Hazmat Containers

Client Profile

Our client in this case study has been a KCH customer for 10 years and is a leading global specialty chemicals company with numerous manufacturing sites and research and development centers across multiple continents. The company offers solutions for consumer microbial control (crop protection; food, beverage, and water; home and personal care; hygiene; and wood protection), industrial microbial control (materials protection; paints and coatings), and specialty product solutions.

Client Need

In June 2022, a shipper incorrectly loaded a hazmat container holding 80 drums of our client’s class 6.1 Arsenic, causing the substance to leak. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) confiscated the container at the Port of Savannah, Georgia, and would not release it until the container was reworked. The container remained in demurrage for two months, with several thousand dollars in daily demurrage costs.

Approach/Solution

KCH was notified of the incident on June 9. We needed to find a shipper-approved warehouse and on-site team at the Port of Savannah to rework the highly hazardous container. Within just five days, KCH had sourced a primary team who could do the job, in addition to a secondary hazmat team for support. 

Result

KCH Transportation worked hand in hand with the Georgia Port Authority and the USCG to bring the teams in over the weekend while the port was closed. KCH handled the situation over three weeks, from clean-up to delivery.

Outcomes included:

• The hazardous material was reworked to standards and the USCG released the container.
• KCH saved the customer thousands of additional dollars in demurrage and dwell fees
• KCH got the material, which was key to receiver production, delivered properly.