Better safety for containers and cargoes

The Cameroon National Shippers’ Council (CNSC) was present at the 10th session of the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) held in London (United Kingdom) from 16 to 20 September 2024. The session was presided over by the committee chair Miss MaryAnne Adams, ably assisted by the Vice-Chair Mr. David Anderson.

CCC 10 was a very fruitful and productive meeting with insightful proposals to amend some international conventions such as the SOLAS Convention, the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC Convention), as well as the Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS Code). Adopted amendments will reshape the maritime regulatory landscape worldwide and seek to reduce significantly the frequency and impact of container losses at sea, thereby enhancing maritime safety and environmental protection. 
Statistics hold that only 221 containers were lost at sea (of which 33 % were recovered), out of the 250 million containers transported in 2023 and the IMO further wants to guarantee container safety through the "Development of measures to prevent the loss of containers at seaʺ in the biennial agenda of the CCC Sub-Committee for the 2024-2025 biennium. For effective monitoring, SOLAS Regulations V/31 and V/32 require a mandatory reporting of lost containers at sea as from 1st January 2026.

Beyond this regulatory approach, shipping lines and cargo handlers are encouraged to use software to supplement the cargo securing manual or loading software for greater safety in their operations. The industry has developed solutions considering the requirements of shipping stakeholders, including the BoxTech database of the BIC (Bureau of International Containers).