Rules tighten on dangerous goods certificates in Malaysia

DASH Three Marine Service Sdn. Bhd, has received authorisation from the Port Klang Authority as a qualified surveyor to issue Container Packaging Certificates (CPC), which allows the transport of dangerous goods in, to and from Malaysia.

While the system has been much abused, the CPC has been mandatory for the seagoing shipments classified under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code since 1965. Ships' masters were and still are obliged to produce the CPC document for each consignment of dangerous goods on board.

In 1974, Malaysia also signed an understanding under the "Safety of Life at Sea" (SOLAS) convention whereby the preparation of CPC was formally introduced into national maritime procedure.

The CPC was made mandatory from 1989 in Malaysia, and was later administered by Malaysia's Dangerous Goods Department in 2003. The CPC is also compulsory for all dangerous goods containers packed in the port area including trans-loading.

The Dangerous Goods Department soon discovered that CPC procedure was being abused by non-competent parties such as the forwarders, traders and consolidators, a situation now blamed for a major disaster on board a ship, said a Dash Three Marine statement.

Recently the Port Klang Authority insisted that CPCs could only be signed by the parties who have passed the CPC-LPK Examination. Having done so, Dash Three Marine Service is now a recognised PKA CPC surveying company entitled to carry out this work. Warehouse operators, traders, consolidators and forwarders are now forbidden to prepare and sign any CPC.

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