Cargo Integrity Group Wants IMO to Act on Container Inspection Data

The Cargo Integrity Group is calling on national administrations to carry out and report the findings of their container inspection programs, and for the IMO to continue collating and publishing the results in a publicly accessible form.

The group is alarmed that the IMO is considering discontinuing the practice. Its future is being decided in meetings taking place this week at the meeting of the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC 10).

Under resolutions adopted more than 20 years ago member governments of the IMO agreed to conduct routine inspections of freight containers and the cargoes packed in them in a consistent way. The findings are to be submitted annually to IMO for collation and reporting so that a global picture of levels of compliance with international regulations and recommended practices can be obtained, and any appropriate safety improvements identified.

An analysis by partner organisations in the Cargo Integrity Group reveals that less than 5% of 167 national administrations covered by the agreement are regularly submitting the results of their inspections to IMO in publicly available form.

The Cargo Integrity Group understands that other states may be conducting inspections of containerized goods entering and leaving their countries but are not submitting the findings to IMO as agreed. Where such reports are not submitted to IMO there is no shared value, says the group.

The dangers posed by poorly packed, mis-handled or mis-declared containerized shipments has been demonstrated again recently in a series of fires and explosions aboard container ships. Whilst the precise circumstances of these incidents remain under investigation, the Cargo Integrity Group is concerned that measures already in place to help identify possible weaknesses are not being fully implemented and that opportunities for improving compliance standards are being missed.

The Cargo Integrity Group brings together international freight transport and cargo handling organisations with different roles in the supply chain and a shared dedication to improving safety, security and environmental performance throughout the logistics supply chain. The Bureau International des Containers, the Container Owners Association, FIATA, the Global Shippers Forum, ICHCA, TT Club and the World Shipping Council are cooperating on a range of activities to further the adoption and implementation of crucial safety practices and regulations.