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Inspection and certification of cargo Containers

The various types of containers for dry, refrigerated and liquid cargoes have to comply with international requirements for road, rail and sea transportation. In this blog we discuss the most common regulations applicable, and explain how containers are inspected.

ISO standards -
ISO(International Standards Organization.) standards applicable to new containers involve technical recommendations concerning dimensions and tolerances, dealing specifically with the interchangeability of containers on a global scale.

These standards are not mandatory, but are almost universally complied with. The ISO standard 1496 deals with freight containers in general but also covers the different types of containers, such as dry-freight containers, thermal containers and tank containers.

International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC), 1972
(Entered into force on 6 September, 1977. As of 1 June 1998 it had 64 contracting States, representing 62.16 per cent of world tonnage.)
Due to the rapid increase in the use of freight containers and the development of specialized container ships, in 1967 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) started a study of the safety of containerization in sea transport.

In December 1972 the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC) was signed in Geneva. The aim of the convention was to ensure a high standard of safety for workers during handling and transportation of containers, and also to facilitate international trade by providing uniform international safety regulations.

The CSC made the approval of new containers mandatory and was a welcome means of regulating the construction and safety of containers.

The convention set out procedures for the safety approval of new containers, to be enforced by the States party or organisations authorized by them. The evidence of approval, a Safety Approval Plate, was to be recognised by all when granted by a State party, a system which would allow the containers to move with a minimum of safety control formalities.

It is of interest to note that the CSC was not introduced for the safety of the cargo carried in containers, but for the safety of the persons working around them.

The role of the Classification Societies - The Classification Societies were already engaged in container certification when the CSC was introduced. Most contracting governments chose to authorize these Societies to approve the design, inspection and testing of new containers.( A pioneer some thirty years ago, Bureau Veritas is still a world leader in certification.

of containers, with a market share of 60 per cent of all types of new container approvals, and a similar share for re-certification of tank containers. The rest is largely divided between Lloyd’s Register and American Bureau of Shipping. Both Bureau Veritas and Lloyd’s Register play an important role in the inspection of tank containers. Other Class Societies may have been delegated authority by the various governments, but have only minor world market shares.)

CSC Safety Approval Plate - The CSC Safety Approval Plate is a permanent, non-corrosive, fireproof plate, required to measure no less than 200mm x 100mm. It contains information about the country of approval, approval reference, date of manufacture, manufacturer’s container identification number, maximum operating gross weight, allowable stacking weight for 1.8g(g=9.8 metres/square second, acceleration due to gravity), transverse racking test load value, and may also indicate the end and side walls strength if required. The plate also has room for the month and year of the first examination of new containers and for subsequent examination dates.

The CSC requires the container to have an approval reference on the Safety Approval Plate. For instance, the approval reference “GBLR 8653 975”, means that the container is certified by Lloyd’s Register under authority of Great Britain, 8653 is the approval number and 975 is the date of the approval, i.e., September 1975.

The reference “F/BV/6028/97” means that the approval (number 6028) was provided by Bureau Veritas under authority of the French government in 1997.

Certification of new containers - Certification, carried out by the Class Societies to satisfy requirements of the CSC, will normally include:
– Factory approval (approval of production facilities for mass production to needed quality)
– Design type approval (review of drawings and specifications and testing of prototype)
– Survey of production units (verification of compliance with approved type during production)
– On line and final inspection (random verification of workmanship, production tests, and final inspection of each individual unit or of units selected at random)

Class Societies will usually place a sticker with their logo on the container door, confirming that they carried out the initial certification of the container at the factory.

The sticker is only a marketing element; it has no function in the approval or maintenance of the container. The all important proof of compliance with the CSC is the Safety Approval Plate.

Comments

John Samarvira on Mar 13, 2013

High voltage installations on board ships: safe procedures

What is classed as high voltage?
In marine practice, voltages below 1,000Vac (1kV) are considered low voltage, and high voltage is any voltage above 1kV. Typical marine high voltage system voltages are 3.3kV, 6.6kV and 11kV.

High voltage equipment -

A typical high voltage installation will incorporate only high voltage rated equipment on the following:

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Francisco Benito on Mar 11, 2013

Ice Navigation-Hazards and precautions

On the cold but clear night of April 14th 1912 on board the brand new steamer Titanic, the crow’s nest bell suddenly rings three times, followed by the ringing of the nest telephone on the bridge. The telephone is answered by the Sixth Officer, who hears the Lookout’s urgent warning, “Iceberg, right ahead!”

About ninety minutes later the ship had sunk and the tragedy started to dawn as 1,500 people drowned or froze to their deaths. What was believed to have been built by mankind to resist even the damage of striking an iceberg had now perished. Ice had proved tougher than expected.

The above incident is, of course, one of a kind in many aspects, but it shows that the forces of nature, in this case ice, never can nor should be underestimated.

