In efforts of dealing with contamination of sea containers and cargoes from pests the International Plant Protection Convention launched a Sea Containers Complementary Action Plan, also establishing a Sea Containers Task Force to supervise the actions.
Specifically, IPPC contracting parties agreed to measure the impact of the IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) over a five-year period. They also agreed to increase awareness of pest risks related to sea containers and assist national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) in better managing these risks.
Also, the established force will cooperate with representatives from government, industry and international organizations, to better deal with the situation.
Moreover, a proposal was made to measure the impact of the CTU Code through a joint IPPC/IMO/industry protocol to collect data related to sea container contamination, including monitoring the uptake and implementation of the CTU Code through reports from industry and NPPOs.
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The proposal aimed at ensuring that cleanliness data collected by the national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) is complemented by data collected by industry.
In the meantime, during IMO’s CCC 6, Ms Ketevan Lomsadze, IPPC Implementation Facilitation Officer, presented the Sea Containers Task Force (SCTF) proposal to include cleanliness questions among the selection criteria for IMO inspection programmes for cargo transport units carrying dangerous goods.
The collection of data concerning cleanliness will ease the procedure of measuring pest contamination in CTUs and their cargoes. Additionally, it will also develop a common risk-based approach for dealing with phytosanitary risks associated with sea containers and cargoes.
