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Effective incorporation of standard trading conditions remains a fundamental business practice. Seeing them interpreted robustly by the courts in South Africa adds confidence.

Disruptions through the global supply chain continue to create opportunities for criminals to infiltrate and access cargo. The ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic blight economies and have profoundly altered supply chains such as just in time models. The tragic situation in Ukraine will undoubtedly further challenge global freight movement.

Many newsfeeds currently are covering mass migration arising from the war in Ukraine, following the tragic pattern from other conflict zones over years and decades. The freight supply chain, however, continues to be exploited by layers of criminal barons facilitating the unfortunate ‘underbelly’ of economic migration.

TT was pleased to be one of the endorsers of an important warehousing whitepaper on ‘storage and handling of Dangerous Goods in preparation for, or after, sea-transport’ issued by four industry organisations. This whitepaper valuably seeks to bridge any gaps between international regulations and local practices.

Following the successful inauguration of the TT Brief series of guidance documents in 2021, work continues to expand the range of resources available in this format. Targeted at the operational workforce, these documents seek to provide visually arresting, pithy messaging to support toolbox talks and good operational practices. The upcoming series explores various elements of warehousing risks.

Lithium batteries are today used to power a variety of products, including handheld devices (such as phones or cameras), through larger items such as power tools, to electric vehicles (eBikes/scooters and other vehicles). The market is exponentially increasing through consumer demand and broader energy transition globally. Understanding the risks is crucial.

Lithium as a substance, and indeed lithium batteries, until around the mid-1980’s was classified for dangerous goods regulations under Class 4.3 (Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases). Experts and regulators were persuaded that smaller batteries present reduced hazards compared to their larger counterparts through the supply chain. Therefore the criteria for classification was redesigned around the weight and power outage of the cell or battery. Consequently, lithium ion batteries are classified by the equivalent energy content in watt-hours (Wh), while lithium metal/alloy batteries are classified by the weight of lithium content in grams.

An important case, not least because it went to the English Supreme Court, clarifying that acts or defaults in exercising due diligence may give rise to ‘unseaworthiness’ and the consequences of falling on the wrong side of the boundary, including in relation to general average.

Buoyed by the development of vaccines, 2021 promised a return to ‘normal’. The logistics industry has continued to operate at full capacity and beyond. The last year presented multiple challenges to every aspect of the freight industry – and there appears little respite as we head into 2022.

The rapid, widespread and now all-pervasive adoption of the standardised freight container concept certainly justifies why so little has changed in the last 50 years. Any fundamental re-engineering would need to account for the numerous interfaces with the ubiquitous box – but where might advance be possible?