A recent Company of Master Mariners of India (CMMI) conference discussed various measures of handling dangerous goods during transportation. The conferencewas held at the offices of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), Powai, with the focus on the carriage and storage of hazardous material.

The conference was hosted by Capt Tescelin Almeida, Programme Head and Assistant General Manager, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Ltd. Capt. Philip Mathews, Master / Chairman, CMMI, greeted all participants, guests and senior officials, saying, "It is a concern for the ship-owner and marine lifeif dangerous goods are not handled under proper guidelines."

Capt. K.P Jayakumar, Deputy Nautical Advisor to the Government of India, was the first speaker; he made a presentation on the regulatory framework connected with dangerous maritime cargo.

Capt. J.S Gill, FCMM, FISE, FInst. R.T. FCILT, Ex. Vice Chairman CILT and Member of CMMI, was the Chief Guest at the conference; he had come all the way from Delhi despite the heavy rains. His presence underscored his interest,dedication and passion for the subject.

Capt Devbrat Mishra, CEO, Esquire Infolab Systems, reviewed the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG)code and the current pitfalls of IMDG export. He defined risk management (safety, training, inter model transport). "In the next ten years robotics might handle dangerous containers," he said. "Lower human exposure, consolidation of data andrisk evaluation brings to the forefront automation as apossible solution".

Capt. Tony Fernandes- Learning Facilitator and Risk Management Consultant-enthusiasticallyexplained risk exposure duringthe carriage of dangerous goods at sea with examples and charts. He discussed details on risk management strategiesand difficulties faced by ship-owners.

A technical session saw the audience directly interacting with the speakers. Capt. Harish Khatri, Dy. Nautical Advisor to Government of IndiaadvisedCMMI to prepare a summary for the difficulties faced by the industry andsendthat to the authorities.

Capt. L.K Panda, Nautical Advisor, Government of India reviewed various rules concerning the carriage of dangerous goods.

Capt Kaustubh Pradhan, Secretary General, CMMI, proposed a vote of thanks to Capt. Panda, all the speakers, the audienceand also to the man behind the conference