RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CARGO RAIL TRANSPORTATION IN AFRICA

RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CARGO RAIL TRANSPORTATION IN AFRICA

Eighty percent of the world’s goods are transported by sea, and marine surveyors are qualified to appraise ships and containers. However, surveyors must also be capable of estimating losses, identifying their origins, and providing advice on prevention for goods transported by rail, air, and trucks. The marine surveyor is, de facto, a qualified expert in transportation.

Over the past eight years, DPS AFRICA has undertaken numerous missions related to damage or shortages following rail transport. The most common problems are derailments and thefts during rail transit. Sometimes, sensitive goods such as cereals or expensive commodities such as copper and its concentrates are transported under conditions that do not ensure their safety. Additionally, basic documentation procedures are often neglected.

Moreover, after derailments, the procedures for recovering cargo and mitigating losses can be time-consuming and cumbersome. DPS assists in all these steps:

– Recovering sound goods,
– Rescuing contaminated goods,
– Ensuring the best possible rescue measures are implemented at the accident site,
– Verifying that all security measures are in place during rescue operations,
– Determining whether the cargo still holds commercial value,
– Monitoring the weights of the goods during each recovery step to prevent loss,
– Evaluating all additional logistics costs fairly and reasonably, according to local market prices,
– Understanding the principles of dry or wet goods by accurately assessing losses (different moisture content at different stages),
– Commenting on variances between sets of scales/weighbridges,
– Assisting in finding salvage buyers,
– Determining the cause of derailments.

We have included some photos of our two most recent train derailments in South Africa and Mozambique for reference.

For inquiries regarding any of our services, please contact us via email: caroline.paul@dpsurveys.com