The number of containers containing hazardous goods shipped by barge on the Rhône-Saône system is very low, which seems counterintuitive, as, statistically, waterways are a safer mode than road transport.
Medlink Ports, the grouping of Rhône-Saône port operators, has launched a new initiative, dubbed Medlink Safe. A first call is to ensure that chemicals shippers have confidence in the supply chain when they switch from all-road to road-barge transport.
In turn, this means that the ports must have accurate information about the goods being shipped, so they can ensure that specially trained personnel are involved in handling, allocating yard space and planning barge loading, according
to the nature of the cargoes.
The main parties concerned are the Harbour Master’s office at Marseille-Fos, Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, Voies Navigables de France, the Port de Lyon and Lyon-Terminal. The container barge operators Logirhône and Greenmodal are also involved.
To encourage Hazchem traffic, the Port of Lyon is offering one night’s free storage for exports. The aim is to boost the inland waterway share of hazardous cargo shipments moved over MarseilleFos from just 4% today to 20%.
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This complete item is approximately 300 words in length, and appeared in the October 2016 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 21. To access this issue download the PDF here.
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