SAFE TRANSPORT OF CONTAINERS BY SEA — GUIDELINES ON BEST PRACTICES

This present Guide book was developed by the ICS, standing for the "International Chamber of Shipping" - the organization concerned with the operational safety of vessels, together with the WSC, i.e. World Shipping Council, who are representing one of the leading container lines in the world.

The opportunity was taken by the authors of these guidelines to undertake a thorough review of the established best practices in the world's containership industry. Their efforts resulted in the present Guidelines, aimed to be helpful to all people involved in marine transportation of the containers. The instructions that have been included in this book will for sure contribute to the efficiency of container transportation and protection of cargo; however, it shall be kept in mind that the main and most important objective of this booklet is to ensure that the operational safety remains on top. The guidelines were prepared using the best info available. Note that it is used on the risk of the user.

Apart from the intro, the book contains eight chapters addressing the regulations governing the transportation of the containers, giving some overview of the containers, explaining the shipping line stowage co-ordination, container stuffing and marine terminal operations, etc. The responsibilities of the ship's crew and master have also been covered.