Rejection of a hydrochloric acid delivery

Background 

Following the refusal of the merchandise, the different stakeholders in the transport chain (consignor and tank cleaner to the haulier) met to find the origin of the claim. 

Stelliant was called in under these urgent circumstances. A swift reaction time was crucial in limiting the downtime of the transport vehicle. As for the allegedly non-compliant merchandise, it was important to find a way to salvage it and reduce the losses incurred.

How Stelliant proceeded

Upon the arrival on site, Stelliant’s specialist loss adjusters carried out detailed inspections on the state of the transport rig’s physical state and the documents available. The driver’s licence and the inspection certificates of the tanker were examined, as well as all documents falling under the remit of the Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road. The recipient of the hydrochloric acid was then questioned to find out the reasons for the rejection. The recipient had carried out a sampling, the colour of which was not in compliance. 

The loss adjuster then took samples of the merchandise in the tanker through the upper manholes and the bottom valve. 

Stelliant’s loss adjuster could see that the colour was not in compliance and sent the samples to a specialist laboratory for analysis. 

At this stage, the main issue was to determine where in the transport chain the non-conformity originated. There were several possibilities including the cleaning, loading and transit stages. After a thorough analysis, the loss adjusters concluded that responsibility lay with the cleaner of the tanker.  

Afterwards, the contaminated hydrochloric acid was sold, avoiding the cost of its destruction which would have been four times the product’s price. The operation also allowed the transport rig to be usable again and thus limit the associated costs with its downtime. 

The Stelliant Group possesses specialist loss adjusters who are well-versed in the complex transportation of dangerous materials. We can also use this expertise to investigate all connected businesses: cleaning, packing, storing, lifting, etc. 

We are more than just transport loss adjusters, we are a team of specialists who are focused on bringing to a conclusion all facets of an insurance claim, from contractual examination to the analysis of operational losses.