TT Club has previously reported on incident experience whereby containers have dropped from lifting equipment during handling operations. Recurrence appears, as previously, to have nothing to do with the intrinsic quality of the corner castings. The reliability of the lifting process is critical.
In 2011 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed a two-year output on 'Development of measures to prevent loss of containers', in part arising from the
The three-month settling-in period suggested by the IMO to its Member States in which competent authorities were urged to adopt a 'practical and pragmatic' approach to the enforcement of the SOLAS revision stipulating all packed containers have a verified gross mass (VGM) before being stowed aboard a ship comes to an end on 1st October.
As the supply chain industry globally is gearing up to comply with the SOLAS amendment that, from 1 July 2016, requires verified gross mass for every packed container, it is worth reiterating that container weight is just one (relatively small) part of ramping up safety.
