Information on the most important changes in comparison can be found here.

Customers of the shipping company Hapag Lloyd are currently being informed that, as of September 15, 2019, a fine of USD 15,000 will be imposed for every falsely declared hazardous goods container. Furthermore, the shipping company points out that a sender with a false declaration of dangerous goods not only violates the dangerous goods regulations, but they also make an infringement of regulations and can lead, worst case, to prosecution. The sender is also liable for all costs and consequences in connection with infringements, fines, damages, critical incidents, claims and corrective actions resulting from cases of undeclared or incorrectly declared cargoes.

There is a suspicion that incorrectly declared dangerous goods may have been the cause, or at least a partial cause, of the fires over recent months on container ships. At the beginning of January 2019 Hapag Lloyd itself was affected by a container fire on the "Yantian Express", caused by incorrectly declared dangerous goods.

Other shipping companies are also taking similar measures against senders who incorrectly, or do not, declare dangerous goods. According to a report in the publication "The Loadstar", Evergreen was one of the first to announce it would impose fines ranging from USD 4,000 to USD 45,000.

OOCL has also announced that they will increasingly control dangerous goods shipments in the future and impose penalties. To "The Loadstar" they stated that inconsistencies between the cargo declared in the documents and what is physically in the containers will lead to a penalty for the false declaration of dangerous goods. The amount of the penalty will be dependant on the extent of the differences. They also intimated that containers may be denied loading and will remain where they are.

Known as an agricultural pest, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is able to feed on around 300 different plant species and severely damage fruit and vegetable crops. 

In order to prevent its entrance into the country the Australian Government Department of Agriculture has established mandatory fumigation treatment for certain categories of goods that are shipped by ocean freight during the bug risk season.

Certain goods manufactured in, or shipped from target risk countries, to which European countries must be counted, and/or vessels that berth at, load or tranship from target risk countries must comply with the seasonal measures which will last from September 1, 2019 till May 31, 2020. 

The cargo treatments must be completed by an approved treatment provider. There are 193 approved providers across 24 countries. They must provide you with a BMSB Treatment Certificate. Accepted treatments include:

Sulfuryl fluoride fumigation

Methyl bromide fumigation (most common)

Heat treatment.

Please get in touch with your contact at Lamprecht Transport for any additional information or see under the following link.

The mostly used fuel for ocean ships (so called "Bunker") is a heavy heating oil which is gained as residue from crude oil distillation. Crude oil contains sulfur which after combustion in the ship’s motor produces emissions. Sulfur oxides (SOx) are damaging to human health, causing respiratory ailments and lung diseases. In the atmosphere SOx can lead to acid rain, can damage plants, forests and water and contributes to acidification of the ocean. It must therefore be attempted to reduce these SOx emissions of ships and thereby improve air quality and better protect the environment.

Concretely this means: from January 1, 2020 the limits for sulfur in crude oil which will be used on board the ships that travel outside of the identified emission control areas will be reduced to 0,50 % m/m (mass per mass). Either the ships as from 2020 will be tanked with low sulfur fuel or they will be furnished themselves with an exhaust gas cleaner, so-called «Scrubbers» on the ship.

This Scrubber comes in three forms: "Closed Loop Filter" (exhaust gases are cleaned and the pollutants are gathered in a tank which is emptied in the harbor for corresponding additional handling), "Open Loop Filter" (exhaust gases are cleaned and the cleaning water together with the pollutants contained therein are discharged into the sea) and "Hybrid Filter“ (that can be adjusted either for operation in an open or closed loop).

Seen as a whole, the most environmentally friendly form is the Closed Loop because such systems do not emit either in the atmosphere nor in the water provided the waste is treated after collection in the harbors. The Open Loop Filter indeed fulfills the requirements of the sulfur guidelines and reduces the emissions from shipping in the atmosphere, its use leads however to heavy metals, sulfur, etc. which land in the sea together with the cleaning water. China, Hong Kong and Singapore have already set forth that no ships with Open Loop Filter systems on board will be allowed in their harbors. It can be assumed from this that other Southeast Asian countries and Japan will likewise follow.

Whether it is equipping ships with filters or the use of low sulfur fuel: in both cases the operating costs for environmental protection will increase significantly. Therefore it has already been clearly signaled by the shipping companies that the introduction of surcharges at the latest from the time of tanking with low sulfur fuel (meaning: already 60 to 90 days before the key date of January 1, 2020) are unavoidable in order to cushion the impact of the additional costs arising which will make the entire transport by sea more expensive as from 2020. Several shipping companies have announced increasing their surcharges already before the key date of January 1, 2020 because they already have higher operational costs in 2019 due to the adjustments.

Due to the re-equipping of ships, first of all the short-term overall capacity on the world seas will be decreased because the installing of Scrubbers will take approx. 60 days per ship. In addition and in the long run the loading capacities of ships after the re-equipping will be smaller than before the adjustments because both the Scrubber and the Low Sulfur Tanks require more space on the ships.

Many experts assume the following consequences from the IMO2020 regulation: Increased use of slow steaming will lead to the increase of the range of ships. In order to be able to preserve the transit times at key harbors and therefore remain competitive, the shipping companies could be forced to leave out individual harbors from their fixed routes.

Additional information can be found directly at IMO.
 

Text source: SPEDLOGSWISS

In November 2018 all of our operationally active employees throughout Switzerland were made familiar with the innovations - Lamprecht is also top in the transport of dangerous goods!

Naturally, your contact at Lamprecht Transport Ltd. will be happy to provide you with detailed information about these new and ever more complex regulations.

The past years

We look back on exciting, fruitful and fulfilling years in the field of airfreight. Ever since the founding of our freight forwarding business we have been transporting consolidated air freight weekly to the world-famous metropolises of India, to Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore or Hyderabad. Contact with the subcontinent has always been close to our hearts, not only for economic reasons but because we have come to appreciate and love the region.

India is an up-and-coming country with a growing economy and an array of interesting business areas. The Indian market is becoming more and more attractive. This is reflected not least in the growth of economic contacts between India and Switzerland. It matters not whether it is to do with the import or export of goods, India bodes well with excellent opportunities for the international sales of products and exotic quality goods for import. We at Lamprecht Transport Ltd. are your contact for the Indian market.

Professional air freight service between Switzerland and India

Are you looking for an expert in the field of air freight, one with years of experience and an excellent network of agents at the destination? Would you like to gain a foothold in the Indian market with your product?

We would be honoured to convey your next shipment to or from India. Should you be interested in a cooperation, please contact us. Our air freight departments in Basel, Zurich, St. Gallen and Geneva will process your inquiry and be pleased to present you with a customised offer.