industry-wide initiatives, such as the Cargo Incidence Notification System, only report on historical data.

The WSC’s voluntary initiative, the Cargo Safety Program, is seeking to avoid this by relying on a third-party common screening tool, verified shipper database, and a database of approved container inspection companies.

The core functionality of the system will be to screen booking information against a comprehensive keyword library and risk algorithm. High-risk bookings will be flagged for further investigation and/or inspection, and lessons learned through experience will be used to continuously improve the screening tool.

The emphasis would be on identifying and correcting dangerous conditions before containers with dangerous cargoes are introduced into the supply chain, the WSC said.

 “A common industry approach to cargo safety will create a safer working environment not only for ship crews, but for everyone involved in inland transport or working in ports and terminals, as well as for the communities around us,” said WSC chief executive John Butler.

“For shippers, it will make ocean transport more efficient and dependable, by stopping dangerous shipments that can disrupt the supply chain.”