SECURING CARGOES

Index

 Contents of Lashing Code and Cargo Securing Manual

 Need for solid stow and securing
 Methods of blocking, lashing, shoring and tomming cargo
 Method of securing heavy loads, vehicles, containers
Description

Contents of Lashing Code and Cargo Securing Manual

 “Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing” -The CSS Code is the
document upon which Cargo Securing Manuals are based. The purpose of the CSS
Code is to provide guidance on proper stowage and securing of cargoes. When a ship is
on passage in a seaway, the motions of the ship will lead to acceleration being
introduced into items of cargo and the forces created by those accelerations must be
counteracted by securing arrangements to prevent movement of cargo items. Thus,
proper stowage and securing of cargoes is essential, but it must be remembered that
reducing the amplitude and frequency of the ship’s motions will reduce the forces acting
on the cargo.

It is a mandatory requirement for masters and ships’ officers to be conversant with the CSS
Code and the Cargo securing Manual regulations, to understand their applications for the
vessel in which they are serving, and to be capable of deploying correctly the hardware
which goes with it. All securing of cargo units shall be completed before the ship leaves the
berth. The CSM and its associated hardware are subject to port state control inspection.
Violation of the CSM requirements may give rise to vessel detention and/or prosecution of
the master and owners.

CARGO SECURING MANUAL

Regulations VI/5 and VII/6 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention require cargo units and cargo
transport units to be loaded, stowed and secured throughout the voyage in accordance with
the cargo securing manual (CSM) approved by the administration and drawn up to a
standard at least equivalent to the guidelines developed by the International Maritime
Organization (IMO).

Guidelines for making CSM is located in Code of safe practice for cargo stowage and
securing (CSS Code) provisions of which is general in nature and intended to provide
guidance on preparation of Cargo securing manuals, which are required on all type of ships
engaged in the carriage of cargoes other than solid and liquid bulk cargoes.

CSM specifies arrangements and cargo securing devices provided on board the ships for
correct application to and the securing of cargo units, containers, vehicles and other entities
based on transverse, longitudinal and vertical forces which may arise due to adverse
weather and sea conditions.

 The Cargo securing devices mentioned in this manual should be applied so as to be

suitable and adapted to the quantity, type of packaging, and physical properties of the
cargo to be carried.
 When new or alternate types of cargo securing devices are introduced, CSM should be
revised accordingly. Alternative securing devices should not have the less strength than
the devices being replaced.

Contents of Cargo Securing Manual are:

1. General
2. Securing Devices and arrangements
3. Stowage and securing of Non-Standardized and Semi-Standardized Cargo
4. Stowage and securing of Containers and other Standardized Cargo

 Part I - General
 Ship Data
 Definitions
 General Information
 Principal sources of danger

 Part II - Securing Devices and Arrangements

 Specification of Fixed Cargo Securing Devices
 Specification of Portable Cargo Securing Devices
 Inspection and Maintenance Schemes

 Stowage and Securing of cargo

 Handling and safety instructions
 General principles of cargo securing
 Safe handling of cargo securing devices
 Evaluation of forces acting on cargo units
 Forces acting on typical cargo units
  Procedures for calculation of forces in semi- standardized and non-standardized
lashing arrangements
Maximum Securing Load (MSL)s for different securing devices
Safety factor
Simplified method – Rule of thumb
Assumptions of external forces
Balance of forces – Advanced method and Alternative Method
Calculated example 1 and 2
 Application of portable securing devices

 Requirements for Vessel Specific Type

 RO-RO Vessels
 Longitudinal and transverse distances between fixed Cargo Securing Devices
 Cargo securing arrangements for RO-RO ships exposed to angle of heel after
damage or flooding or other considerations relevant to the effectiveness of the
cargo securing arrangement
 Number of lashings and lashings angles
 Container Carriers
 Handling and Safety Instructions
 Stowage and Securing Instructions
Stowage and securing principle on deck and under deck
Stowage and Securing Plan
 Other allowable stowage patterns
 Bulk Carriers
 Timber Deck Cargoes