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Anatoly Orel on Mar 04, 2013

Harbour towage and pilotage: Standard practices

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Anatoly Orel on Mar 02, 2013

Towage Pilotage Harbour

"Whale alert" app for mariners

Mariners can now download a new iPad/iPhone app that warns of proximity to areas of high risk of collision with critically endangered North Atlantic right whales along the east coast of the U.S. The free “Whale Alert” app provides a single source for information about right whale management measures and the latest data about right whale detections, all overlaid on NOAA digital charts.

A key feature is a display linking near real-time acoustic buoys that listen for right whale calls to an iPad or iPhone on a ship’s bridge showing the whale’s presence to captains transiting the shipping lanes in and around Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

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Anand Sailor on Feb 25, 2013

whale alert app whale NOAA

New US EPA Vessel General Permit

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the new Vessel General Permit (VGP) on November 30, 2011. This is a draft of the permit which will go into effect on December 19, 2013. This draft has been released for public comment, so don’t miss the opportunity to provide your input.

I must commend the EPA for providing some constructive clarifications and procedures in this updated version of the permit. Here are some highlights:

* This permit does not apply to any vessel when it is operating in a capacity other than as a means of transportation.

Comments

Anand Sailor on Feb 25, 2013

VGP Vessel general permit ISM

When a ship arrives in a port

Historically, a vessel arrives in port when, on voyage-charter, she arrives at the customary anchorage. The Master then tenders Notice of Readiness (NOR).

This basically tells the charterer and, anyone else who is interested, that the vessel is ready, in all respects, to load or discharge her cargo. Effectively it is the end of the sea voyage and this is when the port stay starts. This is important as the charter party will stipulate who is responsible for charges, payment and services (lay time and demurrage).

Nowadays, the customary anchorage can be widely interpreted and provides a good topic for the lawyers! For example: a loaded super tanker may end her sea voyage miles from the customary anchorage and the pilot will board by helicopter. Similarly, if there is a berth ready, the vessel may proceed directly to the berth and not go to the anchorage. We will find that even in this day of instant communication, a lot of the laws date back to the old days where communications were not always efficient.

Comments

Anand Sailor on Feb 25, 2013

ship documents port arrival

Have hired guns finally scuppered Somali pirates?

After more than half a decade of Somali men attacking Indian Ocean shipping from small speedboats with AK-47s, grappling hooks and ladders, the number of attacks is falling fast.

The last merchant ship to be successfully hijacked, naval officers monitoring piracy say, was at least nine months ago. It's a far cry from the height of the piracy epidemic two years ago, when several ships might be taken in a single week to be traded for airdropped multi-million dollar ransoms.

But as the Queen Mary 2, one of the world's most recognisable ocean liners, passes through the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and out towards Dubai, its owners and crew are taking few chances.

"The pirates have weapons and are not afraid to use them," Lieutenant Commander Ollie Hutchinson, the British Royal Navy liaison officer aboard the liner for its trip through the Indian Ocean, tells a briefing of passengers in the ship's theatre. "Once the pirates have identified their target, they will try whatever means they can to get on board."

To underline his point, he displays a picture of an Italian helicopter hit by small arms fire from a pirate dhow late last year followed by assorted images of gunmen holding AK-47 assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.

In truth, the Queen Mary 2 - carrying 2,500 passengers and 1,300 crew from Southampton to Dubai on the first leg of a world cruise - is not particularly at risk.

Some 345 metres long and 14 stories high, even its promenade deck is seven floors above the sea. The liner is fast, hard to board and - on this passage at least - moderately well armed.

Like many merchant vessels, the QM2 now carries armed private contractors when passing through areas of pirate risk.

Cunard will not discuss precise security arrangements. But contractors on other vessels routinely carry M-16-type assault rifles and sometimes belt-fed machine guns, often picked up from ships acting as floating offshore armouries near Djibouti and Sri Lanka.

Additional lookouts from the ship's regular onboard security force - mostly Filipinos - are also posted on the main deck to give warning of any suspicious craft.

"Depending on what happens with attacks, I'm hopeful we may be able to reduce our security measures when we pass through the same waters next year," says Commodore Christopher Rynd, senior captain of the British-based Cunard line and current master of the QM2. "But that's not a decision we will be making at this stage."

A CHANGING GAME?

When ships do come under attack, the first phone to ring is usually in a nondescript white bungalow in the gardens of the British Embassy in Dubai.

The UK Marine Transport Operation (UKMTO) was set up shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks to provide security advice to British shipping in the area. As pirate attacks soared in the second half of the last decade, it found itself coordinating international shipping across much of the Indian Ocean.

Most vessels passing through the area - container ships, tankers, cruise liners and dhows - now register daily with UKMTO. If they believe they are in danger, they will contact the British team to request military support.

"We've had calls when you could hear gunfire and rocket propelled grenades in the background," says Lieutenant Commander Simon Goodes, the current officer in charge. "But lately, the phones are ringing much less."

The only confirmed attack this year, Goodes said, was on a merchant vessel in early January as it sailed towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa. On-board private security guards repelled the assault after a 30 minute firefight.

