Cargo Safe carriage of Dangerous Goods by sea by Ali Karim … · 2015-03-23 · Ali Karim as a...
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Truck and Track March/April 2015 www.truckandtrack.com 52 Dangerous Goods Shipping bulk liquids & cryogenic / liquefied gases When bulk liquid Dangerous Goods – typically crude oil, fuels and chemicals including cryogenically liquefied gases such as liquefied petroleum or natural gas [LPG / LNG] – are shipped by ocean-going tankers, a custody transfer occurs between consignor [the seller] and consignee [the buyer]. The custody transfer is managed by the Marine Cargo Surveyor. The Surveyor independently manages the custody transfer between the ship, port and shoreside operations, in terms of certification of quantity and quality, with their fee split usually three ways, between consignor, consignee and shipping line. It is a stressful activity because of safety, as well as the large sums of money involved in the custody transfer processes. Delays on a vessel can cost up to $10,000 an hour, as well as liability on losses and the risk of contaminations. Liquid measurement and analysis are complex. Specific coefficients of expansion and contraction need to be considered, since liquid volume is related to temperature and pressure. When hot, the volume of a liquid is greater than when cold, as different products expand and contract at different rates, so that mathematical factors coupled with tank calibration tables, and safe ‘ullage’, need to be deployed at the berth when loading, as well as on discharge. Basic physical chemistry is applied with density defined in SI units: D = M / V Density [D in kg / L] = Mass [M in kg] / Volume [V in L] Density varies according to temperature, and that affects the volume, while mass is a constant, if we ignore gravitational factors related to weight as opposed to mass. Nevertheless pressure still plays a part but, for all intents and purposes, we use the standard 1 bar pressure, at RTP, room temperature and pressure, or STP, standard temperature and pressure. This is related to the ideal gas law [a combination of Boyle’s and Charles Law], that links temperature to volume and pressure, which mathematically is represented in SI units as: PV = nRT Pressure [P in Pascals] x Volume [V in cubic metres] = Number of Moles [n ~ amount of substance related to the Avogadro number] x R [Universal Gas Constant which is related to the Boltzmann constant and Avogadro number] x Temperature [T in Kelvin]. Physical chemistry is critical for evaluating the quantity shipped on an ocean-going tanker, from loading to discharge. The Chemicals Surveyor is involved with certifying the bill-of-lading, and ensuring that loss is managed during the custody transfer process. Working with the vessel’s Chief Officer, verification is required for safety – checking how the cargo is loaded and unloaded, so as to ensure vessel stability. Also the stated product quality must be confirmed. Hence chemical analysis is vital at loading and at discharge, as are tank suitability, tank and tank lining and associated pump and pipework cleanliness. Meanwhile certain products require a gaseous blanket, such as nitrogen over the liquid to displace oxygen. Apart from the ‘last cargo’, the main contamination problem in bulk liquid cargoes shipped by sea is water, whether fresh or seawater. Testing for water / moisture content before and after a sea voyage is performed by the Karl Fisher method, by which volumetric titration is effective for water contents above 1%: but, below that level, Coulometric titration has to be applied. One concern is seawater contamination and, to determine this, we deploy the silver nitrate test, as AgNO3 reacts with salt [sodium chloride] to form a white precipitate of silver chloride, which is indicative of the presence of sodium chloride, the main mineral in seawater: AgNO3 + NaCl g AgCli + NaNO3 There are many other technical considerations such as vessel design [for instance double- skinned hulls], static discharge management, vapour recovery and pressure management, and inhibitors deployed in unstable monomers, such as the use of Tertiary-Butyl-Catechol [TBC] at 10-20 ppm in styrene, as styrene can polymerise with a violent exothermic reaction to form polystyrene. Among a number of other important factors is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships or MARPOL, whereby tank cleaning has to be safely managed. Shift in logistics from bulk to packaged goods Even in the 1980s, I could see that the production of oils, refined oils, lubricants and chemicals was shifting offshore from the British mainland to the Middle East, India, China and Eastern Europe, and that bulk Dangerous Goods would be delivered into the UK, where it would be packaged into road tankers, drums, IBCs, big bags and so forth, Safe carriage of Dangerous Goods by sea by Ali Karim To coincide with Multimodal, in this Issue our Dangerous Goods columnist Ali Karim, FRSC, FCILT, Managing Director of the Hazchem Network Ltd, provides our readers with an insight into the considerations to be applied when shipping Dangerous Goods by sea. The International Maritime Dangerous Goods [IMDG] code is specified by the International Maritime Organisation [IMO] and regulated and enforced in the UK by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency [MCA]. Ali Karim Ali Karim as a Marine Chemist back in 1985
Transcript of Cargo Safe carriage of Dangerous Goods by sea by Ali Karim … · 2015-03-23 · Ali Karim as a...
