Dear Healthcare Equipment Working Group Member,

The EUCCC is pleased to invite you to a joint meeting for members from the Logistics, Maritime Transport, Healthcare Equipment, PCR and Pharmaceutical Working Groups, on the 'Olympics Transportation Ban - Perspective of Shanghai Port Authority', which will take place at the EUCCC Shanghai office on Monday, 7th July at 2pm.

Working Group members in Beijing can join the meeting by teleconference, from the EUCCC office in Beijing.

Our guest speaker is Mr. Fan Guigen, Deputy Chief Engineer of Shanghai Port Authority, who is significantly involved in the drafting and implementation procedure of Olympic Games transportation ban at the Shanghai Port Authority. Mr. Fan will be sharing with us his knowledge and insights as they relate to the Olympic Transportation Ban in Shanghai.

Please confirm your participation at this meeting by registering your name, contact number and indication of city (SH or BJ offices) in case the meeting is cancelled or postponed at short notice with Maurizio Andreano at mandreano@euccc.com.cn by COP 4th July.


Thank you for your support.

Event review

Joint Working Group Meeting
Special Meeting on Olympics Transportation Ban
7th July, 2008
European Chamber, Shanghai (& teleconference link to EUCCC Beijing office)
By Tony Robinson trobinson@euccc.com.cn

for attendance list, please click here

 

Agenda:

The meeting took the form of a Q&A session with Mr. Fan Guigen, Vice Chief Engineer from the Shanghai Municipal Port Administration Bureau.

Minutes:

Below is a summary of some of the major points which were covered:

Q1: Terminology of notice 177 issued by Shanghai Municipal Port Administration Bureau on 13th May.

A1: The restricted items list has 4 categories and 6 kinds of products, which includes explosives, organic peroxides, hyper-toxics and radioactives as well as hydrogen peroxide, acetone, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and ammonium nitrate (including ammonium nitrate fertilizers).

There exists the classification of hyper-toxic products, which is a China-only classification, and has no significant correlation with IMDG (international maritime dangerous goods) or UNNO (orange book). The complete list of products (2 parts, initially issued in 2002 plus its supplementary one, click here hyper_toxic_list_2002_plus_sup_list_copy_copy for a copy of this two list in Chinese) can be found / googled online.

Q2: Definition of Explosives

A2: It only refers to Class 1 of IMDG. Gases listed in IMDG Class 2 are not included however can belong to hyper-toxic category.

Q3: How about control measures taking place in other ports?

A3: Only Olympics venues are affected.

Q4: Currently, many ocean carriers have been refusing to carry any hazardous cargo since June this year. Was there any kind of signal or influence from the authority in this regard?

A4: This is the decision of the companies and is not related to the ban.

Q5: Why are imports more restricted than exports?

A5: Maybe this is an understanding problem. Ocean carriers began implementing restrictions before they had been clarified because they were wary of breaking rules. However, it seems over the past few weeks carriers have become more relaxed. Imports are not more restricted compared to exports.

Q6: Procedure of Special permit

A6: There are 3 circumstances where the transport of classified cargo can be arranged:
1 – National class projects
2 – National Economy and the people’s livelihood
3 – Large-scale important enterprises
If these requirements are met, companies can apply at the Shanghai Port Bureau. Some companies, such as BASF and Bayer have already applied.
If all documentation is in order it should take one week from initial application to receiving approval.

Q7: What is the procedure for products designed for Olympics usage?

A7: If products are being imported related to Olympics in Beijing they will most likely go through Tianjin as it is the nearest port to Beijing.

Q8: definition of so-called ‘large-scale important enterprises’ mentioned in the criteria of A6.

A8: in the circumstance where the shortage of such DG goods supplies will harm or stop the normal operation of a manufacture.

Q9: there seems to be different interpretations of hyper-toxic products by manufacturers and carriers.

A9: companies are kindly advised to consult to the list published by Chinese authority when it comes to the terminology ‘hyper-toxic’. Should there be any further questions the online consultation provided by Shanghai Municipal Port Administration Bureau could be one solution.

Q10: a member has encountered problem in exporting solar batteries at Tianjin Port

A10: solar batteries are classified as Class 9 and are not in the list of restriction during Olympics period. As far as Shanghai Port is concerned, Mr.Fan does not see a problem exporting them.

