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Measures against rats , mice & vermins- a brief safety guide for general cargo ship
Rats and mice
A rat consumes approximately its own weight in food per week, but the potential for loss does not end
there. Edible goods which have been attacked by rodents usually have to be condemned as unfit for the
purpose for which they were intended. Additionally, the cost of re-bagging, replacing torn bags with new,
the loss of contents and damage to textile or leather goods, all caused by rats in their search for nest-making
materials, may well result in large claims. The risk of fire, which their propensity for carrying oily rags into
remote and ill-ventilated areas engenders, is considerable.
Rats carry diseases dangerous to humans either through their droppings or through a flea carried by the
rat and most governments enforce strict regulations on vessels visiting their ports to ensure that any rats on
board do not succeed in getting ashore. However, the ship is concerned with controlling the environment
on board and the first line of defence is stopping them getting on board. Whether rat guards were originally
intended to stop rats getting on board a ship or to stop them getting ashore from the ship, ships are now
certainly seen by shore authorities as harbouring potential invaders.
Consequently, ships are likely to be
fined for having improperly fitted rat guards because they "won't stop the rats getting ashore". However,
whatever the reason, it is still important for the ship to have well-fitted rat guards. Without doubt, the most
effective guards are circular, constructed of metal with a closing sector thus allowing the full circumference
of the rope to be encircled.
Other precautions that may help prevent rats boarding a vessel are to keep the gangway well lit and
lifted from the quayside if possible. Removing overside cargo nets at night may also help to deter rats from
boarding. Refuse containers on deck should be kept securely covered.
However, should rats get on board, trapping and/or killing become necessary. This can be carried out
using traps to capture them live or dead, laying poisons or, as a last resort, fumigation. The use of traps is
preferable in that bodies can be collected and disposed of whereas rats killed by poison or fumigation may
die in inaccessible areas and cause other problems as the body decomposes.
Chronic poison baits can be placed by ship's personnel ensuring that the manufacturer's instructions are
followed and being careful when handling them. The poison is usually a cereal-based anti-coagulant which
acts slowly as the rat eats the bait.
Rats die due to haemorrhages from small blood vessels which have been
damaged in everyday life. Baits should be placed in rat runways and be protected from accidental consumption
by humans or other animals and from contact with human and animal food. A record should be kept of where
baits are placed and they should be searched for and removed from cargo spaces prior to loading of bulk food
and livestock cargoes. Cereal baits should be replaced within 30 days to avoid insect infestation.
Acute poisons in baits or liquids must only be used in port and by qualified personnel. Such poisons may
be put out at the end of a day as a liquid in pots which are left out overnight and collected in the morning
with the treatment being continued for several days. The poison acts within a few minutes. Baits must be
collected and disposed of when treatment is complete.
The International Health Regulations (2005) introduced new certification procedures for ships from June
2007 with Deratting and Deratting Exemption Certificates being replaced by Ship Sanitation Exemption
Control and Ship Sanitation Control Certificates ("Ship Sanitation Certificates" or "SSC").
The SSC is used
to identify and record any areas of ship-borne public health risks and has a validity of six months and may
be renewed at any port authorised to issue such a renewal. It should be noted that the criteria for the issue of
SSCs are somewhat more stringent than those previously required for Deratting Certificates.
A Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificate is issued when no evidence of a public health risk is found
on board and the authority is satisfied that the ship is free of infection and contamination. Such a certificate
can normally be issued only when the ship and holds are empty so that a thorough inspection can take place.
A Ship Sanitation Control Certificate is issued when evidence of a public health risk is detected on board
and after control measures have been satisfactorily completed. The SSC must record the evidence found
and the control measures taken.
An extension of one month to an Exemption Certificate may be granted if it is not possible to carry out an
inspection or any required control measures in a port (e.g. due to the presence of cargo), thus allowing the
ship to arrive at a port where a full inspection and/or any control measures can be carried out.
Smaller vermin
Various commodities may introduce vermin to the ship, the presence or ravages of which may prove costly.
Bales of rags, unless thoroughly fumigated, often harbour lice and other insects which, in turn, may be
carriers of disease. Such cargo should not be accepted on board unless accompanied by a verifiable sanitary
certificate which, in most cases, should be endorsed by the consul of the country of destination.
Certain tropical woods, particularly those used for dunnage, are apt to harbour ants, beetles and other
insects which may be destructive to particular kinds of goods, wooden fittings, etc.
Other woods, mostly the hollow bamboo variety and old cord wood, are likely to host different species
of cockroaches.
Timber dunnage from temperate regions may harbour eggs or larvae, so that many countries have
developed strict safeguards and regulations to prevent the import of these insects. The Sirex Woodwasp, for
example, is capable of decimating whole sections of fir forest and is most likely to be found in solid wood
packing materials. It is native to Europe, Asia and North Africa but has been introduced inadvertently to
many other countries.
The United States and Canada are particularly alert to identifying possible sources of
infestation arriving by sea. Similarly, Asian Gypsy Moth is a subject of special interest to North American
authorities and great efforts are made to identify ships arriving from high-risk areas (Far East Russia, Japan,
South Korea and China) having loaded during designated periods when the Moth is active.
Ships arriving
with infestation are likely to be denied entry to North American ports and it is sensible to obtain certification
that the ship is Asian Gypsy Moth free prior to departure from the loading port.
Maggots, breeding in imperfectly cleaned animal products (e.g. hoofs, horns, bones, skins, etc.), will
give rise to claims if infestation spreads to manufactured goods.
Some cereals and their flours, pulses, seeds, copra (kiln and sun dried), rice bran, meal and dust may be
found to be insect infestedcereals and flour by weevils, copra by copra bugs, etc.
Dried blood shipped from Argentina, Australasia, etc., is prone to infestation by small beetles.
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