The proper stowage and securing of cargoes is of the utmost importance for the safety of life at sea. Improper stowage and securing of cargoes has resulted in numerous serious ship casualties and caused injury and loss of life, not only at sea but also during loading and discharge.
Furthermore, many incidents in transport are attributed to poor practices in the packing of cargo transport units, including inadequate securing of the cargo within the cargo transport units, overloading and incorrect declaration of contents. This is of major concern particularly because the victims may be the general public or transport and supply chain workers, who generally have no control over the packing of such units.
In order to deal with the problems and hazards arising from improper stowage and securing of certain cargoes on ships and improper packing of cargo transport units, the IMO has developed, in cooperation with other UN agencies where appropriate, the codes listed hereunder:
