The following address was delivered by Brian Peters, Senior Surveyor Briar Maritime Services at the AIMS Conference, Hobart.

In November 2014 the Guidelines for Packing Cargo Transport Units (CTU’s) were replaced and upgraded from guidelines to a code of practice. It is now commonly known as the CTU Code. The original guidelines were produced by three UN agencies; the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

There has been increasing concern throughout the intermodal transport industry that containers are being packed many miles from the sea without consideration for the fact that the cargo must be properly secured for the entire transit, including the sea voyage. The shipper has the responsibility for declaring, packing and securing the cargo. The nature of the transport chain can mean that once the unit is packed and sealed, it may not be opened again until it reaches the consignee.

The new code sets out to reduce damage to cargo caused by poor packing and securing within the CTU, with the overall aim of making the supply chain safer. The Code provides advice about the basic principles of planning and packing of CTUs and then securing the cargo in accordance with the proposed transport plan. The Code also includes information about the potential causes of cargo damage, such as condensation and infestation.

Three UN agencies are involved (IMO, ILO and UNECE) as the Code covers the entire intermodal transport network and not just the maritime sector. The Code includes all types of CTU’s and is not confined to Container Safety Convention (CSC) plated International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) containers.

The Code has been drafted by a single working group affiliated to all three UN agencies and is available on the UNECE and ILO websites. The previous guidelines were hard to locate, although they did appear in the supplement to IMDG Code. The intention of the UN working group was to produce a Code that would be comprehensive and freely available throughout the supply chain, in order to promote it's use.

Although the Code has more authority than it's predecessor guidelines, it is still not a mandatory document. That said, it may be adopted into local law by national governments. Should sufficient national governments adopt the Code, it could in time, become globally mandatory in the same way as the IMDG Code.

The Code has 13 chapters and 10 annexes. Much of the information collated in preparing the Code was considered to be too specific or likely to become out of date and therefore was not included in the Code. This information has been designated as ‘related material’, and can be updated by interested bodies in the future. It is not envisaged that the Code will be updated regularly in the same manner as the IMDG Code.

An overview of the structure of the CTU Code:

Chapter 1

Introduction

Scope, safety and security

Chapter 2

Definitions

Clarifying commonly used terms in the carriage of a CTU. This is intended to promote standardised vocabulary used in CTU packing.

Chapter 3

Key requirements

Simple concise guidance for those packing and securing cargo in CTUs.

Chapter 4

Responsibilities

Making it clear who is responsible for each aspect of the supply chain.

Chapter 5

Transport conditions

A summary of forces that each transport mode places on the cargo, including consideration of the extremes of temperature the CTU would be exposed to and the possibility of the formation of condensation in certain climatic conditions.

Chapter 6

CTU properties

The properties of freight containers, regional and domestic containers, swap bodies, road and rail vehicles.

Chapter 7

CTU suitability

The necessity of selecting the correct CTU type for differing cargoes and transport mode.

Conclusion

The Code will only become effective if it is implemented by all parties involved in the transport supply chain. It is most important that the Code is advertised to shippers and packers of cargo. The ILO, IMO and UNECE will promote the Code. In the meantime, the UN working group of experts felt that one of the best methods to achieve rapid and wide acceptance, is for the container carriers to promote the Code when accepting bookings. The ILO website link, which will give free access to the Code and Annexes, could be placed on booking confirmations in order to help promote the Code.