Truck and Track March/April 2015 www.truckandtrack.com52
Dangerous Goods
Shipping bulk liquids & cryogenic / liquefied gasesWhen bulk liquid Dangerous Goods – typically crude oil, fuels and chemicals including cryogenically liquefied gases such as liquefied petroleum or natural gas [LPG / LNG] – are shipped by ocean-going tankers, a custody transfer occurs between consignor [the seller] and consignee [the buyer]. The custody transfer is managed by the Marine Cargo Surveyor. The Surveyor independently manages the custody transfer between the ship, port and shoreside operations, in terms of certification of quantity and quality, with their fee split usually three ways, between consignor, consignee and shipping line. It is a
stressful activity because of safety, as well as the large sums of money involved in the custody transfer processes. Delays on a vessel can cost up to $10,000 an hour, as well as liability on losses and the risk of contaminations.
Liquid measurement and analysis are complex. Specific coefficients of expansion and contraction need to be considered, since liquid volume is
related to temperature and pressure. When hot, the volume of a liquid is greater than when cold, as different products expand and contract at different rates, so that mathematical factors coupled with tank calibration tables, and safe ‘ullage’, need to be deployed at the berth when loading, as well as on discharge. Basic physical chemistry is applied with density defined in SI units:
D = M / V
Density [D in kg / L] = Mass [M in kg] / Volume [V in L]
Density varies according to temperature, and that affects the volume, while mass is a constant, if we ignore gravitational factors related to weight as opposed to mass. Nevertheless pressure still plays a part but, for all intents and purposes, we use the standard 1 bar pressure, at RTP, room temperature and pressure, or STP, standard temperature and pressure.
This is related to the ideal gas law [a combination of Boyle’s and Charles Law], that links temperature to volume and pressure, which mathematically is represented in SI units as:
PV = nRT
Pressure [P in Pascals] x Volume [V in cubic metres] = Number of Moles [n ~ amount of substance related to the Avogadro number] x R [Universal Gas Constant which is related to the Boltzmann constant and Avogadro number] x Temperature [T in Kelvin].
Physical chemistry is critical for evaluating the quantity shipped on an ocean-going tanker, from loading to discharge. The Chemicals Surveyor is involved with certifying the bill-of-lading, and ensuring that loss is managed during the custody transfer process. Working with the vessel’s Chief Officer, verification is required for safety – checking how the cargo is loaded and unloaded, so as to ensure vessel stability. Also the stated product quality must be confirmed. Hence chemical analysis is vital at loading and at discharge, as are tank suitability, tank and tank lining and associated pump and pipework cleanliness. Meanwhile certain products require a gaseous blanket, such as nitrogen over the liquid to displace oxygen.
