Argentina’s phytosanitary control authority (or SENASA) has recently published new guidelines for maintaining a high standard of cleanliness on board vessels involved in transporting grain and grain byproducts. These guidelines are published with business integrity in mind and requires businesses to pass regular inspections before operating in this field.

Privately-Led Inspections

SENASA has implemented a new e-governance system that allows a private surveyor to conduct an inspection and issue a certificate of aptitude. This is done before any cargo loading is completed, and ensures that vessels transporting grain products are maintaining clean holds for storing these products during transit. This provides a uniform set of standards and guards against toxins and other harmful elements from being introduced into the food system.

Before conducting inspections, all private surveyors must be approved by SENASA. Surveyors must conduct all inspections in compliance with SENASA’s guidelines. SENASA regularly conducts technical audits to ensure that all inspectors remain in compliance with their standards, and may be disbarred if their methods are found to be unsatisfactory.

Possible Reasons for Rejection

To pass inspection, SENASA names specific standards that must be met. If any of these standards are not upheld, the surveyor will reject the holding area. If a hold is rejected, the vessel will not be permitted to transport grain or grain byproducts. Possible causes for a failed inspection are as follows:

• Rust in storage area
• High levels of humidity
• Evidence of rodents or insects
• Foul Odors
• Defective seals and lids
• Excessive fresh paint
• Filtering of hydraulic fluids

If any of the above are present in the grain stowage or holding area, the inspection will be marked as a fail, and the vessel will have to make improvements before being allowed to ship grain or grain byproducts.

What This Means For Apex Shipping

Here at Apex Shipping, we take great care in maintaining a level of cleanliness that goes above and beyond the expectations set by SENASA and other organizations. Our stowage areas are kept in pristine condition, and regularly inspected and sanitized by our own employees. We have adopted strict cleanliness policies as another avenue for maintaining a high level of business integrity.

We believe that maintaining high cleanliness standards is crucial in successful business operation. There is no excuse for having unsanitary conditions anywhere in a workspace, much less a grain stowage area. We take the guidelines set by SENASA and apply them all across the board, so even our most insignificant stowage area is kept in pristine condition. When you choose Apex Shipping Services, you can be confident that your goods are being housed in an area that is clean, well-organized, and protected.