Page 23 - Port of Hamburg | Port of Hamburg Magazine 1.2022

Iron bars are also transported in containers.
such freight will invariably call for the maximum capac- ity or dimensions of a 40-ft standard container.
FCL or LCL?
In seaborne transport, a distinction is made between containerized cargo of two different types. The abbreviation LCL stands for Less than Container Load and describes the com- bination in a single container of general car- goes from different shippers. As a rule, FCL – Full Container Load – freight is project cargo from a single shippers, filling an entire con- tainer.
EVERYTHING NORMED
The CTU Code of the IMO – International Maritime Organisation and the ILO – International Labour Or- ganisation lays down the requirements and criteria for securing cargoes. This replaced the previous con- tainer packing guidelines in 1997.
Standard containers are known as ISO containers. These are of normed dimensions, facilitating con- tainer stacking and handling at terminals.
Containers for transport by sea are equipped in ad- vance with devices for securing cargo. These con- sists of lashing bars on the corner posts and the roofs and longitudinal members; lashing rings mounted in the floor; ‘corrugated’ steel sidewalls; and ideally, a wooden container floor. The appropri- ate cargo lashing devices can then be secured at these points.
STOW TIGHT-FIT IF POSSIBLE
From box to box, the differing characteristics of the freight items poses a fresh challenge for the pack- ing experts. “It’s rather like playing Tetris,” is
“It’s rather like
playing Tetris.”
PCH CEO Ole Brügmann’s imaginative way of de- scribing the process of stowing LCL cargo in a standard container.
The most vital principle here is always: Cargo inside the container must be secured on all sides against slipping. Securing on the door side is especially vi- tal. Fundamentally, packing commences with the largest elements. Stowage must be tight-fit. “The less filler material required, the better,’ explains
CONTAINER WORLDS ■
Port of Hamburg Magazine | June 2022 | 23
© HHM / Hirsch