 Appendix
 Appendix I – Assessment of MSL for uncertified cargo securing devices
 Appendix II – Log for maintenance of cargo securing equipment
 Appendix III – Extracts from the IMO Assembly Resolution A.533(13) – stowage and
securing of cargo units and vehicles on ship
 Appendix IV – Extracts from various Timber Deck Codes
 Appendix V – Annex 1-12 to the Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and
Securing (CSS Code) as applicable
 Appendix VI – User Guide for Lashing Program provided on board

Explain the need for a solid stow and securing off all cargoes

A ship sailing in sea has six degrees of motion: surge, sway, heave, roll, pitch and yaw.

When a ship is at sea the wind, wind waves and swell waves cause it to move. The greater
the strength of the wind and the greater the height of the sea and swell waves the more the
ship will move. Out of the six types of motion, mentioned above, three are rotational and
three are linear. Roll, pitch and yaw are the three rotational motions and sway, surge and
heave are the three linear movements.

The ship itself bends and twists as waves pass. Hatch covers move relative to the hatch
openings and deck cargo move as clearances in the lashing equipment are taken up.

It is the lashing system alone that resists these movements and attempts to keep the deck
cargo on board.
The cargo whether on deck or under deck stow has to be stowed well and the cargo should
be prevented from moving and gaining enough momentum to part lashings and damage the
ship structure.
The point is to have a good solid stow – prevent the cargo from shifting and gaining
momentum with the shift. Since this would part any strong lashing. The lashing undertaken
should be for the worst sea condition that may be experienced.

Cargo units/cargo transport units on a ship

will in principles be subjected to the forces
given on adjacent drawing:

- Longitudinal sliding
- Transversal sliding
- Vertical pressure
Losses continue of large vehicles, rail cars, cased machinery, steel pipes, structural
steelwork, packaged timber, freight containers, hazardous chemicals, boats, launches, etc.
When investigated fully, the causes of such losses fall into the following random categories
which are not exhaustive:

 Severe adverse weather conditions.

 Lack of appreciation of the various forces involved.
 Ignorance of the relevant rules and guiding recommendations.
 Cost limitation pressures to the detriment of known safety requirements.
 Insufficient time and/or personnel to complete the necessary work before the vessel
leaves port.
 Dunnage not utilised in an effective manner.
 Inadequate strength, balance and/or number of lashings.
 Wire attachment eyes and loops made up wrongly, including incorrect methods of using
bulldog grips.
 Lack of strength continuity between the various securing components.
 Taking lashing materials around unprotected sharp edges.
 Incorrect/unbalanced stowage and inadequate weight distribution.
 The sometimes stubborn nature of the shore-based labour to depart from what and
when it is rightly required to do the job properly.
 Securing arrangements, both supplied and approved, not fully utilised on the voyage
under consideration.

Solid stow and proper securing of cargo ensures safety of ship and crew from danger
arising from the nature of the cargo and/or vagaries of the sea. To achieve this:
 The ship should be stable at all times and if required ballasted to achieve this condition.
 Heavy lifts should be stowed at the bottom thereby increasing the ship's GM. Also they
should be stowed within the hatch square to facilitate easy load and discharge.
 Slack tanks should be kept to minimum there by reducing free surface effect.
 The load density of each compartment should never be exceeded.
 Weights should be evenly distributed both transversely and longitudinally throughout the
entire compartment and the ship. This is to reduce excessive stress on the hull girder
and to ensure that the ship has a convenient trim.
 Lashing gear should be of adequate SWL to secure the cargo.
 Safety of crew is of utmost importance and there should be a clear understanding of
risks involved during loading, carriage and discharge of the various types of cargoes
including dangerous goods.
 Protect cargo from damage, loss or deterioration and to ensure a good out turn.

Methods of blocking, lashing, shoring and tomming cargo

Blocking
- Blocking is the act of attaching solid pieces of wood, or blocks, to a deck, bulkhead, or
overhead, so that these pieces lean directly against the cargo to prevent its movement.