Apart from the ‘last cargo’, the main contamination problem in bulk liquid cargoes shipped by sea is water, whether fresh or seawater. Testing for water / moisture content before and after a sea voyage is performed by the Karl Fisher method, by which volumetric titration
is effective for water contents above 1%: but, below that level, Coulometric titration has to be applied. One concern is seawater contamination and, to determine this, we deploy the silver nitrate test, as AgNO3 reacts with salt [sodium chloride] to form a white precipitate of silver chloride, which is indicative of the presence of sodium chloride, the main mineral in seawater:
AgNO3 + NaCl g AgCli + NaNO3
There are many other technical considerations such as vessel design [for instance double-skinned hulls], static discharge management, vapour recovery and pressure management, and inhibitors deployed in unstable monomers, such as the use of Tertiary-Butyl-Catechol [TBC] at 10-20 ppm in styrene, as styrene can polymerise with a violent exothermic reaction to form polystyrene.
Among a number of other important factors is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships or MARPOL, whereby tank cleaning has to be safely managed.
Shift in logistics from bulk to packaged goodsEven in the 1980s, I could see that the production of oils, refined oils, lubricants and chemicals was shifting offshore from the British mainland to the Middle East, India, China and Eastern Europe, and that bulk Dangerous Goods would be delivered into the UK, where it would be packaged into road tankers, drums, IBCs, big bags and so forth,
Safe carriage of Dangerous Goods by sea by Ali Karim
To coincide with Multimodal, in this Issue our Dangerous Goods columnist Ali Karim, FRSC, FCILT, Managing Director of the Hazchem Network Ltd, provides our readers with an insight into the considerations to be applied when shipping Dangerous Goods by sea. The International Maritime Dangerous Goods [IMDG] code is specified by the International Maritime Organisation [IMO] and regulated and enforced in the UK by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency [MCA].
Ali Karim
AIR, SEA AND ROAD TRAINING
DGSA AND INTRODUCTION TO AIR CARGO
REGULAR UK & USA COURSES
WORLDWIDE IN-HOUSE PROGRAMMES
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CargoTrainingInternational
www.cargotraining.comUK OFFICE:PO Box 176 . SheppertonTW17 8WP . UKTel: 01932 769 682Fax: 01932 771 475E-mail: [email protected]
USA OFFICE:PO Box 580026 . HoustonTexas . 77258-0026 . USATel: 1800 700 4980Fax: 281 333 9522E-mail: [email protected]
FOR ALL OUR TRAINING DATES AND VENUES VISIT OUR WEBSITE
FOR ALL YOUR DANGEROUS GOODSTRAINING NEEDS
CTI provides specialist training for shippers, agents, forwarders andairlines who handle and transport dangerous goods by air, sea or road.
Also included in our course portfolio is the Introduction to Air Cargoprogramme, DGSA preparatory course and Radioactive Materials.
CTI is a Civil Aviation Authority Approved Training School.
Ali Karim as a Marine Chemist back in 1985
Truck and Track March/April 2015 www.truckandtrack.com54
Dangerous Goods
Allen LogisticsThe Hazchem Network’s Depot 101, Allen Logistics, based at Old Kilmore Road, Moira, Craigavon, Co Armagh, was established in 1967 by Linden Allen and is now managed by
Linden’s sons, the Directors James and Roger Allen. Whilst serving the six counties of Northern Ireland, the company has just opened a new depot at Lutterworth, Leics, which acts as their UK mainland operation. At Moira, Allen Logistics has warehousing as well as a newly constructed drive-through facility for their radial fleet.
www.allenlogistics.com
Johnston LogisticsDepot 103 Johnston Logistics, on the Blackchurch Business Park, Rathcoole, Co Dublin, was founded in the late 1970s by the brothers Albert and Ivan Johnston as Johnston Haulage. Nowadays the firm has been rebranded as Johnston Logistics and has higher tier COMAH warehousing in Dublin, as well as depots in Limerick and Cork from which they have a reach throughout Ireland
– plus the UK and mainland Europe via their partners in the Hazchem Network. The COMAH regulations are for the control of major accident hazards (www.hse.gov.uk/comah).
www,johnstonlogistics.ie
for onward distribution to UK customers.
