Dangerous goods still all at sea?

The TT Club reviews the current situation on the shipment of dangerous goods and describes measures it is taking to address a worrying lack of awareness.

I N October 2003 classification society DNV organised a one-day seminar in London based on research that revealed that in the previous five years there had been nine major ship fires and explosions attributable to the carriage of packaged dangerous goods. Since those figures were published, incidents on the Sea Elegance and the LT Utile occurred and, together, this meant that there had been 11 incidents in a six-year period. A year on from that seminar, what has been the response of the enforcement agencies and the industry and has that record been improved? In explaining the latest situation, a major response initiative is revealed.