Safety first

Shipping chemicals around the globe has become progressively cheaper over the past 20 years, says Jan Arthur Hammer, Odfjell president, parcel tankers and terminals, and EPCA treasurer. Safety issues are the single biggest challenge facing the chemical shipping industry and that includes the looming...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inICIS Chemical Business Americas Vol. 272; no. 11; p. 24
Main Author Savvides, Nick
Format Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Reed Business Information UK 24.09.2007
Subjects
Cargos
Chemical industry
Price increases
Ship accidents & safety
Shipping industry
Training
United States > US
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Summary:Shipping chemicals around the globe has become progressively cheaper over the past 20 years, says Jan Arthur Hammer, Odfjell president, parcel tankers and terminals, and EPCA treasurer. Safety issues are the single biggest challenge facing the chemical shipping industry and that includes the looming shortage of trained crews. Hammer speaks from bitter experience, as the company has never forgotten the disaster of the Bow Mariner, which sank 50 miles off the coast of Virginia, US, in February 2004 following a series of explosions onboard the tanker, which was loaded with industrial ethanol. As a result, the authorities and those in industry are debating the use of nitrogen to make inert the void cargo spaces. Nitrogen also has some operational difficulties and must, therefore, be used carefully by trained crew.
ISSN:1936-458X