DA-Desk Collaborates with the CDI to Increase Maritime Industry Transparency

DA-Desk FZ-LLC, the largest independent provider of port cost management services, and the Chemical Distribution Institute (CDI), a non-profit chemical industry organization pushing to improve the safety and performance of transportation and storage for the chemical industry, today announced their partnership via the signing of an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share relevant data relating to CDI's "International Marine Packed Cargo Audit Scheme"(IMPCAS).

IMPCAS is designed to provide risk assessment reports to improve safety, security, compliance, and the quality of operations to reduce incidents and accidents within the global marine packed cargo supply chain. Recognizing the importance of a quality shipping agent in the safe and successful completion of a vessel's voyage, CDI now actively delivers IMPCAS to the global shipping agents.

Upon completion of the comprehensive audit, shipping agents receive a formal audit report which CDI makes available via its database www.cdi.org.uk to its participating chemical companies and registered ship operators, in strict compliance with CDI's operating procedures, (meeting the current ISO 9001:2015 Standard and International Responsible Care Principles).

IMPCAS Ship Agent Audits seeks the highest standards of ethical behavior from shipping agents with the aim of providing a comprehensive safety, quality and environment protection assessment of shipping agents. The CDI audit includes an on-site visit, carried out by one of the 200 CDI trained and accredited auditors based in the major container handling ports of the world.

DA-Desk maintains a real-time updated and continuously sanctions-checked directory of 10,000 global agency profiles, providing global shipping companies updated information of agency accreditations and relevant administrative qualifications. The agency profiles contained within the DA-Desk System are stress-tested about 500 times daily in terms of port call appointments by over 260 vessel-operating customers, some of whom are members of CDI and whose combined fleet accounts for approximately 25% of the total chemical tanker market.

Through this collaboration, CDI and DA-Desk will serve to provide shipping companies with an additional layer of decision support.

DA-Desk Managing Director Hans-Christian Mordhorst explains: "DA-Desk and CDI both aim to support the level of transparency within the maritime industry. By collaborating with CDI, DA-Desk can provide its customers with enhanced decision support when making an agency appointment. Shipping companies will be able to see that a chosen agent operates in alignment with industry best practices, as defined by CDI. We are very excited about working with CDI, whose mission is to provide reliable data that chemical companies can use with confidence."

CDI General Manager, Captain Howard Snaith added: "This is a great opportunity for the Shipping Agent to demonstrate their qualities to their customers; I am very confident that the collaboration between DA-Desk and CDI will greatly enhance the recognition of and the benefits from, "Responsible Care®" within the Global packed cargo Marine Supply Chain and hence improve the quality and safety performance of marine transportation within this sector of the industry."

The DA-Desk System provides customers with extensive information regarding shipping agents. Incorporating the CDI data into the DA-Desk System, allows DA-Desk customers to know if a shipping agent has an active IMPCAS Audit Report. If the shipping agent has an active report within the CDI database, a link within the DA-Desk system will re-direct customers to the CDI website, where they will have the option to purchase the IMPCAS Audit Report. The customer can subsequently assess the shipping agent based upon their individual review of the IMPCAS Audit Report.