WSC looks to develop digital tool to identify cargoes that may present a fire risk

WSC to develop a digital tool to prevent container ship fires due to mislabeled cargoes: The World Shipping Council is calling for proposals to help it build a digital tool that can identify risky and hazardous cargo that could lead to a fire, according to a statement from the World Shipping Council (WSC). The cargo safety program will formulate a risk algorithm and screen booking information against it, the statement said.

Containership fires have seen a steady increase over the past decade despite measures by governments and industry, the WSC says, with 2022 seeing a 17% y-o-y surge in fires at sea. Many of those incidents are attributable to undeclared, mis-declared, or improperly packed cargoes.

ALSO WORTH KNOWING-

• Japan ’s sanctions on its used cars trade with Russia put an end to an almost USD 2 bn annual trade, traders say.Russia’s demand for these cars had risen sharply after automotive companies such as Toyota withdrew operations from Moscow due to sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)