This September, government experts on the health of plants and crops will gather in London for the first ever International Conference on Plant Health. This high-level meeting organized by the secretariat of the UN’s International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and hosted by the UK government will review the state of the world’s natural and agricultural plant resources, and what can be done to protect and enhance them.

Given the combined pressures of climate change, water shortages, destructive pests and disease the conference could make for a sobering experience.

In the two days preceding the conference, and in the same London venue, a smaller, and even more specialized group consisting of international trade bodies, shipping industry representatives and national plant protection and bio-security agencies will meet to review one of the many ways that invasive and destructive pests can pass from one country to another – by ‘hitch-hiking’ a ride in, or on, any of the 240 million freight container shipments that are made by sea every year.

The International Workshop on Reducing the Introduction of Pests Through the Sea Container Pathway (19-20th September) will be a wake-up call to all parties involved in international container shipping and logistics.

Pest impacts

The threat to a nation’s food supply or its agricultural industries may not be obvious just because a few insects find their way into a forty-foot steel container. But history is littered with examples of how highly destructive pests have entered a country’s ecosystem through imported goods or packaging, and wreaked devastation on native plant species.

The Great Potato Blight, that caused famine and mass migration from Ireland in the 1840s, is thought to have been caused by the import of the pest responsible from Central America to Europe aboard the sailing ships of the day. In the 20th century, large numbers of trees in the US and Europe were lost to disease and pests thought to have been unknowingly imported as international trade spread.

Contamination is not just confined to ‘dirty’ cargoes. Last year, Australian authorities reported the detection of live pests in a consignment of baby clothes and equipment intercepted at the border. The UK government has related how a colony of invasive wasps found their way to the country having nested in the radiator grill of a brand new (and very expensive) motor car, being delivered to a showroom.

Inspections of containers arriving at borders carried out by national biosecurity agencies over the past few years suggest that the number of containers and cargoes infested by pests may be greater than feared.

National environment and agricultural ministries have been working through the IPPC to tackle this issue for several years and the London workshop has been convened to consider options for regulating the cleanliness of sea containers and setting standards for preventing their contamination by invasive pests.

Shippers will be familiar with ISPM-15, the IPPC’s existing standards for the pre-treatment and marking of timber used to block and brace cargoes in containers or used to make pallets and other packaging for transport. Could a similar International Standard for Phytosanitary Measure for the cleanliness of intermodal containers be in prospect?

Unilateral action

Several countries have already taken unilateral action to protect their native plant species against specific pests. Last year the Australian government introduced new requirements for the pre-treatment of containers imported from listed countries and carrying specific cargoes to protect against the introduction of the Khapra Beetle, a small insect that could devastate the country’s cereal grain crop were it to become established.

These rules supplemented existing measures to protect against introduction of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, a creature with effects as unpleasant as its name suggests! Failure to comply with these requirements will almost certainly result in a container being denied entry at the Australian border and possibly re-exported, ultimately at the shipper’s expense.

New Zealand has similar measures and there are controls too to protect against different pests that threaten other countries. Canada and the US are concerned about threats to their forests and their wheat crops; Fire Ants are a big threat to native species in Japan.

This is a live issue (in some senses literally!) and under active review by governments around the world. The possibility of new international mandatory measures on container cleanliness should command the attention of shippers everywhere.

Global developments

The Global Shippers Forum (GSF) has been monitoring and influencing these developments since 2018 when it was invited to join an IPPC Task Force set up to examine the threat to plant health posed by pest-contaminated containers and cargoes. That Task Force reported at the end of 2021 and set out a range of regulatory options for its parent body, the Commission for Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) to consider.

Crucially, it also warned that implementation of new mandatory requirements could impose significant new costs and risks to the fluidity of the international movement of containers and further disrupt world trade. GSF was clear in its opposition to new rules applying indiscriminately to every container shipment, urging that controls and resources be targeted instead on high-risk trade corridors and specific pest threats.

The work of developing any new measures will be taken forward by a CPM Focus Group, which will have the authority to make recommendations to its parent body, the Commission for Phytosanitary Measures (CPM). This month’s workshop in London will develop key ideas for the Focus Group to pursue. GSF is speaking at the event and will be ensuring shippers’ interests are represented and the scope and limits of responsibilities clearly defined.

