PEMA, ICHCA and TT Club publish collision prevention paper

In their latest initiative to improve safety, reduce equipment damage and minimize disruption at the world's ports and terminals, the Port Equipment Manufacturers Association (PEMA), the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA) and international transport and logistics insurers TT Club have released an information paper detailing the growing number of non-contact, state-of-the-art collision prevention technologies.

Drawing on the expertise of relevant stakeholders - PEMA representing container crane and technology manufacturers, and TT Club and ICHCA International representing container terminals - the paper calls for such technologies to be installed on new and existing equipment. 

'Collision Prevention at Ports and Terminals' is available for download here, as well as from the ICHCA and TT Club websites. This is the latest joint paper published by three organisations, with ‘Recommended Minimum Safety Features for Quay Container Cranes’ being released earlier this week. 

The paper does not carry any binding obligations, and is independent of the various local, national and international regulatory regimes on the safe design, manufacture, specification and operation of the various equipment types, which must also be adhered to. Adoption of technologies to enhance risk reduction and safety, which is the primary focus of the document, must also go together with the development of robust operational safety processes.

Container terminals are inherently associated with potential safety risk, with vehicles and heavy equipment operating in close proximity. However, given that terminal plant is broadly similar and typically performs similar tasks, it is possible to model different types of collisions and place them in a matrix. To determine what may occur in each part of a terminal, the paper specifies the equipment and personnel likely to be involved in each area; and for each combination of machinery and personnel, the document analyses possible collision types and shares latest technologies to help prevent collisions.