The cross-continental transport of over 200 million containers containing consumer goods and necessities each year makes containers the perfect mobile homes for contaminating pests.
The introduction of new pests into an existing ecosystem can cause severe ecological and economic damage to any country. While regulators and national authorities have rules and processes in place to detect and control the spread of foreign pests, the World Shipping Council (WSC) believes the best solution is to stop pests from entering cargo or containers in the first place.
Container cleanliness is a shared responsibility
The WSC, together with the Bureau of International Containers (BIC), Contracts of Affreightment (COA), and Institute of International Container Lessors (IICL), have issued updated guidelines for cleaning containers.
These guidelines emphasise the shared responsibility of all parties in the supply chain to stop the spread of pests by keeping cargo and containers clean when in their custody.
"When each party in international container supply chains makes sure to start and end their work with clean cargo and containers, then containers will reach their destination faster while our agriculture, forestry and natural resources are preserved," says Lars Kjaer, Senior Vice President of WSC.
New regulations could cause disruptions to container flow
Along the same lines, the Commission of Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) has come up with recommendations for clean containers to be implemented in 2024. The CPM was established to implement the standards of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). The IPPC is an intergovernmental treaty signed by more than 180 countries, which aims to protect the world's plant resources and promote safe trade.
The draft recommendations suggest each stakeholder take responsibility for the cleanliness of the container at each exchange point. An additional suggestion is for exporters or the responsible party to provide the transport operator with a signed declaration of cleanliness.
However, some in the industry have raised concerns over the suggested regulations.
Peter van Duyn from the Daily Cargo News remarks that container cleanliness could be the new supply chain disruption. "Having containers delayed because the status of their cleanliness is unclear can create bottlenecks at each interchange point," states van Duyn.
Additionally, some pests are difficult to detect, making a thorough inspection time-consuming and difficult. He added that occupational health and safety when conducting these inspections also requires consideration.
In July, stakeholders will meet in Brisbane to discuss how best to manage the threat of infestations through container shipping while keeping trade moving.
