P&O Ferries is one of the largest ferry operators in Europe, carrying over 1.85 million freight units a year on 550 sailings a week on 9 separate routes between the UK and Belgium, France, Holland and Ireland.
The freight units include driver-accompanied vehicles, unaccompanied trailers, containers, bulk liquid and powder containers and temperature controlled units. The fleet includes 10 dedicated freight ships allowing the regular transport of drop units, lift units and abnormal loads. Freight-only sailings also offer more capacity for dangerous goods traffic and a wider range of transported DG products than passenger sailings.
P&O Ferries has grown over 40 years to its current operations level and for half that time has used Hazcheck systems in its computerised cargo acceptance and management. In fact, P&O was the first to introduce computerised IMDG Code checking at the busy check-in desks at Dover.
P&O Ferries uses Hazcheck Online for DG pre-acceptance screening, “At P&O Ferries we are committed to providing a safe, reliable and high-quality service, and our continuous search for improvement will help ensure we remain a leading freight operator. Hazcheck systems support this service to dangerous goods shippers in the tight schedules that our customers’ business demands and to the safety standards built into all our operations.”
In 2018, the Calais, France terminal operation of P&O purchased an additional Hazcheck Online licence. Jean-Philippe Delacourt, freight manager at the terminal said, “We are pleased to be using Hazcheck Online in Calais. We hope to be able to offer the same level of service to our customers as the Dover operation and ensure consistency between the terminals.”
Hazcheck Online is a subscription-based internet facility for shippers, forwarders and agents worldwide. It displays key information, validates a mixed load for IMDG Code segregation compliance, and displays relevant packaging options. A Dangerous Goods Note can be produced in PDF format.