The brightest and smartest innovations in port safety were once more showcased at the TOC Europe 2025 Safety Village in Rotterdam on 17–19 June. TT Club, ICHCA International and TOC Worldwide again teamed up for a three-day celebration of gold-standard safety solutions at the world’s leading container supply chain event, attended by over 4,500 professionals.
The global trade in counterfeit goods is a constant threat to economies, consumers and supply chains around the world. According to a May 2025 report by OECD and the European Union Intellectual Property Office, the illegal trade in fake and potentially dangerous goods is worth over US$450 billion a year. As such counterfeit cargoes continue to expose transport and logistics professionals to fines, product liability claims and abandonment costs if they fail to spot them....
As the maritime industry continues to evolve in response to global pressures, ranging from climate volatility to labour shortages and rising operational costs, bulk cargo terminals are increasingly turning to automation. While container terminals have long been the focus of digital transformation and automation, are bulk terminals beginning to embrace automation as a strategic imperative?
Kind leadership - what it is it? And how is it relevant to the supply chain and logistics industry?
"The industry has to police itself in many ways […] for the good of the industry and for the good of the places where they operate." Join Joshua Finch and guest Marcus John, Managing Director, Thomas Miller Sydney, as they discuss wreck removal, including: The complex liabilities surrounding the Costa Concordia Larger ships equal larger wrecks - and pose enormous challenges when removing them. The unexpected costs as ships operate in more remote places than before such as New Zealand's North Isl...
Autonomous ships are set to have a major impact on the world’s ports. But while they promise increased efficiency, and safety, and a nice fit with port automation technologies and smart mooring systems, they also raise questions about regulation, liability and cyber security. Port operators need to be prepared to adapt to survive – and perhaps the best place to start is with their own fleet of work boats.
Loading docks in warehouses and terminals are high-risk environments where people, vehicles and cargo come into close contact. Without strict safety measures, accidents in loading docks can result in serious injuries to workers, costly damage to cargo and equipment, and severe operational disruption. This article outlines the practical steps which warehouse and terminal operators can take to reduce the risks.
Workers in ports, terminals and warehouses need to maintain a high degree of concentration to cope with the complex physical hazards of operating in a busy cargo-handling environment. But simply not drinking enough water can impair their mental abilities in a similar way as consuming alcohol, which may lead to accidents and injuries. Transport and logistics operators need to take the same zero-tolerance approach to worker dehydration as they do for consuming alcohol.
Project cargoes, particularly offshore wind components, are a growing business opportunity for ports around the world. But the typically large size and weight of these unusual loads also expose port operators to unprecedented risks of infrastructure damage, business interruption, third party liabilities and personal injury claims. A detailed risk and engineering assessment needs to be carried out for each shipment, together with proper planning and a clear contractual definition of liabilities....
In an increasingly automated container handlingenvironment, port risk management technologies are becoming essential components of terminal resilience planning. An important port equipment safety risk is the snagging of containers while they are being lifted by ship-to-shore (STS) quay cranes.
Traditional mooring lines and bollards have been used to secure ships in ports for thousands of years. But when they fail, the consequences can be catastrophic. In the five policy years leading up to 2021, the International Group of P&I Clubs members were notified of 858 injuries and 31 fatalities that occurred during mooring operations. With the advent of larger ships and more extreme weather due to climate change, higher mooring loads means such failures are likely to increase. Fortunately...
Josh Finch, Logistics Risk Manager at TT Club talks with Mike Dawber, Police Constable with an industry-funded arm of the Police Service, the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service or NaVCIS.
Driver shortages, rising operational costs and the need forincreased safety mean that automated trucking operations offer a compelling solution for the transport and logistics industry. Big advances have already been made with automated coupling, loading and driving systems, pavingthe way for fully autonomous trucks and huge productivity gains. However, such smart vehicles also bring new and different risks and liabilities for freight forwarders, warehouse operators and trucking companies. There...
Another above-average season for Atlantic hurricanes isexpected in 2025, reflecting the increasing volatility of global weather systems due to climate change. The forecast serves as reminder to ports, terminals and warehouses to check the robustness of their storm-preparedness procedures as well as their insurance cover for extreme weather events and other weather-related natural disasters.
