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February 2026
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Dear Members and Friends...
February often brings a renewed sense of focus across our industry. The year is properly underway, priorities are sharpening, and there is a noticeable momentum around how we continue to improve safety, consistency and performance in cargo handling worldwide.
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That momentum is clearly reflected in this month’s edition of ICHCA Insights. From the record number of entries for the TT Club Innovation in Safety Awards to the practical safety leadership highlighted in our members’ own initiatives, it is encouraging to see innovation being applied to real-world challenges; from people–equipment interfaces and manual handling risks, to emerging issues such as lithium-ion batteries, digital security and data-driven safety improvements.
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As a recognised NGO at the IMO, ICHCA continues to ensure that the operational realities of cargo handling are represented where international standards are shaped. The upcoming Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment is another important opportunity for members to observe, engage and help influence discussions that ultimately affect safety on the ground and on board across the global supply chain.
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What ties all of this together is a shared commitment to learning, collaboration and continuous improvement. Whether through awards, guidance, advocacy or day-to-day operational leadership, raising standards is not a one-off achievement but an ongoing effort; one that depends on active participation from across our membership.
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I hope you find this edition informative and thought-provoking, and as always, I encourage you to share your experiences, ideas and successes so that we can continue learning from one another
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Let’s keep raising standards, together.
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IN THIS ISSUE...
- TT Club Innovation in Safety Awards Ceremony, 25 February 2026
- ICHCA Member G2 Ocean, latest Safety Bulletin - New year, new beginning
- Current Awareness Bulletin – for IMO themes and news – December 2025
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1. TT Club Innovation in Safety Awards Ceremony, 25 February 2026
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Join us at the TT Club Innovation in Safety Awards!
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14:00 to 19:30 on 25 February 2026
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Awards season has arrived! It’s nearly time to crown the winners of the TT Club Innovation in Safety Awards. As well as celebrating our winners we have a jam-packed afternoon of keynotes and panels, with expert speakers from across the industry.
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Megan Blundell - Shoreham Port
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Ana Raposo, Business Applications and Partnerships Officer, and Nil Angli, Space Solutions Maritime Lead – European Space Agency
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This year we received a record 32 entries, showing that innovation truly never stops. The pursuit of safer operations is an ongoing effort for the entire cargo handling industry and we're excited to be able to shine a light on those getting it right.
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The Awards are kindly hosted by TOC events, whose offices, with far-reaching views of London’s skyline, make for the perfect backdrop to celebrate this year’s trailblazers and their game-changing contributions to safety.
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Impressive spectrum of challenges…
Across this year’s Innovation in Safety Award entries, a clear picture has emerged of an industry tackling complex and evolving risks head‑on. Entrants confronted manual tasks such as twistlock handling, pulp‑bale wire cutting, dunnage placement, and working at height. They addressed critical risks of worker exposure to moving equipment, suspended loads and blind‑spot conflicts between people and machines.
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Others sought to improve consistency of safety standards, whether in PPE selection, cargo‑restriction rules, or fragmented safety cultures across multi‑operator ports. Several submissions addressed the risks posed by lithium‑ion batteries, EV fires, and high‑risk energy storage systems, while others tackled detection technologies, operator training effectiveness and the need for behaviour changing safety training. Digital opportunities also featured strongly, including approaches to improving permit to work reliability and application as well as tackling insecure driver authentication and vulnerability to cyber-attack. Bollard integrity, containers lost at sea, and container security were tackled with fresh critical thinking.
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Together, these challenges span many modern cargo‑handling risks and opportunities, demonstrating how deeply the industry is continuously re-examining the ways people, equipment, and systems interact and how urgently innovation is being leveraged to protect them.
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Four awards…
There are too many great entries this year to restrict to one winner and the ceremony will see four awards. Learning & Engaging to acknowledge brilliant work with people to enhance culture, values, knowledge, skills and understanding; transforming how we think about cargo training and safety. Making Operations Safer for groundbreaking ways of making cargo handling physically safer for those at the sharp end of the industry. Safety of people/equipment interface managing the risk from moving/falling objects, cargo and handling equipment. This area is safety critical and we are delighted that innovators continue to push the envelope. Turning Data into Insight, is all about uncovering the power of data and digital solutions; it can be leading edge technology but for us it is also about the use case and how effective it is at raising safety standards.
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We look forward to seeing friends and colleagues on the day!
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2. ICHCA Member G2 Ocean, latest Safety Bulletin - New year, new beginning
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We start the year by recommitting to a very simple safety rule, to stop standing and walking on hatch coamings and stop others who do it. It is up to all of us, who work in the maritime industry to be safety champions.
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For the full article click on 'Read More':
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3. The work of the IMO and the latest Current Awareness Bulletin
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ICHCA is proud to be a recognised Non-Governmental Organisation at the International Maritime Organisation. It means that the cargo handling industry has a voice when amendments to international regulations and codes of practice are being made.
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The next meeting for maritime safety concerns is the Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE) which starts on 9 March 2026. ICHCA members can attend in person or virtually, to observe the processes and contribute to our work at IMO on industry’s behalf. For more information, contact secretariat@ichca.com.
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If you want to know what has been happening recently at IMO, one of the helpful options is the Current Awareness Bulletin. The December 2025 issue is now available on our web site along with back issues.
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To access the latest CAB click "Read More":
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Do you have a story to tell?
If you have any news you would like to be considered for inclusion in future editions of ICHCA Insights, please contact Amanda at secretariat@ichca.com.
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Do not forget to add us to your mailing list. We hope you find this edition of interest!
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If you would like to know more news from the world of ICHCA and our industry partners, please click here https://ichca.com/news
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If you prefer not to receive further copies of or newsletters, please use the Unsubscribe link below. We request that you do not report the email as Spam, but if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Amanda at secretariat@ichca.com
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© ICHCA International 2026
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