Safe Transport of Containers by Sea

Published: December 2008

The Guidelines have been produced to minimise the dangers to containerships, their crews, and all personnel involved with containers throughout the transport chain, and were developed by an expert industry working group, meeting in London and Washington DC during 2008. The Guidelines have now been presented to governments at IMO where they have been well received. Encouragingly, the  guidelines have also attracted a positive response from shippers’ organisations who, under the umbrella of the Global Shippers Forum (GSF), have lent their support to this brochure. The primary responsibility for the safe transport of containers by sea rests with containership operators.

However, there are many other parties in the transport chain concerned with the safe movement of containers. There are those employed by shipping lines involved with the booking and assignment of cargoes, and the subsequent arrangements for stowage planning; and there are the freight forwarders, ports and terminal operators and - particularly important - the shippers, from whom the cargo originates. All of these players have important responsibilities which are addressed by the Industry Guidelines.

Particular emphasis is given by the Guidelines to the responsibilities of those involved with the correct packing, labelling and weighing of cargoes when they are stuffed into containers, and the accurate declaration of goods by cargo interests.

Safe Transport of Containers by Sea Comprehensive information on the safe stuffing and transport of containers can be found in the joint International Chamber of Shipping and World Shipping Council publication ‘Safe Transport of Containers by Sea: Guidelines on Best Practices'.

All of these activities have a direct bearing on the safety of ships and the reduction of the risks to the lives of ships’ crews and other personnel in the transport chain. The following advice is an extract from the main guidance on shippers’ responsibilities addressed in the ‘Safe Transport of Containers by Sea’ guidelines.