GSF will also be represented on an industry advisory body that will be advising the new CPM Focus Group on the practicality and effectiveness of any new regulatory measures it may propose. GSF will also be making the case for a significant increase in the publicity given to this threat within the industry.

Pest contamination is an unintended consequence of international trade and awareness of its risks and consequences is relatively low. Much could be gained in a short time by raising awareness of the issue in the industry and the relatively simple ways of preventing it.

Not that there is any shortage of advice and guidance on how to pack containers safely and to keep them clear of invasive pests. The Code of Practice for Packing Cargo Transport Units (the CTU Code), a publication of three UN trade and transport organizations is the authoritative guide to container packing that all shippers and packers should be aware of, and familiar with.

The IPPC has also acknowledged the work done by the Cargo Integrity Group, a partnership of seven global trade and shipping organizations, including GSF, to develop a ‘Quick Guide’ to the provisions of the CTU Code. This included a ‘Container Packing Checklist’ of 34 questions about the manner of packing and securing of goods that should be answered affirmatively by the packer prior to dispatch of the container to a shipping line.

Simple nudges

Shippers should not wait to be confronted with new regulations before responding to this issue. Whether you are a buyer or a seller of goods, the standards of care with which they are packed into the containers that will transport them should be a core part of your quality checks and specifications to suppliers or contractors.

Is the risk of accidental contamination by pests understood? Are the recommended precautions taken during the packing and storage of the container?  Have staff been trained in what to look out for and what to do if they find evidence of infestation or contamination? Simple nudges could make a big difference.

Hitch-hiking in cargoes is not the only way invasive pests can move between countries. The containers themselves and the conditions under which they are stored in ports and by shipping lines are also crucial to preventing their contamination.

The efforts of shippers to avoid contamination during packing will be wasted if the empty container supplied to them is already infested, or dispatched containers are stored under the wrong conditions awaiting shipment. Container cleanliness is an industry-wide issue and responsibility.

Fewer than one percent of alien species that enter a country are thought to become invasive but where this has happened the effects on economies, landscapes and peoples’ lives has been traumatic and permanent.

Containers can become contaminated at any point in their journeys by sea but keeping bugs out of the boxes as they are packed is a responsibility that shippers and packers are likely to become more accountable for in the future.

Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/pest-attacks-cleanliness-of-freight-containers-matters/

U.S. Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Edie Chang, Deputy Executive Officer of Planning, Freight & Toxics Division at the California Air Resources Board spoke at a Community Town Hall moderated by Joe Lyou, president and CEO of the Coalition for Clean Air. The event was hosted by Pacific Environment and Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma August 31 evening.

Rep. Lowenthal represents the Port of Long Beach – one of the nation’s busiest cargo ports, and an area that is facing extreme pollution from fossil fuel ships.  At the Town Hall, community members shared heartbreaking stories about how ship pollution has affected their family and communities in profound and irreversible ways.

The policymakers demanded an end to ocean shipping pollution in ports and at sea.

Congressman Lowenthal said, “Since my earliest days of public service on the Long Beach City Council three decades ago, I have worked to clean up the maritime industry. This session of Congress, I introduced a bill to clean up the massive emissions generated from the maritime shipping industry.

“We must all work together towards zeroing out pollution from all ocean shipping companies that do business with the U.S. for our children, our community, and our environment.”

CARB Deputy Executive Officer Edie Chang said “We are vigorously attacking every source of harmful pollution from the transportation of freight that impacts the health of port-adjacent communities.  This includes requiring ships in California waters to use clean-burning fuel, and plugging those ships into the grid – and turning off their engines – while they’re loading and unloading.

“We recently updated our standards for harbor craft from ferries to tugboats so they use the very cleanest engines.  We are proposing regulations to require that trucks transporting containers in and out of ports shift rapidly to zero-emissions.

“And we are continuing to push for tougher federal new engine standards for locomotives to complement our proposed regulations to address sources of pollution like interstate locomotives that California must have in order clean the air especially near port-adjacent communities that are already burdened by high levels of air pollution.”

