ICHCA International, the global cargo handling NGO, will co-host a seminar, “Safety in the Intermodal Supply Chain: Promoting the IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for the Safe Packing of Cargo Transport Units” in Brussels, February 27, as part of European Shipping Week.
Organized together with the Global Shippers Forum (GSF), TT Club and the World Shipping Council (WSC), the seminar will address the dangers posed to the supply chain by incorrectly packed and secured cargo, and discuss how the IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) and related initiatives can assist in making cargo handling and transport safer.
“Improving global dissemination and active uptake of the CTU Packing Code is a key focus area for ICHCA in 2017,” said Rachael White, CEO, ICHCA International Secretariat. “Badly packed and/or poorly secured cargo remains a major cause of damage, loss, injuries and fatalities in intermodal supply chain operations worldwide, both at sea and on land.”
Concurrently, the four organizations are jointly conducting an open industry survey to gain a better understanding of awareness of the CTU Code, and establish what the greatest cargo risks might be. The survey asks respondents to share what their organization’s level of engagement with the CTU Code has been, and how far it has been implemented. All responses will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and the resulting data aggregated with all other responses to ensure anonymity.
ICHCA was a member of the Group of Experts that worked with the regulators and other industry organizations in developing the CTU Code, which was published in 2014 as an update and increase in status to the 1997 IMO/ILO/UNECE Guidelines for Packing of Cargo Transport Units. Intended to assist industry, employers’ and workers’ organizations and governments in ensuring the safe packing and securing of cargo in containers and all other types of intermodal transport units, the CTU Code may also be used as a reference base for national regulations and could become a model for internationally harmonized legislation in this field, notes IMO.
The CTU Code provides comprehensive information and references on all aspects of cargo packing and securing in all types of CTUs, taking account of both sea and land transport modes. It provides guidance both to those responsible for packing and securing cargo and to those who transport, receive and unpack CTUs. The CTU Code also covers issues such as training and the packing of dangerous goods. Separately, the role of the CTU Packing Code will also be discussed at an ICHCA Technical Seminar on Packaged Dangerous Goods in London, March 6th kindly hosted by ICHCA Premium Member TT Club.
Supported by the European Parliament, the incoming Maltese EU Presidency and the European Commission, European Shipping Week provides a platform for policy-makers from the main EU institutions to meet and engage with European shipowners and other stakeholders from the shipping sector.
