The majority of the world’s biggest shipping companies are continuing to call at ports in the Tokyo Bay area after fears of radiation levels have been eased.
But a number of shipping lines are redirecting cargo from the ports of Tokyo and Yokohama following the collapse of Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant 220km to the north of Tokyo.
The US Navy has told reporters that any radiation on vessels which has leaked from the power plant can be washed off with soap and water.
Five of the six biggest container shipping lines, including NYK Line and K Line, are maintaining normal services to Japan.
However, Germany-based line Hapag-Lloyd continues to omit Tokyo, Yokohama and Nagoya from its sailings but is retaining calls to Kobe.
Evergreen Marine said it is serving the ports in the Tokyo Bay area as normal, while Maersk Line, MSC and CMA CGM are continuing to call at Japanese ports as scheduled.
Maersk said: “We are communicating with all owned and chartered vessels on a daily basis and vessels have been given the option of requesting a surveyor to perform radioactive measurements while in port.”
OOCL’s services to the ports of Tokyo, Yokohama and Nagoya are operating as usual. The company said it is closely monitoring the situation.
“We will act upon government advice and recommendations from relevant authorities in reviewing needs to make changes to our operations, including our sailing schedules to and from Japan,” it said.
The line has implemented “precautionary measures” onboard its vessels to ensure safety of its crew and cargo, and said it is also aware of concerns about potential radioactive contamination of goods loaded inside some containers.
“We continue to work with relevant authorities in Japan and various destination countries to meet any screening requirements. So far, there has been no case of radiation contamination detected on any container onboard OOCL vessels.”
Law firm Ince & Co has warned of legal implications to avoiding Japanese ports: “It is not at present clear how wide this [radiation] risk is in physical terms. A ship-owner may be reluctant to sail near the plant and especially within the exclusion zone for radiation, arguing that the risk of radiation makes the port unsafe.
“However, if the radiation risks prove to be exaggerated and unjustified, an owner may find himself in breach of charter for refusing orders to go the relevant Japanese port, particularly if it is out of the "immediate" risk zone.”
It advised that shipowners should therefore not refuse to call at any Japanese port without careful consideration as many ports outside the earthquake and tsunami area are operating as normal.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government has implemented a 30km exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear power station and has advised captains to stay away.
The UK P&I Club has warned shipowners that they are not insured if their ship or crew are affected by radiation when in Japan, both in the insurance markets generally as well as under P&I Club Rules.
Source: IFW
No comments:
Post a Comment