- Blocking must be braced, shored, or tommed to be effective.

- Additional bracing would be required to secure the item adequately.

- Pieces of wood measuring 2 by 4 inches are doubled instead of using single 4- by 4-

inch pieces to make nailing and securing to the deck possible.

- The 2- by 6-inch blocking extends the full width of the unit load.

- Since blocking may be nailed directly into the wooden deck, the load may be secured in
any location in the hold without the need for extending pieces to permanent ship's
structures for bracing.

- Since it is very difficult to drive nails into a metal deck, 4- by 4-inch lumber must be
extended to the bulkhead to provide necessary bracing.

BLOCKING FOR WOOD AND METAL DECKS

Bracing

Bracing is the act of installing a wood piece or structure so that it extends from a deck,
bulkhead, or overhead to the stow. This technique strengthens the blocking by supporting it
in a horizontal direction. Figure below shows a basic method of bracing. Kickers are
relatively short lengths of lumber nailed horizontally. They add rigidity to the uprights and
braces and are either nailed to the deck or wedge-fitted to a bulkhead. In both cases, the
structure extends slightly higher than the unit load and along its full width.

Shoring and Tomming

Shoring, which includes blocking and bracing, is the process of securing cargo to prevent
side-to-side movement by supporting it from the side. Shoring may also be used to prevent
downward movement by supporting cargo from below.

Tomming is the securing of cargo to prevent upward movement. Personnel secure the
cargo by running lumber from the ship's overhead structure down to the cargo either
vertically or at an angle.
Method of securing heavy loads, vehicles, containers

Information is necessary for you to know before loading a heavy lift:

• The weight, size and construction of the loads.

• Where support points of the loads are required or are permissible.
• Maximum load of each specific support point which the design would tolerate.
• What securing points are available on the load and where are they located.
• Where the lifting attachments may be made on the load and how they are made.
• Is the speed of movement of the load is in anyway critical.
• If any additional lifting or lashing and dunnaging equipment is required and who will
provide them.
• Permissible load density of the tank top or deck where the heavy lift is to be placed.
• Lashing points available on the ship in the vicinity where load is to be placed.
• Necessary lashing gear available and ready at hand.
• The heavy load is placed on strengthened positions, preferably on decks supported by
bulkheads or pillar or other strong constructional fittings.
• The weight of load shall be evenly spread using dunnage avoiding point loads.
For Ro-Ro ships

Wheel-based cargoes, in the context of these guidelines, are all cargoes which are
provided with wheels on tracks, including those which are used for the stowage and
transport of other cargoes, except trailers and road trains, but including buses, military
vehicles with or without tracks, tractors, earth-moving equipment, rolltrailers, etc.