In July, Rep. Lowenthal introduced the Clean Shipping Act, aimed at zeroing out pollution from all ocean shipping companies that do business with the U.S. This legislation will protect the health of port communities, address environmental injustice and provide solutions to the climate crisis. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats secured billions of dollars that would help fund the zero-emission transition at the ports.

Antonio Santos, Federal Climate Policy Director, Pacific Environment, said: “We are on the cusp of market changes for zero-emission shipping. But we face a climate crisis, and it’s incumbent on federal, state, and local governments to put into place policies and investments to help accelerate the process.

“For far too long, port communities have suffered the burden of maritime pollution, and it’s time to right the ship. We need Congress to act and pass the Clean Shipping Act of 2022 to end dirty fossil-fueled shipping in our oceans and ports.”

In June, the City of Long Beach joined the City of Los Angeles in calling on the San Pedro Port Complex’s top maritime importers to commit to making all calls on 100% zero-emission ships by 2030.

“We are seeing strong momentum at various levels of government for zero-emission ocean shipping this decade, including recent resolutions from the City of Long Beach and Los Angeles and the Inflation Reduction Act’s $3 billion for reducing air pollution at ports,” said Dawny’all Heydari, Lead for the Ship It Zero campaign, Pacific Environment.

“Emissions from ocean cargo ships pose serious risks to public health, including death from cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as childhood asthma. This is most especially detrimental to portside working-class Black and Brown communities, including West Long Beach, Wilmington, and San Pedro.

“We applaud the leadership of Rep. Lowenthal, the California Air Resources Board, and city councils for taking action at such a critical time for climate change, and we will continue to demand an end to ship pollution this decade.”

The Port of Long Beach also joined the Ports of Los Angeles and Shanghai and C40 Cities’ Green Ports Forum to create the world’s first transpacific green shipping corridor between ports in the United States and China.

“We’re not going to solve our climate crisis or our air pollution problems without addressing emissions from ships,” said Joe Lyou, President and CEO of Coalition for Clean Air and moderator of the event.

“This town hall gives us an opportunity to get going in the right direction. We will talk about the problems, the solutions, and the concrete next steps we can all take to reduce and eventually eliminate greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions from ships.”

Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/u-s-policymakers-demand-end-to-ocean-shipping-pollution/

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) have agreed to deepen existing interagency collaboration with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) on Seafarers’ Travel document amongst others.

The agreement was reached when the Comptroller General of NIS, Mr. Isah Idris Jere led senior officials of the service on a working visit to the management of NIMASA.

Speaking, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh noted that the role of the Nigerian Immigration Service in enhancing security in the maritime domain is crucial, adding that seamless issuance of travel documents to seafarers is a key component in the nation’s quest to grow the maritime industry.

According to Dr. Jamoh, “Security on land is key to achieving a safe and secure maritime domain. NIMASA appreciates the need to work closely with the Immigration Service to improve security in the maritime domain. We need the Service to play a major role in issues of crew nationality, seafarers travel document and managing issues of stowaways, amongst others.”

On his part, the NIS Comptroller General identified issuance of temporary work permits to international vessel crews as well as preventing stowaways, as areas of frequent collaboration between both organs of Government while also commending NIMASA’s automation of dockworkers registration nationwide.

According to him, “Our visit to NIMASA is a signal that the Nigeria Immigration Service seeks continued collaboration and deepened synergy as we collectively work to address the issues facing us in our coastal lines and in maintaining the integrity of our territorial waters.  We welcome the Agency’s automation of dockworkers registration and issuance of biometric identity cards as a great step in the task of securing the nation’s ports.”

Source: https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/09/12/nimasa-nis-deepen-collaboration-for-maritime-security/

On September 12, according to the dynamics and development trend of typhoons, the Ningbo Maritime Safety Administration of the People’s Republic of China decided that the coastal area of ​​Ningbo, Zhejiang Province will start a level III typhoon defense emergency response from 9:00 on the same day. Photo provided by Ma Hongyu The maritime department reminds all relevant units and ships to pay close attention to the dynamics of typhoons, and do a good job of typhoon prevention in accordance with the “Regulations on the Supervision and Management of Water Typhoon Prevention in the Jurisdiction of Ningbo Maritime Safety Administration” and their respective typhoon prevention plans.