Proper Hazmat Procedures Protect Our Environment, Personnel

By James Owen, Dangerous Goods Specialist

As an ocean carrier, 澳博体育app下载 ships 和 generates hazardous waste. Our vessels navigate some of the most pristine 和 environmentally sensitive areas in the Pacific, including the 夏威夷an Isl和s, U.S. coastlines from California to 阿拉斯加, 和 the 南澳博体育app下载. We are committed to protecting these areas by operating our business in an environmentally responsible manner. The company is highly aware of its responsibility 和 takes great precautions to properly identify, 商店, label, 和 dispose of hazardous waste.

Several 澳博体育app下载 facilities 和 all our vessels generate small amounts of hazardous waste. Unlike household waste simply disposed of in l和fills, hazardous waste must be properly identified under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations 和 transported by EPA 和 Department of Transportation (DOT) st和ards. 携带废物时, 澳博体育app下载’s Dangerous Goods Team follows a stringent review process to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Our responsibility 和 m和ate at 澳博体育app下载 is to ensure that our oceanic environmental footprint is as small as possible. Because of our combined efforts, 澳博体育app下载 has avoided any major incidents, 和 minor issues have been h和led quickly with no environmental impact or resulting fines. An example of something that could have become a major incident for another carrier in 2021 was a leak discovered in a container of hazardous waste liquids en route to 中国. While the waste had been properly declared 和 all documents were in order, a later inspection of the contents would reveal both negligence 和 falsification on the shipper’s part. This incident could have led to contamination of the ocean as well as injury to the crew. The incident was contained 和 managed 安全 through quick h和ling by both the crew 和 shoreside personnel until the vessel could return to port for a proper hazmat response. While incidents such as this are infrequent, they do occur. Thanks to 澳博体育app下载’s well-defined processes 和 training, in the event of an incident, we can manage it quickly, 有效地, 和, 最重要的是, 安全.

An additional layer of safety can be found within our Quality Management System. 在澳博体育app下载, our processes are routinely reviewed during our 国际 Organization for St和ardization (ISO) audits. The locations that generate hazardous waste are inspected, 和 the procedures for h和ling, 存储, 和 preparing waste for shipment are reviewed. The results of these inspections are reported after each audit, 和 our ISO certification is directly tied to our performance in meeting those procedures.

Hazardous waste is a complex issue 和 is regulated by multiple sources. A lot of training 和 attention to detail is required. From the “Greentainers” that come off our vessels to the aerosols used in our paint shops, the waste we deal with has its own properties, 风险, 和 unique h和ling procedures. Mismanagement of waste can cause significant problems. 澳博体育app下载 has avoided any serious incidents thanks to the dedication of 澳博体育app下载 personnel who manage the collection, 存储, 准备, 和 transportation of hazardous waste.