According to the European Union anti-piracy task force EU NAVFOR, 2012 saw only 36 confirmed attacks and a further 73 "suspicious events" - incidents in which a crew report a suspicious craft that might be pirate but could also be simply an innocent fishing boat.

That itself was a substantial fall from 2011, with 176 attacks and 166 "suspicious events".

Only five ships were captured in 2012, down from 25 in 2011 and 27 in 2010.

"This is an important year," says Lieutenant Commander Jacqueline Sheriff, spokeswoman for EU NAVFOR. "We will find out whether this fall in piracy is really sustainable."

Sea-borne attacks off West Africa, however, appear to be on the rise in what some analysts believe is a sign that Nigerian and other criminal gangs may be tempted by the Somali pirate model.

PIRATE BUSINESS MODEL FAILING?

Exactly what is behind the fall in Somali piracy is a matter of debate.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the navies patrolling the Indian Ocean say the numbers show they are finally having an impact. Since piracy first grabbed global attention in 2008, a number of nations have sent ships to the region.

Sailing through the Internationally Registered Transit Corridor, a protected route between Somalia and Yemen, the QM2 passed warships from the United States, France, India and Australia.

As well as the EU force, there are separate flotillas from NATO and U.S.-led coalition forces that often include Asian vessels. Several other nations including China and Russia also keep ships there, running convoys through the "high-risk zone".

In May last year, EU NAVFOR launched its first onshore raid, targeting a suspected pirate group on the beach as it prepared to head to sea with helicopter and small arms fire.

Not everyone, however, believes that explains the fall. For many in the shipping industry, the fall in attacks is a vindication of the decision to massively ramp up the use of armed guards.

So far, not a single ship with armed guards has been taken by pirates - although naval officers and other piracy specialists say hired guards can be excessively trigger-happy and have fired on innocent fishermen from India, Oman and Yemen.

The situation is also changing in Somalia, which has been without a functioning government for two decades. The transitional administration is becoming more successful, as is a Kenyan-dominated African military force sent in to tackle Islamist rebels.

RETIRED PIRATE, DARKENED LINER

Last month, one of Somalia's highest profile pirates told Reuters he was giving up his life of crime at sea.

"I have given up piracy and succeeded in encouraging more youths to give up piracy," said Mohamed Abdi Hassan. "It was not due to fear of warships. It was just a decision."

In an apparently separate development, three Syrian hostages held since 2010 were released without the payment of a ransom. Four vessels are currently still held by pirates along with 108 hostages, the EU says.

The bottom line, some military officers and analysts believe, may be that the lower success rate for pirates in the last year has prompted those bankrolling them to stop.

But no one is taking the pirates for granted. An apparent attempted night-time attack on a merchant ship only a handful of miles from the entrance to the Gulf at the Strait of Hormuz was a reminder attacks can take place across a huge area.

Shortly before entering the Suez Canal, QM2 held a security drill to instruct passengers in what to do if the ship comes under attack.

Passengers were urged to return below and sit in the companionway outside their rooms until the danger passed.

As dusk falls, orders are given to darken ship. Passengers close the curtains over their portholes or balcony windows, while crew members install blackout curtains in public areas. Basic running lights remain on to avoid collision, however.

The purpose, Commodore Rynd says, is to make it harder for any pirates to identify what kind of ship the QM2 might be and how far away. The darkened ship also makes it easier for the lookouts, equipped with night vision goggles, to see.

Other more vulnerable ships - particularly the "low and slow" - take more precautions. Shortly after first light, QM2 passes a bulk carrier, its fire hoses blasting over its stern to make it harder for pirates to clamber aboard.

In more remote parts of the Indian Ocean, the nearest naval support can be eight or nine hours away.

Aboard the liner, however, passengers seem largely unconcerned.

"It doesn't worry me at all," says Kiki O'Connell, 66, from Portland, Maine, as the ship approached Dubai. "Although I don't suppose we'll see any pirates now. I was hoping for Johnny Depp."

Comments

ANAND VARDHAN TIWARY on Feb 24, 2013

somalia Piracy gulf of aden

Safety Management System or a Checklist for Negligence?

Does your company have a safety management system (SMS), a safety program, or internal safety policies? Are there problems with implementation or making sure that all policies are consistently complied with? Are there items in the manual which do not apply to your vessels or operations? Does the manual call for unrealistic work practices? If you answered “yes” to these questions, rest assured you are not alone. Unfortunately, however, your company could also be in danger of severe financial penalties, and/or litigation. In some case, such as a serious accident, individuals, depending upon their position in the company, might even face imprisonment.

The latest trend in regulatory schemes is performance based regulations. This type of regulation usually requires the regulated entity to come up with a plan or system which will meet the performance based criteria in the regulations, such as International Safety Management (ISM) and the impending towing vessel inspection regulations. Some organizations also require member companies to implement an SMS such as the American Waterways Operators (AWO) Responsible Carrier Program (RCP). Regardless of the source, not fully implementing and complying with these plans can have serious consequences in the event of an accident.

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ANAND VARDHAN TIWARY on Feb 24, 2013

SMS ISM checklist