MERCHANT SHIPPING: (SAFE CONTAINERS) CONVENTION BILL, 2010(“the Bill”)

12 APRIL 2011

PRESENTATION TO THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON

PUBLIC SERVICES

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Department

of Transport

To brief the select Committee on the Merchant Shipping (Safe Containers) Bill, 2010.

PURPOSE

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BACKGROUND

South Africa is a Contracting Party to the International Convention for Safe Containers, 1972 since its accession in June 1982. The Convention was adopted on 2 December 1972 and entered into force on 6 September 1977. There are currently 65 Contracting Parties to this convention.

The convention was domestically given effect to by enacting the International convention for Safe Containers Act 1985.

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OBJECT OF THE BILL

The objects of the Bill are: To maintain a high level of safety of human life in the transport industry and handling of containers by providing a generally acceptable test procedures and related strength requirements.

To facilitate international transport of containers by providing uniform international safety

regulations, equally applicable to all modes of surface transport in order to avoid a proliferation of divergent national safety regulations.

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OBJECT OF THE BILL (Cont…)

To repeal the International Convention for Safe Containers Act, 1985, and to provide for matters connected

therewith.

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DISCUSSION

The requirements of the Convention apply to the great majority of freight

containers used internationally, except those for carriage by air. The scope of the Convention is limited to

containers of a prescribed minimum size having corner fittings, i.e. devices allowing handling, securing or stacking.

 

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DISCUSSION (Cont…)

The Convention sets out the safety approval procedures of international containers for the administration of a Contracting State or by an organisation acting on its behalf.

Approved containers are identified by a safety approval plate, which is affixed to the container under the authority of an Administration.

The safety approval plate contains relevant technical data about the container to which it is affixed.

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DISCUSSION (Cont…)

The approval of the container shall be tagged with a safety approval plate, granted under the authority of one Contracting State and shall be recognised by the other Contracting States.

This principle of reciprocal acceptance of safety approved containers is the cornerstone of the

Convention, and once approved and plated, it is expected that containers will move in international transport with the minimum of safety and control formalities. 

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DISCUSSION (Cont…)

The subsequent maintenance of a safety-approved container is the responsibility of the owner, who is required to have the container examined

periodically.

The technical Annex to the Convention requires that a container undergo various tests,

representing a combination of safety requirements of both the inland and maritime modes of transport.

 

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DISCUSSION (Cont…)

Flexibility is incorporated in the Convention by the provision of simplified amendment procedures that facilitate the adoption of test procedures to the prevailing requirements of international container traffic.

The convention has since its inception undergone several amendments.

 

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DISCUSSION (Cont…)

The 1983 amendments were adopted on 13 June 1983 and entered into force on 1 January

1984. These amendments extend the interval between re-examinations to 30 months and permit a choice of container re-examination procedures between the original periodic examination scheme and a new continuous examination programme.

 

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OVERVIEW OF THE BILL

The Bill proposes to re-assign functions related to the implementation and administration of the Convention, from the Department of Trade and Industry to the Minister of Transport. This will ensure that the functions are assigned to the appropriate authorities having the responsibility for transport and related safety matters.

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OVERVIEW OF THE BILL (CONT…)

The Bill declares certain provisions of the Convention to have the force of law and empowers the Minister of Transport to make regulations for carrying out and giving effect to the provisions of the Convention.  The regulations will, for example, establish the requirements for the approval, maintenance, repair, inspection, detection, detention and disposal of containers.   The text of the Convention is set out in the Schedule to the

Bill and incorporates several amendments to the Convention.

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OVERVIEW OF THE BILL (COTN…)

The Bill empowers the Minister of Transport to to make regulations for carrying out and giving effect to the convention., that will be regulations for maintanance, repair inspection, detention, detection and disposal of

containers.The Bill creates offences and penalties for non compliance with this Act and the regulations.

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OVERVIEW OF THE BILL (CONT…)

The administration and enforcement of the proposed measures are entrusted to the South African Maritime Safety Authority.

The Bill empowers the Authority to designate inspectors to direct inquiries into certain accidents and incidents.

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CONSULTATION

The Bill was published for consultation in Gazette No.32100 OF 15 April 2009.

Comments were received from SAMSA and TRANSNET. The Bill was also circulated to various state Departments for comments. The Bill was presented to the DG Cluster and the cluster agreed that the Bill be processed for Cabinet approval. The Bill was also approved by Cabinet for tabling in Parliament for debat.

The Bill was presented to the Portfolio committee on transport and the portfolio has approved the Bill. All the comments were received were incorporated in the Bill.

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FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

NONE.

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COMMUNICATION IMPLICATIONS

Once the Bill is approved by Parliament and assented by the President, the Bill will be

published the government gazette for compliance and general information.

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PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

The State Law Advisers and the Department of Transport are of the opinion that this Bill must be dealt with in accordance with the procedure established by section 75 of the Constitution since it contains no provision to which the procedure set out in section 74 or 76 of the Constitution applies.

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REQUEST

We request the National Council of Provinces to support this Bill.

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Department

of Transport

THANK YOU

DANKIE

ENKOSI21