TT Talk - Container corner fitting failures

Another concern to TT Club Members are failures of container corner fittings. ICHCA International in its Information Paper No.46 reports that the recent meeting of ICHCA International's International Safety Panel (ISP) in Casablanca considered a report on accidents in which lifting twistlocks have pulled out from the top corner fittings of freight containers. A discussion ensued on the implications and the possible causes of such incidents.

As a consequence, ISP has recommended that a confidential system be set up for its members to report such failures. The purpose of this will be to establish facts and also the possible degree of the problem. Accordingly, members of ICHCA International are invited to submit to the Secretariat (email address: info@icha.com) details of such incidents using the following headings:

• Date of incident

• Container number

• Container manufacturer

• Date manufactured

• Country of manufacturer

• Description of incident

• Container payload

• Cargo weight

• If moving under PES Scheme - date of last examination

• If moving under an ACEP Scheme - ACEP number

• Port/terminal of handling at time of incident

• Contact name and email address

It is stressed that such reports will be treated as confidential and only a summary analysis will be prepared for the meeting of ICHCA International's International Safety Panel (IPS) in Tokyo on 18/19 October 2010.

The TT Club encourages those members who handle freight containers to take part in this survey and to provide the above details whenever such incidents occur. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.