Shipping container guidelines in 2023

Overtime normal wear and tear enlarges the size of corner fitting apertures and reduces the thickness of the top place, which increases the risk of accidents including containers lost overboard. To minimize the lost you need to know the appropriate criteria that allow the quick determination of whether the shipping container must be subjected to transport restrictions or immediately stopped and removed from operation until the deficiency has been repaired.

Criteria that makes a shipping container unsuitable for shipping

Shipping containers are essential in the transportation of goods from one place to another. The suitability of the containers during transportation is critical to ensure safety of the goods and people transporting them. There are various criteria that you need to pay attention to when shipping containers from one place to another. Such criteria include but are not limited to:

Missing corner fittings

Corner fittings are primarily referred to as corner castings. They help in joining two containers through the twist locks, which are usually inserted into the container’s corner castings. The corner castings have holes that allow twist locks rotation and helps lock the containers together. Therefore, if the corner fittings are missing, the container would be unsuitable for shipping.

Serious cracks or tears

Poor stowage can be damaging to shipping containers and result in physical damages. Inappropriate stowage may comprise bad or insufficient lashing that is failure to use enough chocking, lashing or dunnage.  Other issues that might entail bad stowage include poor weight distribution and wrong loading therefore causing stability issues on the cargo.

Excessive aperture width

The width of the corner fitting top aperture width must not exceed sixty-six millimeters. Ensuring that you adhere to the critical requirements of the aperture width is essential since it helps reduce potential accidents. Therefore, the container maintains its good condition all through.

Excessive aperture length

The length of the corner fitting top aperture length must not exceed one hundred and twenty six. Moreover, the top plate thickness must not be less than twenty-three millimeters. Suppose the container surpasses the abovementioned dimensions. In that case, the container should be taken out of service immediately. The corner dimensions should not reach the critical dimensions. Inspect corner fittings regularly and ensure the width, length and thickness inspection are in check. A set of testing devices can be built to allow quick testing of apertures.

There are other factors that may help you know whether a shipping container is suitable for shipping. Such criteria include excessive reduction of the top plate thickness, or deformations of the corner fitting beyond five millimeters from its original plane. These issues are potential causes of safety issues and therefore, you need to address them beforehand.