When it comes to new year resolutions, reducing cargo claims must surely come top of many operators’ wish lists. To celebrate the arrival of 2024, The Swedish Club is sharing its popular Cargo Advice factsheets with the shipping community.  Previously available only to Club members, the series focuses on those cargoes with a high claims frequency and aims to answer the most common questions that have been asked of the Club over the last few years.

The Club has collaborated with cargo experts CWA International to provide the latest intelligence on potentially problematic cargoes such as bagged rice, soya beans, hazardous chemicals, vegetable oils, petroleum, coal, and steel. In addition, the series reflects the pressures faced by operators with guidance on topics such as cargo hold cleaning and ventilation.

Johan Kahlmeter, Director of Claims at The Swedish Club says: “Forewarned is forearmed – we see the same problems with the same cargoes in the same locations time and time again. We are delighted to make this important loss prevention initiative available to both members and non-members, as the protection of crews, cargo and vessels must be a priority for all of us in the maritime industry.”

The series delivers advice on the basic characteristics of each cargo type and the measures to be taken during each stage of carriage. The easy to read factsheets highlight the preventative actions which must be taken to minimise the risks associated with carriage, both in terms of safety and ensuring delivery of the cargo in proper condition.

CWA’s specialists have extensive experience dealing with the problems encountered with a wide range of commodities including food and other agricultural products, metals, minerals, oils, gases and chemicals. Says James Blythe from the Food and Agricultural Commodities Department at CWA Singapore: “CWA International are very pleased to have contributed to The Swedish Club’s Cargo Advice series which we trust will provide users with key insights and take away messages to help them further improve their cargo operations, reduce the risk of a claim occurring and successfully defend a claim in the event that one is raised.”