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Cargo Securing Manual

The document discusses cargo securing manuals, which prescribe how cargo should be safely stored and secured on ships. Cargo securing manuals are mandatory under international maritime conventions and provide instructions on safely transporting different types of cargo. They specify the equipment used to secure cargo and how to calculate securing strengths needed for different conditions.

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Tammam Hassan
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35 views

Cargo Securing Manual

The document discusses cargo securing manuals, which prescribe how cargo should be safely stored and secured on ships. Cargo securing manuals are mandatory under international maritime conventions and provide instructions on safely transporting different types of cargo. They specify the equipment used to secure cargo and how to calculate securing strengths needed for different conditions.

Uploaded by

Tammam Hassan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Cargo Securing Manual?

May 12, 2021


A cargo securing manual prescribes how cargo onboard a ship should
be stowed and secured. It is mandatory to have a cargo securing manual
on board an ocean vessel and it guides its users on how to transport
cargo safely from one point to another.
For a better understanding of the cargo securing manual let us see how
it came about and the organization that is responsible for it.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO)
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) was established in 1948
at an international convention in Geneva. Its main purpose was to
provide a platform for cooperation among the different governments of
the world, whose ships were engaged in international trade.
Maritime safety, the efficiency of navigation, and prevention of marine
pollution caused by marine vessels were its main agendas.
The IMO has three key international conventions.
• International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from
Ships(MARPOL)
• International Convention on Standards, Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW)
The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
(MARPOL) established in 1973, covers pollution to the marine
environment caused by ocean vessels during their operation or as a
result of an accident.
The International Convention on Standards, Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) prescribes the basic requirements
for seafarers on an international level with regard to training, certification,
and watchkeeping. It was established by the IMO in 1978.
Here, let us take a brief look at the International Convention for the
Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) which administers and manages the
cargo securing manual for marine vessels.
Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
The disaster in 1912 of the British passenger ship RMS Titanic, after
hitting an iceberg, sent shockwaves around the world. The vessel was
on its first voyage from Southampton in England to New York in the
United States. More than 1500 people died in this accident. The birth of
Safety of Life at Sea or SOLAS in 1914 was an outcome of this accident.
This convention was modified in 1929, 1948, 1960, and the latest in
1974. It is considered the most important treaty that covers the safety of
merchant ships.
The SOLAS 1974 convention, as it is known commonly in the related
circles, specifies standards for the construction, equipment, and
operation of merchant ships. The provisions included in the SOLAS
include the survey of ships and their certification and the control of ships
while at the ports of other governments. Each member nation is
responsible for following these standards and ensuring the safety and
security of their marine vessels.
Chapters VI and VII of this convention are all about the carriage of
cargo. It specifies the requirements for stowage and securing almost all
types of cargo and those that require special handling. Carriage of
dangerous goods is specifically covered under chapter VII and it covers
bulk carriers (liquids, gases, etc.), and nuclear ships.
The transport of dangerous goods by marine vessels should comply with
the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG code). These
codes were developed by the IMO and they are updated regularly to
include new dangerous goods as well as to update existing provisions.
Any ocean-going vessel that is engaged in the transport of cargo, except
solid and liquid bulk cargoes, should have a cargo securing manual
onboard.
Cargo on board vessels, such as containers, intermodal freight
containers, etc. should be loaded, stowed, and secured following
instructions of the approved cargo securing manual of the vessel.
What Does the Cargo Securing Manual Specify?
A cargo securing manual details all the cargo-securing equipment on
board the vessel, whether fixed or portable. It specifies their locations
and how they should be used to secure the different types of cargo that
are transported. This manual also shows details of the chains, lashings,
rods, etc. that are used to secure the cargo on the ship.
The strength of the cargo securing equipment to withstand any adverse
weather and the rough sea conditions, the methods followed to secure
the cargo, and maintenance instructions should be available in this
manual.
When the ship is in motion, and especially during bad weather,
accompanied by rough seas, the cargo on board is subject to abnormal
forces.
Calculating the strength of the available equipment and its accessories
such as chains, lashings, etc. to counter these forces and how to fix
them accordingly, should be explained in the cargo securing manual.
Wherever required, these should be explained with appropriate diagrams
or sketches.
A ship’s officers and the crew on board who are responsible for the
loading, stowage, securing, and unloading of cargo should be aware of
how to use the appropriate equipment correctly for these purposes. They
should be aware of its limitations and the correct methods of securing
the cargo.
Cargo securing manuals specify the allowable load capacity of
equipment that is known as its MSL (Maximum Securing Load).
The SWL or Safe Working Load is the load that can be handled safely
by the equipment. The term Standardized Cargo is used to signify the
cargo that can be secured normally on a ship.
A Semi-standardized Cargo may be accommodated on such a vessel
whereas, a non-standardized cargo requires special stowage and
securing arrangements. The manual specifies where each type of item
or cargo should be kept.
Only the appropriate cargo securing points mentioned in the cargo
securing manual should be used for securing the cargo.
Any structural changes made to such equipment should reflect in the
cargo securing manual and they should not be inferior in quality or
strength to the originally available ones. Spare or reserve cargo securing
equipment should be available on the vessel.
The portable cargo securing equipment used on the ship (as mentioned
in the cargo securing manual) should be appropriate to the vessel as
well as the voyage and should take into account factors such as
expected sea conditions during the voyage, dimensions, designs, and
weight of the cargo on the vessel, etc.
A cargo ship may be carrying containers of different sizes. The cargo
securing manual should show the stowage position for each different
size, the maximum allowable stack of such containers, the maximum
allowable stack mass, their sequence of stowage, etc.
The cargo securing manual of container vessels should have a Cargo
Safe Access Plan (CSAP).
What is CSAP? It is a plan that provides safe access to the cargo crew
of the ship to containers for their stowage and securing.
A cargo securing manual should be prepared in the working language of
the crew of the vessel following the recommendations given in the
guidelines by the SOLAS.
If it is prepared in a local language, a translation in English, French, or
Spanish must be prepared and made available on the ship.

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