A few clients have asked us about the ongoing position of liner services from Japan given the concerns of radioactive contamination in and around the Fukushima area.
At the present time Spliethoff are still servicing Tokyo Bay and South Japan ports but are keeping a very close watch on the situation of contamination of cargo, particularly coming from the northern part of Honshu. Spliethoff have however this morning issued us with the following notice which outlines the measures being taken. Please pay particular attention to the certification required that ALL cargo delivered for shipment has been checked for radioactivity. This is important information that needs to be relayed immediately to shippers.
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To all concerned
Ref vessels loading and discharging in Japan
As you can imagine we are monitoring the present situation with possible radiation contamination on a daily basis and with great concern. The safety of our vessels and our crew are our main priority, but we must also be aware of the possible consequences if we end up loading contaminated cargo.
We are doing a thorough investigation and we will of course keep you fully advised of any outcomes and/or measures that we need take.
For the time being our primary concern is the mv Eemsgracht arriving tomorrow in Kobe and although Kobe is in the safe zone we still want to ensure we do not encounter any problems. Therefore please note we will instruct the surveyors (Scua) to measure all cargo for possible radiation and any suspect cargo will be refused and will be left behind.
For the time being this process will be performed/maintained in all Japanese ports, however on top of this we expect all charterers/shippers to take their own responsibility as well and measure/check their cargo before delivering same to the wharf/alongside the vessel. All cargo delivered for shipment will need to be accompanied by a certificate certifying that cargo has been checked and is free of radiation. Any cargo that does not have this certificate may be refused on board.
Please note the first vessel for which these certificates are required is mv Eemsgracht loading Yokohama 2nd of April.
Last, but not least, please advise all clients that we reserve our right to sail vessels at any time or omitting any port in Japan if the situation so demands which is fully at owners/master’s discretion. We will not allow the vessel and crew to run any risk. We trust however that we can count on everyone’s understanding in this respect.
We sincerely hope that the present situation will take a turn for the better very quickly, especially for all the unfortunate people who live in Japan.
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We will keep you updated on any further developments