Section: 11 CARGO OPERATIONS - Univan

Univan Ship Management Limited Issue 1 REV 0 Page
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FLEET OPERATION MANUAL Date 01.01.2005
SECURING OF CONTAINERS
Copyrights: Univan Ship Management Limited, Hong Kong. All rights reserved
Any unauthorized reproduction of this manual, in any form is prohibited
SECTION 11.9
sockets (for twistlocks). Sometimes, however, the chocking is not secure within itself, and
shipped seas in particular have a habit of breaking up the chocking arrangement.
Poor lashing angles and leads are yet another example of incorrect securing device application.
This is not usually a problem on vessels designed or properly adapted for the carriage of
containers on deck, since the deck/hatch lashing points are positioned to avoid chafing and to be
most effective in terms of resisting forces. A common example of the chafing problem arising on
non-purpose-built containerships is loop lashing. This is the bad practice of lashing two adjacent
containers with one wire, which passes through the adjacent corner castings of each container.
Such a practice may lead to the wire becoming overloaded. Overloading can also occur where
fixed securing devices, like deck eye pads, are made to hold more lashings than they can safely
take. Such an arrangement is often associated with poor lashing leads, and accordingly the
problem becomes compounded.
The looseness of lashings could be said to be another area of incorrect securing device
application. This can lead to a container or containers gaining momentum as mentioned above.
Slack securing usually arises from stevedore/crew laziness, poor workmanship and/or
perceived/actual time constraints, and such shortfalls are exacerbated when, through poor
maintenance, devices are too stiff to operate. Common examples of this are twistlocks left in the
not fully closed position and slack turnbuckles. Of course, securing devices may also work
themselves loose during a voyage, particularly in heavy weather.
Picture: 1-Mixed Twist Locks
Picture: 2 Uniform Twist locks