JOC Staff | Dec 20, 2012 2:56PM EST
The European Shippers Council has called for improvement in the exchange of information between shippers and container carriers to diminish the loss of containers at sea.
The International Maritime Organization currently deals with the loss of containers through consideration of a mandatory scheme for the weighing of containers. European shippers say a deadline for the delivery of the final shipping instructions by the shipper to the carrier’s office will fill gaps in timely information.
The lack of a clear deadline for shippers to share instructions leads to unexpected rollovers and unreliable stowing and loading plans for container ships.
The ESC requests that carriers be given the opportunity to create a stowplan on the basis of the latest cargo information available, namely the shipping instructions.