Since then overseas suppliers have also become involved with packaged goods, shipping them in containers by sea to UK logistics suppliers, who then manage the storage and onward customer deliveries. Consignees now require smaller volume deliveries, but more frequently as supply chains become lean, and the warehousing and storage of Dangerous Goods on site becomes more regulated from a compliance point of view.
This change from “Bulk to Packaged” brings its own challenges that need to be addressed, due to the multimodal aspect of “road-to-sea” and “sea-to-road”, from a regulatory as well as a safety perspective. The Maersk Shipping line reported in 2007 that 17% of containers coming into the UK by sea contain Dangerous Goods in some shape or form.
Yet packaging acceptable for road transport may well not be robust enough to withstand all the pitching and yawing at sea inside a container during bad weather. One of many critical aspects in consigning Dangerous Goods by sea is adherence to the IMDG code, ensuring that products are packed robustly, and that the Dangerous Goods Note or DGN accompanying the freight is wholly accurate. The Maritime DGN must be signed by a competent person on behalf of the consignor and detail the required Hazardous Goods information, UN Number, Packing Group, description of goods, packing instructions and so forth. This document has to be provided to the shipping line, as there are restrictions on certain products, specific ferry / shipping routes, including quotas on passenger vessels as opposed to dedicated freight crossings.
The Kemmler Classes that require additional care and attention are Classes 2 [Compressed Gases], 6.2 [Biologically Infectious], 5.1 and
5.2 [Oxidizing Agents and Organic Peroxides], and naturally Classes 1 [explosive] and Class 7 [Radioactive] are special cases. Shipping lines agree and vet proposed shipments, but ultimately, the Ship’s Master or Captain has the final say via his Chief Officer.
Although there are similarities between ADR and IMDG regulations, there are also crucial differences as to what can be packed together on a pallet, or even shipped in the same container. For example, under ADR acids can be shipped on the same vehicle or pallet as an alkali: but they cannot be mix-loaded for sea under the IMDG code or be within the same container. This is because, under certain conditions, acids when in contact with an alkali can generate heat via an exothermic reaction leading to toxic, corrosive fumes being emitted, and ultimately resulting in a fire and/or an explosion.
One other point that I emphasise to operators who have the task of unloading and de-stuffing containers is to do so gingerly! Goods may have moved in transit, and a product could have leaked, and the container could be filled or saturated with noxious, toxic and / or flammable vapour.
So, when a container with Dangerous Goods is presented for ‘de-stuffing’, it is vital that the staff open the container doors very gingerly, in case items fall upon them. Then the container doors need to left fully open in a very well ventilated area in the yard, away from sources of ignition, and left to stand for a minimum of 15 minutes to allow the container to be ventilated. In some cases, with problematical products such as methyl bromide, it is prudent to take a reading to ensure that no toxic vapour remains in the container. Either way, a risk assessment is vital on de-stuffing container operations.
Useful weblinksFor more information about shipping goods by sea, consult the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/maritime-and-coastguard-agency
An IMDG code-compliant Dangerous Goods Declaration Note can be downloaded from here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dangerous-goods-declaration-note
For technical adviceJohn Newsome – Dangerous Goods ConsultantLen Hall Associates LtdMob 07503 833 382Email [email protected] www.lenhallcc.co.uk
Labels / Markings & Stationery for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods, including the current ADR & IMDG codes
Tel 08708 505 051Email [email protected] www.labeline.com
For assistance in managing the logistics of all your palletised and parcel Dangerous Goods, including multimodal movements, contact the Hazchem Network’s Nada Marinovic. We’re here to help you:
Email : [email protected] : 07712 662 431Web : www.hazchemnetwork.co.uk
© 2015 A.S. Karim
Deidre McGuirk – Johnston Logistics, Ireland
News of Hazchem members across Irish Sea
Ali Karim between James (left) & Roger Allen
