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ICHCA to host seminar on container lashing and securing

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UPDATE: London, 20.11.14 – Lloyd’s Register, Bromma and German Lashing Robert Böck join debate at ICHCA Container Lashing & Securing Seminar

David Tozer, Global Manager of Container Ships at Lloyd’s Register, Lars Meurling, Vice President of Marketing and Product Business Development at Bromma Conquip, and Markus Theuerholz, Sales Manager at German Lashing Robert Böck will be providing separate addresses at ICHCA’s Container Lashing & Securing Seminar, taking place at ECT’s Delta Terminal, Rotterdam on 10 December.

Mr. Tozer’s address will explore the increased importance of voyage and season dependent container lashing and securing, as larger container vessels, such as Maersk’s “Triple-E” Class, increase the forces exerted on cargo at sea. Mr Tozer will also discuss LR’s “21st Century” lashing force calculation method and the “Boxmax (V, W)” special notation. In addition, he will discuss the re-emergence of “external” as opposed to “internal” cross lashing. Touching on crew and stevedore safety, he will mention recent MSC Circulars and changes to the CSS Code championed by ICHCA International among other NGOs.

Discussing ways that automation in load and discharge operations can reduce the risks to operatives working on the ship and quayside, will be Lars Meurling, Vice President of Marketing and Product Business Development at Bromma Conquip, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of crane spreaders. Mr. Meurling will be lending his perspective on the benefits of using technology to automate the coning and deconing of twistlocks. Load and discharge operation “still require manned operations” explains Mr. Meurling, “meaning that personnel will be present under the gantry crane in the vicinity of containers hanging under the spreader.” His talk will address the potential for fully automated twistlock handling in manual operations as well as automated terminals.

In contrast, Markus Theuerholz, Sales Manager at German Lashing Robert Böck, will argue that “lashing work with turnbuckles and lashing rods will remain manual work for further years.” His talk will also address design issues in container lashing and securing, with particular focus on important safety measures introduced by the IMO’s new Code of Safe Practice. “Lashing work will be more complicated,” predicts Mr. Theuerholz, “especially with the new limit on the use of extension rods and the number of different fittings needed to follow Annex 14.”

The one-day seminar features presentations by other expert speakers from across the cargo chain, including: Larry Keiman, Managing Director of Matrans Holding; David Wilson, Head of Health & Safety at Hutchison Ports UK; Bill Brassington of ETS Consulting; and Jos Koning, Senior Project Manager, Trials and Monitoring, at MARIN. Attendees will have the opportunity to take part in a live study tour of ECT’s Delta facility – the world’s first automated container terminal. In addition, breakout work groups will provide a chance to discuss practical solutions to the damage, loss, injuries and death associated with poor lashing and securing.

London, 27.10.14 – ICHCA International, the NGO association for the global cargo handling industry will hold a one-day seminar on “Container Lashing and Securing” in Rotterdam on 10 December. The event will explore what the industry as a whole can do to reduce the risks and inefficiencies associated with current container lashing and securing practices, both at sea and the ship-to-shore interface.

Despite the introduction of advanced vessel and cargo handling technology, the job of container lashing and securing remains a largely manual and hazardous operation. Recent vessel casualties have also drawn attention

to the forces faced by large ships at sea, and the problem of containers damaged or lost overboard when lashings fail, as outlined in the 2009 Lashing@Sea report from MARIN (the Maritime Research Institute

Netherlands), which pinpoints failing twistlocks and deck fittings, along with poor stowage and inaccurate container weights, as major causes for concern.

Jos Koning, Senior Project Manager Trials & Monitoring for MARIN, is among a panel of speakers from across the cargo chain taking part in the ICHCA event, which is hosted by terminal operator ECT at its Delta Terminal in Rotterdam. Other confirmed speakers include David Tozer, Global Manager of Container Ships at Lloyd’s Register; Larry Keiman, Managing Director of Matrans Holding; Markus Theuerholz, Sales Manager at German Lashing Robert Böck, David Wilson, Head of Health & Safety at Hutchison Ports UK, Lars Meurling, VP Marketing and Product Business Development for Bromma and Bill Brassington of ETS Consulting.

Alongside the speeches, breakout work-groups will also provide a chance to discuss, among other topics, forthcoming amendments to the IMO’s Code for Safe Practice for Cargo Storage and Securing. The seminar will also provide an opportunity to visit a vessel for a live study tour in ECT’s Delta facility, the world’s first automated container terminal.

“Improving the safety of container lashing and securing is a truly cross party issue that all members of the industry have a stake in” says ICHCA International Chairman David Bendall. “This seminar is thus an important chance to bring all interested parties together to foster better understanding of how the whole chain can work together to reduce the damage, loss, injuries and deaths associated with this issue.”

For the full programme and list of participating speakers, plus online booking, visit

http://www.etouches.com/ichcacontainerlashingseminar

About ICHCA International

Established in 1952, ICHCA International is an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the safety, productivity and efficiency of cargo handling and movement worldwide. ICHCA’s privileged NGO status enables it to represent its members, and the cargo handling industry at large, in front of national and international agencies and regulatory bodies, while its ISP Technical Panel provides best practice advice and develops publications on a wide range of practical cargo handling issues.

Operating through a series of national and regional chapters – including ICHCA Australia, ICHCA Japan and ICHCA Canarias/Africa (CARC) – plus Correspondence and Working Groups, ICHCA provides a focal point for informing, educating, lobbying and networking to improve knowledge and best practice across the cargo handling chain.