High Compliance Rate Found in Cargo Securing Operations

The Tokyo MOU has released preliminary statistics from its concentrated inspection campaign (CIC) on Cargo Securing Arrangements which indicate that the majority of ships are in compliance with the relevant IMO instruments developed to improve the safety of Cargo Securing Arrangements. The vast majority of ships inspected have used IMO guidelines for the development and layout of their cargo securing manual.

The CIC was carried out from September 1, 2016 through the November 30, 2016.

During that time, 5,388 inspections of individual ships were completed. 4,263 of those inspections (79 percent) were on ships that were carrying, or required to carry, a cargo securing manual. Of these, 19 vessels were detained as a result of deficiencies.

This represents a very low detention rate of 0.45 percent, says Tokyo MOU, indicating substantial overall compliance with Cargo Securing Arrangements. 499 inspections resulted in deficiencies being issued for Cargo Securing Arrangements representing 11.7 percent of the inspections with recorded deficiencies.

Only 25 vessels that were required to carry an approved cargo securing manual, did not have the manual onboard. 3,142 (74 percent) vessels had a cargo securing manual that met the guidelines outlined in MSC.1/Circ. 1353/Rev.1. 943. 22 percent of vessels had a cargo securing manual that met a standard at least equivalent to the MSC guidelines. This showed that the majority of vessels used the MSC guidelines in the development of their cargo securing manuals.

4,023 (94 percent) inspections recorded that the master or person in charge of cargo operations was familiar with the cargo securing manual. 361 inspections were conducted of vessels that required a Cargo Safe Access Plan (CSAP). 14 (3.9 percent) of vessels that were required to have a CSAP did not have, or were not following, a CSAP.

The majority of lashings/fittings and securing points were found to be fit for the service intended, with only 3.5 to four percent found not fit for the service intended.

In addition, the inspection results revealed that most ships had a sufficient quantity of cargo securing devices on board with only 3.2 percent of ships being without sufficient quantities.