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How to secure various commodities inside a container ?
Packing principles relating to cargo in containers
The principles below are applicable to cargo stowage in containers carried by sea, air,
road or rail. This topic will be further discussed and illustrated in the relevant modules
on the carriage of goods by sea, by air and by road and rail.
There are a number of basic principles applicable to the stowage of ALL cargo into
containers. The maxim which summarises this set of principles is: safe container
transport depends chiefly on a correct and immovable stow and an even
weight distribution.
Either the container must be stowed tightly so that lateral and longitudinal
movement of the cargo within it is impossible;
or else the cargo must be effectively restrained.
Tight stowage :
This can be achieved by making the shape and the dimensions of the package an
optimum module of the container or making the base of a unit load a module of the
container.
Restraint
It is always necessary to restrain the cargo for one or more of the following reasons:
To prevent. collapse of the stow while packing, unpacking, or during transit
(e.g., rolls of linoleum on end);
To stop any movement during transit of part-loads or of single heavy items
(e.g., large pieces of machinery) - the heavier the item the more damage it will
do if allowed to move; and
To prevent the "face" of the stow collapsing and leaning against the container
doors to fall out when the doors are opened at the final destination or for
customs inspection.
Methods of securing cargo
The more common methods of securing cargo are:
Shoring - bars, struts and spars located in the cargo voids to
keep the cargo pressed against the walls or other cargo.
Lashing - ropes, wire, chains, strapping or netting secured
to proper anchoring points and tensioned against the cargo.
Wedging : wooden distance pieces, pads of synthetic material, inflatable dunnage to
fill voids in the cargo and keep it immobile against the container walls.
Locking - cargo built up to give a three-dimensional brick wall effect.
Aids to good securing
There is no simple formula to follow when securing cargo. Each stow must be treated
on its own merits - the type of cargo, the way it is stowed, the equipment available, or
the permanent fittings in the container. But the following points should be borne in
mind when applying restraint:
Always use the built-in securing points which are provided. For obvious reasons
comply with the safe loading limitation on the securing points.
Any timber used - i.e., dunnage or filler pieces - should be dry. It may also have to
comply with certain quarantine regulations in force.
If nails have to be used to secure cargo to a wooden floor, they should only
penetrate about two-thirds the thickness of the floor to achieve adequate grip
without total penetration. Holes must not be drilled in walls or floor. Never use
nails in a reefer container (a refrigerated container).
Any shoring which presses against the container wall should have extra timber
laid longitudinally between the wall and point of support to spread the weight
over two or more side posts.
Useful filler pieces for wedging or preventing rubbing, sometimes called chafe,
are old tyres, paper pads softened by soaking (macerated) or, for light packages,
rolled-up cardboard.
Unless an identical stow is anticipated on the return journey (known as a closed
circuit operation) it is best if, when the lashing equipment is chosen, it is
considered re-usable.
How to restrain certain types of cargo
Top-heavy articles should be wedged, shored and lashed to prevent toppling.
Heavy weights should be secured to stout ring-bolts (sited in the container floor
and side walls) and/or be shored with timber. They should be chained or wired
with bottle-screws (e.g., 1/2 in chain; 11/4 inch bottle-screws; three ton “D”
shackles are adequate for lashing cargo up to 18 tons in weight).
Resilient loads can cause lashings to slacken - this may sometimes be overcome
by introducing elasticity (e.g. rubber rope) into the lashing pattern.
No securing of pallets is necessary (provided the load is properly secured to the
pallet) if the distance between pallets and container walls is 4in (100mm) or less.
Pallets must not be allowed any longitudinal movement. If it is necessary to
secure them, stow the pallets against the container walls and wedge wood blocks
between the pallets. It may be necessary to insert sheets of board between the
pallet loads to protect them against chafing and prevent bags, cartons; etc.,
interweaving and jamming the stowage.
Stowage precautions
In the majority of cases, there is a space (1" to 24") left between the face of the cargo
and the container doors. It is important that the cargo does not collapse into this
space. It can be prevented in a variety of ways, such as:
(a) Using suitably positioned lashing points with wire, rope, strapping, etc., woven
across
(b) Inserting a simple wooden gate for the wider gaps and heavier cargo
(c) Providing filler pieces i.e., macerated (water-softened) paper pads, wood-wool
pads made of fine shavings and used for packing, etc., for narrower gaps and
lighter cargoes (like cartons of biscuits).
