Economic Commission for Europe
Inland Transport Committee
Seventy-sixth session
Geneva, 25-27 Feb, 2014
Provisional agenda item 4 (f)
Strategic sectoral issues:
Intermodal transport and logistics
The new CTU Code
Secretariat Note
The secretariat hereby reproduces the text of the new IMO / ILO / UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (also see document ECE/TRANS/2014/17).
http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/doc/2014/itc/id_07_CTU_Code_January_2014.pdf
Informal ITC Document (2014) No. 7
Distr: General
January 24, 2014
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Definitions
Chapter 3. Key requirements
Chapter 4. Chains of responsibility and information
Chapter 5. General transport conditions
Chapter 6. CTU properties
Chapter 7. CTU suitability
Chapter 8. Arrival, checking, and positioning of transport units
Chapter 9. Cargo packing in transport units
Chapter 10. Additional data on packing of dangerous goods
Chapter 11. After packing
Chapter 12. Guidance on receipt and unpacking of transport units
Chapter 13. Training in packing of transport units
Annexes
Annex 1 Information flow
Annex 2 for safe handling of transport units
Annex 3 Prevention of condensation damage
Annex 4 Approval plates
Annex 5 Receipt of transport units
Annex 6 Minimizing the risk of recontamination
Annex 7 Packing and securing of cargo in transport units
Appendix 1 Packing marks
Appendix 2 Friction factors
Appendix 3 Practical methods for determining the friction factor μ
Appendix 4 Specific packing and securing calculations
Appendix 5 Practical tilt test for determining effectiveness of cargo securing arrangements
Annex 8 Access to tank and bulkhead covers, work at height
Annex 9 Fumigation
Annex 10 Topics to be considered in a training program
Preamble
The use of containers, swap bodies, vehicles, or other cargo transport units substantially reduces the physical risks to which cargoes are exposed. However, improper or careless packing of loads in/on such units, or lack of proper blocking, securing, and lashing, can cause personal injuries when handled or transported. Additionally, severe and costly damage can occur to the cargo or equipment. The types of cargoes transported in cargo containers have expanded over many years, and innovations such as the use of flexitanks and developments allow heavy and bulky items traditionally loaded directly into the ship’s hold (e.g., stone, steel, waste, and project cargoes) to be transported in transport units.
The person packing and securing the cargo in/on the cargo transport unit (CTU) may be the last person to see inside the unit until it is opened at its final destination. Consequently, a large number of people in the transport chain will rely on the skill of these individuals, including:
- Road vehicle drivers and other road users when the unit is transported by road;
- Railway workers, and others, when the unit is transported by rail;
- Crew members of inland navigation vessels when the unit is transported by inland waterways;
- Handling personnel at terminals when the unit is transferred from one mode of transport to another;
- Port workers when the unit is loaded or unloaded;
- Crew members of a seagoing vessel during transport operation;
- Those with a legal obligation to inspect cargoes, and
- Those who unpack the unit.
All individuals, like those above, passengers, and the public, may be at risk from a poorly packed container, body, or vehicle exchange.