Q11: some members’ expressed frustration due to insufficient knowledge and understanding of DG category at operational level of Port Authority. E.g., Phenol is classified as DG goods but there are many other chemical products whose names finish by Phenol are not necessarily DG goods. According to some WG members’ experience, certain operational staffs at the Port have mistaken them as DG goods as well from time to time.

A11: according to Mr.Fan, this should not be happening. One practical advice would be to make sure that you have the right product name in local language so that the Port officials can easily understand the matter and distinguish product A from product B.

Q12: If a something is banned/restricted from movement, is there a central institution where this decision can be appealed?

A12: All products need to be analysed by an institution in Beijing to see whether it should or should not be banned/restricted. These institutions use UN classifications and this is related to DG levels.
The classification of particular products depends on DG regulations. All products have a DG code.

Q13: Can notice 177 be converted to standard IMO classification or IMO/UNNO?

A13: In general, this should be possible. For example, the 4 categories correspond to Class 1, 7, 5.2 and partial list of 6.1 respectively.

Q14: More precisely, which part of this 6.1 list is concerned?

A14: Please refer to the list of hyper-toxic chemicals.

Q15: does the restriction measure apply to both transit and transfer goods at Shanghai Port?

A15: As far as the restriction measure is concerned, goods in transit are not affected while goods in transfer are. In other words, as long as the goods don’t leave the ship during the stay at Shanghai Port they are not restricted. However, once the goods are loaded onto the dock, the restrictions come into force.

Q16: concern of certain spare part of healthcare equipment that aims to detect electric frequency

A16: it depends on whether it contains any sort of radioactive element. As long as this spare part is radioactive free, it should not be affected.

Q17: whether process of non-classified goods will be delayed because of Olympics restrictions?

A17: should not be as control measures only apply to listed products. All rules have now been clarified, and all port staffs are fully-informed of the changes so there should be no need to worry about delays caused by confusion.

Q18: in case of confusion or inconsistency of regulation implementation at different ports, to which government body the company could make petition?

A18: one should go to the corresponding regulatory authority that has the right of interpretation. As far as transportation is concerned, in most cases, it is the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

Q19: Shangai Public Security Bureau just released a list of classified products for trucking restriction during Olympic period in the city. Is it the same as the one issued by Shanghai Port Authority?

A19: again, when we talk about DG goods, we refer to the Chinese national norm and corresponding list. The city transport department of Shanghai Public Security Bureau has a table of products that are restricted to evening movement in summer season. The restrictions in place from 10am – 4pm are related to the danger of transporting certain chemicals in high temperatures.

Q20: a member company imports into China classified gas shipped in recyclable container. Will the export of such containers be affected?

A20: Containers that were carrying restricted products but have not been cleaned are still classed as dangerous goods. Thus, they are affected.

Q21: According to certain statistics, 1 out of 5 containers carrying DG cargo are currently deemed as restricted during Olympics period. This gives us a general picture of the impact of the restrictions. Many ocean carriers reject most DG cargo demands because they are unclear about what can and cannot be taken. It could be of help if a meeting can be arranged between Shanghai Port Authority and Ocean carriers.

A21: as far as Mr. Fan is concerned, this is not necessary as information about the restrictions is published in the middle of May and further consultation is available on the website of Shanghai Port Authority.
In addition, Mr. Fan is also pleased to take enquiries forwarded by EUCCC (pls contact Tony Brooks tbrooks@euccc.com.cn).

Q22: Furthermore, why is it that Chinese carriers are also rejecting cargo? Surely they should not suffer from the same confusion.

A22: Maybe they are naturally more conservative and are more wary of breaking the rules.

Q23: a member’s goods have been rejected at Zhuhai Port in Guangdong Province.

A23: There are no Olympic Games’ events taking place in Zhuhai city. There should be no reason to implement restrictions at Zhuhai Port. Such case can be brought up to Ministry level for attention and resolution.

In conclusion, Mr.Fan appreciated the chance of direct dialogue and exchange with EUCCC members. Ports and Harbors of Shanghai are amongst the most active and accessible ones in China. For example, Shanghai Port is the only port that considers and accepts certain types of fireworks and explosive products. Mr.Fan would like to encourage more business involvements from European business community together with Shanghai Ports and Harbours.

Should anybody have any further questions they can contact EUCCC (Tony Brooks tbrooks@euccc.com.cn). we can contact Mr. Fan.

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