SEATRANS CONSULTING ® Containers

Survey of containers

  • Verification of the gross mass of packed containers.
  • Periodical Examination Program (PEP) with drawing up an act and making an entry on the date of the next examination;
  • Evaluation of technical condition of all types of containers including tank containers.
  • Examination of containers for on-hire/off-hire.
  • Control of stowage and securing of cargo in a container.
  • Control of quality and quantity of cargo in a container.
  • Sealing and unsealing.
  • Control of filling of a container with dangerous cargo, issuance of IMO multimodal declaration.
  • Entering an event, character and volume of damage of a container or zero-damages, calculation of approximate cost of reconditioning repair.
  • Carrying out independent expert examination of insured accidents.

Obtaining verified gross mass of container:

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has amended the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) to require, as a condition for loading a packed container onto a ship for export, that the container has a verified weight. The shipper is responsible for the verification of the packed container's weight. This requirement became legally effective on July 1, 2016.
The SOLAS amendments provide that there are two methods shippers may use to determine the container weight once the container packing process has taken place. This requirement applies globally. Shippers, freight forwarders, vessel operators, and terminal operators need to establish policies and procedures to ensure the implementation of this regulatory change.

Before a packed container can be loaded onto a ship, its weight must be determined through weighing. It is a violation of SOLAS to load a packed container aboard a vessel to which SOLAS applies without a proper weight verification. There is no exception to this requirement.

Under the SOLAS amendments, there are two permissible methods for weighing: Method 1, which requires weighing the container after it has been packed, or Method 2, which requires weighing all the cargo and contents of the container and adding those weights to the container's tare weight as indicated on the door end of the container.

DECLARATION ON THE VERIFICATION OF GROSS MASS OF CONTAINER in advance should be provided to the ship master or his representative and the terminal representative for preparation of the ship stowage plan.

Seatrans Consulting Ltd. is recognized (Recognition Certificate No. 15.00025.185.VGM) by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping as a company which acts following IMO Resolution MSC.380(94) for obtaining verified gross mass of container, has all necessary advanced equipment and staff for weighing allows using both two methods to determine the gross mass of container.

Examination of containers:

In accordance with International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC-72), control of technical condition of containers should be exercised in compliance with two programs:

  1. PEP - Periodical Examination Program;
  2. АСЕР - Approved Continues Examination Program.

Periodical Examination Program supposes rigid administrative control of terms for submission of containers to the next scheduled examination.

Examination of new containers should be carried out by an inspector from a Classification Society responsible for compliance of containers with requirements of the CSC. Inspection of containers by an inspector should be carried out either in a special depot equipped with facilities for canting of the container, or on a site where it is possible to carry out a complete inspection of the container. Strict time frames are set for a scheduled examination: for a new container - 5 years after its construction, and then every 2.5 years.

In actual practice, usage of such a scheme for control of Container Park leads to the situation when containers with the overdue date of inspection have to be removed of service by the container owner and delivered to the place of inspection for periodic examination, which leads to considerable time and financial losses.

The world practice shows that container owners almost everywhere deviate from PEP and use more convenient program ACEP.

More advanced procedure of monitoring the technical condition of containers is continues examination program (Approved Continues Examination Program, ACEP). It supposes that a container owner by himself or with the assistance of relevant independent surveyor company carries out the routine inspection of his containers in service.

Terms of inspection when using continues examination program are limited by the same five years from the date of container construction and 30 months after the first five years, but a container owner has an opportunity to move them flexibly depending on the current situation, plan the inspection of containers ahead in the place and at the time convenient for the container owner. The container owner does not have to wait for the expiration of the last examination and does not have to remove a container of commercial service. The date of the next inspection of the container should be calculated from the date of its last inspection.

Using of ACEP significantly simplifies the inspection of containers, reduces wasteful out-of-service time of containers, reduces Container Park maintenance costs and at the same time provides control and responsibility of all parts of the company-container owner for safe maintenance of containers and observance of examination dates required by the CSC.

The introduction of continues examination program by means of ACEP system will bring container transport on the new level. One of the most significant advantages of this system is its relatively low cost. Adoption of the new system does not require significant investments and therefore ACEP can be used by companies with a relatively small Container Park.

Seatrans Consulting Ltd. is recognized (Recognition Certificate No. 15.00025.185) by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping as a Firm performing freight containers inspection (excluding tank containers) in service.

Our company has an experience over 15 years in a market of provision maritime services and safety carriage of cargoes by sea and has a certified system of a quality management.

Seatrans Consulting Ltd. has experienced skilled personnel which can find out any solutions in any situations. The main aim of our company is meet all wishes and needs of our Customer.

2022 | Seatrans Consulting