Hapag-Lloyd to Fine Shippers for Misdeclared Hazardous Cargoes

German shipping major Hapag-Lloyd revealed its plans to implement a penalty of USD 15,000 per container for misdeclared hazardous cargoes.

The company said that the measure would be effective as of September 15, 2019, and was introduced “in the overall interest of safe operation onboard.”

The move comes on the back of a major incident that occurred on one of the company’s containerships earlier this year. The 7,510 TEU vessel Yantian Express suffered a fire while sailing some 650 nautical miles off the Canadian coast in January 2019. A month later, the Yantian Express berthed in Freeport, Bahamas, for an evaluation process and cargo discharge preparation.

Hapag-Lloyd explained that, in order to ensure the safety of its crew, ships and other cargo onboard, it holds the shipper liable and responsible for all costs and consequences related to violations, fines, damages, incidents, claims and corrective measures resulting from cases of undeclared or misdeclared cargoes.