Beware of shipping illegal nickel ore from Philippines
Overview
Nickel ore shipment from the Philippines not only suffers from risk of liquefaction but might be illegal too.
The Philippine's Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DENR) has ordered the closure of 23 mines that are mainly producing nickel ore. These mines account for about 50% of the nickel ore mines and half of the country’s output. It was estimated that this also amounts to roughly about 10 per cent of the world's supply. This closure exercise is an attempt to fight against environmental degradation by the mining industry.
Members wishing to fix nickel ore shipments from the Philippines will have to check that their nickel ore is not coming from the list issued as part of the country’s full audit of mining results conducted.
BIMCO advice
As members are aware, nickel ore shipment from the Philippines not only suffers from risk of liquefaction but might be illegal too. Hence as a prudent measure, BIMCO would strongly recommend that members intending to load nickel ore from the Philippines consult their P&I club immediately for the following reasons:
(i) to avoid any possible problems, eg illegal nickel ore being fixed as a result of the above mine closures and conduct the necessary investigation if needed and
(ii) ensure strict compliance of shipment in accordance with the requirements of the IMSBC Code for Group A cargoes.
For more information on the carriage requirements of nickel ore, please refer to our on-line BIMCO Solid Cargo Database for nickel ore.
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Posted:
09 March 2017
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