General Recommendations
1. The cargo spaces in which wheel-based cargo is to be stowed should be dry, clean and
free from grease and oil.
2. Wheel-based cargoes should be provided with adequate and clearly marked securing
points or other equivalent means of sufficient strength to which lashings may be applied.
3. Wheel-based cargoes which are not provided with securing points should have those
places where lashings may be applied, clearly marked.
4. Wheel-based cargoes, which are not provided with rubber wheels or tracks with friction
increasing lower surfaces, should always be stowed on wooden dunnage or other
friction increasing material such as soft boards, rubber mats, etc.
5. When in stowage position, the brakes of a wheel-based unit, if so equipped, should be
set.
6. Wheel-based cargoes should be secured to the ship by lashings made of material
having strength and elongation characteristics at least equivalent to steel chain or wire.
7. Where possible, wheel-based cargoes, carried as part cargo, should be stowed close to
the ship's side or in stowage positions which are provided with sufficient securing points
of sufficient strength, or be block stowed from side to side of the cargo space.
8. To prevent any lateral shifting of wheel-based cargoes not provided with adequate
securing points, such cargoes should, where practicable, be stowed close to the ship's
side and close to each other, or be blocked off by other suitable cargo units such as
loaded containers, etc.
9. To prevent the shifting of wheel-based cargoes, it is, where practicable, preferable to
stow those cargoes in a fore-and-aft direction rather than athwart ships. If wheel-based
cargoes are inevitably stowed athwart ships, additional securing of sufficient strength
may be necessary.
10. The wheels of wheel-based cargoes should be blocked to prevent shifting.
11. Cargoes stowed on wheel-based units should be adequately secured to stowage
platforms or, where provided with suitable means, to its sides. Any movable external
components attached to a wheel-based unit, such as derricks, arms or turrets should be
adequately locked or secured in position.
12. Road vehicles and semi-trailers should be stowed so that the chassis are kept as static
as possible by not allowing free play in the suspension. This can be done by securing
the vehicle to the deck as tightly as the lashing tensioning device will permit, and in the
case of compresses air suspension systems, by first releasing the air pressure where
this facility is provided.
13. Lashings should not be attached to lamp brackets, side guards or bumpers except those
specially designed for this purpose.
14. Lashings on a road vehicle, semi-trailer or roll trailer should be under equal tension.
15. Only one lashing should be attached to any one aperture, loop or lashing ring at each
vehicle securing point.
16. Where practicable, the arrangement of lashings on both sides of a vehicle should be the
same, and angled to provide some fore and aft restraint with an equal number pulling
forward as are pulling aft.
17. The front ends of roll trailers shall always be placed on soft boards or rubber mats.
18. Caterpillar treaded vehicles such as bulldozers and cranes are prone to sliding when
parked on bare steel decks owing to the low degree of frictional resistance between the
threads and the deck. Such vehicles should be stowed on dunnage or soft boards
before being secured.
19. Parking brakes, where provided, of each vehicle or each element of a combination of
vehicles should be applied.

STOWING TRACKED VEHICLE ON DECK

Safe stowage and securing of containers on deck of ships which are not specially
designed and fitted for the purpose of carrying containers

1. Stowage
a) Containers carried on deck or on hatches of such ships should preferably be
stowed in the fore and- aft direction.
b) Containers should not extend over the ship's sides. Adequate supports should be
provided when containers overhang hatches or deck structures.
c) Containers should be stowed and secured so as to permit safe access for
personnel in the necessary operation of the ship.
d) Containers should at no time overstress the deck or hatches on which they are
stowed.
e) Bottom-tier containers, when not resting on stacking devices, should be stowed
on timber of sufficient thickness, arranged in such a way as to transfer the stack
load evenly on to the structure of the stowage area.
f) When stacking containers, use should be made of locking devices, cones, or
similar stacking aids, as appropriate, between them
g) When stowing containers on deck or hatches, the position and strength of the
securing points should be taken into consideration.
 h) If the individual gross weights of the containers are not known all 20ft units and
all 40ft units should be assumed to have a gross weight of 20 and 26 tonnes
respectively with the centre of gravity at the geometrical centre.
i) Care should be taken to ensure that the safe weight load of each individual
container is not exceeded and that the gross and tare weights are accurately
recorded and declared.
j) Stowing containers in cargo holds requires securing in solid blocks. The
containers should be keyed to the tanktop and adequate inter-locking of units
should be provided. The resulting block must be secured to the ship structure
using common sense.

2. Securing
 All containers should be effectively secured in such a way as to protect them from
sliding and tipping. Hatch covers carrying containers should be adequately secured
to the ship.
 Containers should be secured using one of the three methods recommended in
figure 1 or methods equivalent thereto.
 Lashings should preferably consist of wire ropes or chains or material with equivalent
strength and elongation characteristics.
 Timber shoring should not exceed 2 m in length.
 Wire clips should be adequately greased and tightened so that the dead end of the
wire is visibly compressed (figure 2).
 Lashings should be kept, when possible, under equal tension.

Care should be taken when:

- It is required to mix general break-bulk cargo with containers.
- Loading general cargo on top of containers.