Whether rights are assigned or not, courts are reluctant to interfere with existing law on collateral benefits - we look at a recent case concerning a cargo of yellow soybeans partially damaged while being shipper from USA to Egypt.
Josh Finch, Logistics Risk Manager for TT Club is joined by Chris Kipper, Senior Director of Customer Solutions at Voxel AI, to discuss how the innovative technology provider is revolutionising safety across the transport and logistics industry. Voxel AI enhances safety and operational efficiency for ports and terminal by using AI-powered site intelligence to proactively identify and mitigate risks, such as high-speed collisions and employee injuries.
The seventh annual TT Club Innovation in Safety Awards were presented at Informa’s London headquarters on 26 February 2025. They again highlighted a wide range of innovative products, services and processes for improving cargo handling safety. Artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring systems, automated pipe spreaders, container lashing tools, smart bollards, a safety app and an emergency flash card deck for workers were among the submissions duly recognised this year.
Warehouse automation increases efficiency, reduces costs, raises productivity and – most importantly – improves worker safety. This article focuses on the various safety benefits of warehouse automation, including enhanced safety measures, real-time hazard detection, improved training and compliance, and reduced exposure to hazardous conditions.
Warehouse fires are a significant risk to transport andlogistics businesses, potentially causing catastrophic damage to people, property and the environment and significant disruption to the wider supply chain. Effective fire risk assessment and loss prevention plans are crucial to reduce these risks and ensure the safety and continuity of operations. This article looks at various ways to mitigate the risk of warehouse fires.
In a landmark judgment, the UK Supreme Court has provided crucial clarity on the applicability of the Hague-Visby Rules to claims for cargo misdelivery after discharge. The decision, which upheld the rulings of the lower courts, has significant implications for the interpretation of time bars in maritime law and the responsibilities of carriers post-discharge.
Automation has been proven beyond doubt to improve port performance and enable cargo to be moved more safely, securely and sustainably. There are now more than 50 automated container terminals globally and big advances continue to be made in port automation technologies. As such there is now a strong case for operators of the remaining 95% of the world’s terminals which are not yet automated to consider becoming so.
The world’s container cargoes are increasingly at risk of being delayed, damaged, lost or interfered with. Continuing growth in international trade together with ongoing climate change, geopolitical disputes, rogue operators and organised crime gangs means transport and logistics operators need to keep an ever-closer watch on their containers.
Learn how to avoid unexpected outcomes during refurbishment of buildings and infrastructure. Discover key safety considerations, the importance of collaboration, and effective management strategies to ensure operational safety at ports, terminals, and logistics facilities.
Following the usual biennial cycle, the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code has been updated and amended. This latest version, Amendment 42-24, entered transitional effect from 1 January 2025, meaning that stakeholders may start using the revised provisions. Amendment 41-22 will be mandatorily in force until 1 January 2026.
A container ship caught fire and sank near Colombo in Sri Lanka resulting in a total loss. The owner and bareboat charterer successfully claimed limitation of liability in the English Admiralty Court. The three slot charterers also argued for limitation on the basis they could be considered as shipowners too.
In today's interconnected world, the threat landscape for businesses has evolved significantly. One of the most insidious and challenging risks to manage is the insider threat. This article delves into what insider threats are, their implications, common threats, and effective risk mitigation strategies.
Managing during a crisis event is challenging for even the most experienced incident managers. Incidents that happen in and around a port environment can be especially difficult to manage, proving daunting even for first responders and other seasoned crisis management professionals. Port environments encompass both land and sea-based risks, handle and store dangerous chemicals and materials and involve the operation of large handling equipment and machinery.
Asset criticality assessment provides the foundation for wider strategic asset management planning (SAMP) and provides an organisation with a semi-quantitative model to evaluate and score how an in-service failure of an asset can impact operational performance across the entire organisation’s portfolio of assets. Providing decision-making insight for asset managers and budget holders within an organisation, this process whereby asset management meets risk management should be the very first step...
The carrier was instructed to transport 3 shipments of copper scrap from Dubai to Piraeus. The first 2 shipments were paid for and had clean bills of lading, but upon arrival, they were found to contain concrete blocks. The shippers disappeared before payment for the 3rd shipment.
Container terminal operations are complex and often fast paced. Each container movement is unique in many ways; the characteristics of the cargo, the condition of the chassis and the condition of the container, for example, will all influence outcomes.
