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Experts ponder how to get rid of shipping pests

[ October 8, 2024   //   ]

Engineers, shipping experts and regulators will gather in Rotterdam this November to consider whether redesigning the exterior and interior surfaces of seafreight containers can reduce plant or pest contamination.

The one-day event will be hosted on Monday 11 November by the secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) as a key part of its programme to reduce the movement of invasive pests by hitch-hiking in, or on, freight containers or the cargoes they carry.

Representatives of National and Regional Plant Protection Organisations will join representatives of the manufacturers, owners, operators and users of freight containers to discuss the scope for eliminating voids, spaces and other features on container surfaces and fittings where pests could gather and possibly multiply during a long sea voyage.

Many of the changes to be discussed and developed would be applied to future container construction but the symposium will also assess the scope for treatments of existing containers, especially the underside surface which may come into contact with the ground during loading and storage.

Any such measures would supplement operational recommendations developed by the Commission for Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) earlier this year that every party handling containers or their cargoes should take steps to avoid them becoming contaminated by pests whilst in their custody – an approach known as ‘Custodial Responsibility’.

The event is free to attend but prior registration is required at: International Symposium: Optimizing Container Design to Mitigate Risks of Pest Contamination in the International Containerized Supply Chain (kobotoolbox.org)

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