Thumbnail Image

Final report of the Sea Containers Task Force

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 52 p.

Author IPPC Secretariat

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-136063-7

Synopsis (short abstract) National economies depend on the efficient and uninterrupted movement of trade, which is facilitated by the efficient movement of sea containers through a complex and time-sensitive logistical system. With over 220 million containers shipped each year, the scale of sea container operations is monumental. As a consequence, any changes to the system are likely to have substantive knock-on effects. As the Sea Containers Task Force (SCTF) worked through its mandate and explored various challenges, opportunities and considerations, its members felt that it would be important to present Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) with these considerations to ensure that any decisions be taken in light of detailed information. Key considerations include: the fact that the type of commodity and the handling and storage of commodities prior to and during packing could influence and result in the contamination of containers; that there was no way to track all stakeholders involved and therefore full accountability or custodianship was missing; that contracting parties may lack the capacity to carry out inspections, given the large volume of container movements involved; and that the costs associated with container inspections would be very high. SCTF considered possible ways forward to address the issue of pest contamination of sea containers and the advantages and disadvantages of each (section 6.2). Possible courses of action include: voluntary measures developed and implemented by industry sectors; developing an IPPC Recommendation; developing an IPPC recommendation and an International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM), with the revision of the Recommendation being a first and transitional step towards adoption of ISPM; and developing a new ISPM without updating the existing recommendation. SCTF did not recommend any one course of action over the others.

Cite this content as:

IPPC Secretariat. 2022. Final report of the Sea Containers Task Force. Rome, FAO on behalf of the International Plant Protection Convention. 

https://doi.org/10.4060/cb9533en

Read on Google Books and buy online

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Sea Container Surveys
    Guidelines for National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPOs)
    2020
    Also available in:
    The IPPC Guidelines on Sea Container Surveys provide guidance to national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) on how to inspect and record contamination details in a consistent and harmonized manner when undertaking the sea container cleanliness surveys.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Reducing the spread of invasive pests by sea containers 2020
    Also available in:
    The IPPC leaflet has been developed on the basis of the IPPC guidance entitled 'Sea containers supply chains and cleanliness: an IPPC best practices guidance in measures to minimize pest contamination'. The publication showcases how keeping containers and cargos clean can reduce the spread of invasive plant pests and diseases by illustrating all the recommended actions to be taken at key interchange points to protect plant health.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    IPPC Guidance on Sea Container Cleanliness 2018
    Also available in:
    Sea containers are a significant pathway for the potential entry of pests, as they move large volumes of internationally traded goods and personal effects. Entry and spread of pests to new areas via sea containers could result in important control and eradication costs, losses in yields and access to export markets, and threaten food security, agriculture, as well as the environment. The industry and the IPPC have undertaken several milestone activities to develop and promote guidelines for countries to manage pest risks via this pathway. This publication is intended to raise awareness of the issue by national plant protection organizations, border protection agencies, shippers, global shipping companies. It promotes the cleaning and inspection of sea containers and encourages everyone involved in moving containers to ensure that containers and their cargo are free from plant pests.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.