It is also important to ensure that the cargo does not fall out when the container
doors are opened. This is particularly relevant to a container which has been
completely packed (as with cartons or sacks). Although this can sometimes be
achieved by interlocking tiers of packages, it is better to use the fixing points located
in the door posts of general cargo container. Nylon strapping in polypropylene cord
or wire (1/4" diameter or less) threaded through these points forms an effective
barrier.
Other stowage precautions to be taken are:
Securing the goods in their packages and making the pack itself as full as possible
so as to resist external pressures.
Making packages sufficiently rigid to withstand the weight imposed upon them
when stacked to a minimum height of 8ft.
Making sure, if more than one type of cargo is stowed in a container, that they are
compatible and cannot cause contamination or become contaminated.
Placing heavy items and liquids at the bottom, with light and dry items on the top.
Within practical physical limitations of handling, the unit package should be as large as
possible, since this can reduce costs by up to 20 percent and increase the
efficiency in volume by up to 10 percent.
Where relevant, stowing should be carried out in a sequence which will permit
rapid checking and storage operations during and after unloading. Should the
consignment include cargo subject to customs pre-entry procedures, customs
examination would be made easier and unloading avoided if the cargo were
stowed at the end of the container by the door.
One should try to arrange for any unavoidable gap in the stowage to be along the
centre line of the container and not at the sides. It is much easier and cheaper to
restrain the shifting of cargo in this way.
A lighted cigarette end can destroy the contents of a container and even endanger
the ship. When stowing a container the rule should therefore be NO
SMOKING.
Load factors
Heavy loads must be assessed according to their shape, dimension and weight. However,
as a guide, the weight or loads should be distributed over the container floor by
means of suitable bearers or dunnage as follows:
(a) Width: distribution should be over the entire width of the container;
(b) Length: each ton weight of cargo should be spread over at least two floor
members, which run transversely under the container floor at 1 foot centres (e.g.,
a 13 ton integral load would require to be distributed over 14 floor members i.e.,
14 foot run of container floor).
The total load should be distributed as evenly as possible, but in certain circumstances
the closed end half of the container can carry more than 65 per cent, or conversely the
door end half more than 60 per cent, of the total load.
Other useful articles :
- Assigning loadlines marks
Loadlines are marks punched into and painted on the sides of general cargo ships.The assigning of the vessels loadline and the issue of the Certificate is the
responsibility of the Marine Authority of the country. .
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Cargo ships Loaded Condition
closely monitor the ship's condition during cargo
operations to ensure that if a significant deviation from the agreed loading/unloading
plan is detected all cargo and ballast operations must STOP..
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Packing a container recommended method
Packing a container should always be done on level plane either on the ground,on a railcar, or on a trailer. In the case of a trailer, care should be taken to ensure the trailer cannot tip whilst being packed especially if a forklift truck is being used. If necessary the trailer should be propped. Brakes should be securely applied and wheels choked.
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- Packing principles relating to cargo in containers
Where relevant, stowing should be carried out in a sequence which will permit
rapid checking and storage operations during and after unloading. Should the
consignment include cargo subject to customs pre-entry procedures, customs
examination would be made easier and unloading avoided if the cargo were
stowed at the end of the container by the door.
More .....
- Container Securing guidance
Containers have very little strength in any direction other than vertically
through the corner posts thus it is necessary to provide substantial support
to the containers when they are on the ship. Stowage of containers is with
their longer dimension fore and aft since the ship motion transmitted to
cargo is greater in rolling than pitching and it is therefore prudent to limit
any possible cargo movement within the container to the shorter transverse
dimension.
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- Trim and stability booklet for cargo ships
Contain either curves of form or hydrostatic tables and stability and trim characteristics for various conditions of loading
.
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- Broken stowage? Cargo ships guideline
The access shall be separate from the hatchway opening, and shall be by a stairway if possible. A fixed ladder, or a line of fixed rungs, shall have no point where they fill a reverse slope
.
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Ship type, design and facilities for cargo
Cargo gear is designed for speed and flexibility for handling breakbulk, palletized, or container cargo. Various combinations of derricks,
winches, and deck cranes are used for the handling of cargo. Cranes are fitted on many vessels to reduce manpower requirements. Some ships
have special heavy-lift derricks that may serve one or more holds. Booms are rigged for either yard and stay (burton) or swinging-boom
operation.
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- Cargo ships structural plans- how to use them
Structural plans, sometimes called scantlings plans, show dimensions of the ships framing and plating. The midships section drawing, generally available for all ships
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