Fiata strives for parley
Fiata is calling for urgent talks with the top carriers, in the wake of recent moves by shipping lines to impose penalties on shippers who misdeclare cargoes. The previous week saw Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, HMM and OOCL confirm to have adopted a practice of charging fines of up USD 15,000 for misdeclared cargo.
Shipping lines explain that they are attempting to improve safety and reduce delays, since up to a quarter of all serious incidents on board containerships may be attributed to misdeclared cargo, as referenced by the Cargo Incident Notification System initiative. In a recent interview with Lloyd’s List, acting director general Stephen Morris stressed that forwarders are fully supportive of the need for safety at sea, and the lives of seafarers and the protection of shipowners’ property in vessels should rightly be paramount.
He said: “It’s interesting that they (the shipping lines) talk about fines, because I don’t think that you can fine people in the private sector. Usually fines relate to regulators and law enforcement agencies.” Fiata has already been in telephone contact with major carriers, requesting an opportunity to talk over the matter, Morris added. (mw)