Transport of coiled materials in containers

Many incidents arising during maritime transport are attributed to poor practices in the packing of containers, including inadequate securing of the cargo and overloading and incorrect declaration of the contents. Packing and securing of coiled materials may be particularly challenging because of the coils’ very high mass and, being circular, their significantly smaller loading ‘footprint’ or point loading than a box of similar weight.

The guidelines on “Transport of coiled materials in containers”, launched by the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS) and the TT Club, systematically address the risks involved in the carriage of this type of cargo and offer practical advice on correct packing arrangements, securing and protection. The guidelines seek to be consistent with the IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) and should therefore be considered as a supplement to this Code, providing additional assistance in the safe transport of coiled materials.

Although the carrier in reality has no opportunity to check the condition of the cargo packed in a general purpose container, the guidelines do provide information and advice relevant to all parties in the supply chain for coiled materials.

Along with other International Group Clubs, Gard is an Advisory Member of CINS and is pleased to see that many of our members and clients are also members of CINS.  We encourage other container line members and clients to enquire about CINS membership, the main purpose of which is to highlight and address risks posed by certain cargoes and/or packing failures in order to improve safety in the liner shipping industry.