8.2 CTU checks
8.2.1 Approval plates
8.2.1.1 Freight containers and, under certain conditions, also swap
bodies and road trailers may be required by applicable regulations to bear a safety
approval plate. Details of the markings required on swap bodies and road trailers
destined for transport by rail within the European railway network and data plates
on freight containers transported internationally by sea and covered by the International
Convention for Safe Containers (CSC) are shown in annex 4.
8.2.1.2 The safety approval plate as required by the CSC should be permanently
affixed to the rear of the freight container, usually the left hand door. On this
plate, the most important information for the packer are:
- The maximum gross mass. This is the maximum mass of the packed
freight container and should never be exceeded.
-
The allowable stacking mass (see annex 4, section 3 for more information). Freight
containers having an allowable stacking mass of less than 192,000 kg are not
suitable for unrestricted transport by sea (see paragraph 7.3.1).
If there is no CSC approval plate, the freight container should
not be used in international traffic.
8.2.1.3 The CSC requires freight containers to be thoroughly examined 5 years after
manufacture and subsequently at least every 30 months and two methods are used by
the container industry for recording that the freight container is fit for use. Both
methods require marks to be shown on or near to the safety approval plate:
8.2.1.3.1 The date of the next periodic examination is stamped on the approval plate
or affixed to it in form of a decal. The date of the next examination shown in
figure 8.1 is September 2018.
Figure 8.1 CSC safety
approval plate with next examination date
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Figure 8.2 CSC safety
approval plate with ACEP mark
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8.2.1.3.2 As an alternative to such periodic inspections, the owner or operator of
the freight container may execute an approved continuous examination programme where
the freight container is frequently inspected at major interchanges. Freight
containers operated under such a programme should be marked on or near to the safety
approval plate with a mark starting "ACEP" followed by numerals and letters
indicating the approval number of this continuous examination programme (see figure
8.2).
8.2.1.4 If there is no ACEP mark and if the next examination date is already elapsed,
or is before the expected arrival time of the freight container at its destination,
the freight container should not be used in intermodal or international traffic.
8.2.1.5 The practice of transporting cargo in one door open or one door removed
freight containers is inherently dangerous and therefore is strongly discouraged.
The practice is illegal unless it is marked on the CSC plate (see figure 8.3).
Additionally, there may be negative consequences to using this practice in the
supply chain (e.g. terminals refusing to handle open door freight containers).
Figure 8.3 CSC safety approval
plate for one door off operation
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8.2.2 Exterior checks
8.2.2.1 The structural framework, the walls and roof of a CTU should be in good
condition, and not significantly distorted, cracked or bent. The CTU operator is
responsible for delivering a CTU that complies with international structural
integrity requirements and international or national safety regulations. If the
structural integrity is in doubt, advice should be sought from supervisory personnel
or the CTU operator.
8.2.2.2 The doors of a CTU should work properly and be capable of being securely
locked and sealed in the closed position, and properly secured in the open position.
Door gaskets and weather strips should be in good condition.
8.2.2.3 A folding CTU with movable or removable main components should be correctly
assembled. Care should be taken to ensure that removable parts not in use are packed
and secured inside the unit.
8.2.2.4 Any component that can be adjusted or moved, or a pin that can be engaged and
withdrawn, should be checked to see that it can be moved easily and retained
correctly. This is of particular importance for folding flatracks where the
end-walls are retained in the upright position by a pin or shoot bolt which should
be engaged and retained from accidentally pulling out by a retaining flap.
8.2.2.5 Removable or swinging headers of open top CTUs should be inspected. The
header is generally supported by removable pins. Checks should be made to ensure
that the pins are of the correct length and freely removable at both ends. Checks
should also be made for signs of cracks around the hinges.
8.2.2.6 Road vehicles that are likely to be carried on rail wagons or on ro-ro ships
should be provided with points for securing them. There should be equal numbers of
lashing points on both sides of the vehicle and each point should be intact and free
from serious corrosion or damage.
8.2.2.7 For sheeted vehicles or containers the side, top or all round covers should
be checked as being in satisfactory condition and capable of being secured. Loops or
eyes in such canvas which take the fastening ropes, as well as the ropes themselves,
should be in good condition. All lashing strap ratchet tighteners should be able to
be engaged and operate correctly.
8.2.2.8 Labels, placards, marks or signs regarding previous usages of the CTU should
be removed. Permanently affixed signs and marks may never be removed.
8.2.2.9 When undertaking the exterior checks, the CTU should be checked for any signs
of recontamination particularly:
8.2.3 Interior checks
8.2.3.1 Before entering a closed CTU, the doors should be opened for a period of time
– enough to allow the internal atmosphere to regularize with the ambient. Care
should be taken to ensure that during this period, animals and insects should not
enter the CTU.
8.2.3.2 The CTU should be free from major damage, with no broken flooring or
protrusions such as nails, bolts, special fittings, etc. which could cause injury to
persons or damage to the cargo.
8.2.3.3 The CTU should not show liquids or persisting stains on flooring and side
walls. There are a number of different materials and surface treatments used for
flooring in CTUs. Sealed surfaces generally can be cleaned with absorbent materials.
Where a stain can be transferred by wiping a gloved hand over it, the CTU should not
be used and a replacement CTU should be requested.
8.2.3.4 A CTU should be weatherproof unless clearly designed otherwise (e.g.
flatrack). Patches or repairs to solid walls should be carefully checked for
possible leakage by looking for rusty streaks below patches. Repairs to side and
roof sheets should have a fully stitched patch covering all of the hole with a
substantial overlap.
8.2.3.5 Potential points of leakage may be detected by observing whether any light
enters a closed unit. Standard and approved procedures for identifying pin holes and
other points of leakage should be adopted.
8.2.3.6 Cargo tie-down cleats or rings, where provided, should be in good condition
and well anchored. If heavy items of cargo are to be secured in a CTU, the operator
should be contacted for information about the cleat strength and appropriate action
taken.
8.2.4 Cleanliness
8.2.4.1 All CTUs should be provided clean and free from contamination, but the type
will dictate the standard that can be expected.
8.2.4.2 Closed CTUs should be clean, dry and free of residue and/or persistent odours
from previous cargo.
8.2.4.3 Open CTUs should be free from debris and as dry as is possible.
8.2.4.4 Following receipt of the CTU the packer should prevent recontamination.
Examples of recontamination will be the presence of any of the following:
- Soil;
-
Plants/plant products/debris;
-
Seeds;
-
Moths, wasps and bees;
-
Snails, slugs, ants and spiders;
-
Mould and fungi;
-
Frass (insect and bird droppings or waste);
-
Egg sacs;
-
Animals (including frogs), animal parts/blood/excreta and
reproductive components or parts thereof;
-
Other contamination that shows visible signs of harbouring pests
or invasive alien species (including alien species which carry risks of
becoming invasive at the site of arrival of CTUs).
8.3 Positioning CTUs for packing
8.3.1 Wheeled operation
8.3.1.1 Road trailers and containers on chassis can be left at the packer's premises
for a period of time without a tractor unit. When this happens, the correct
positioning of the CTU is particularly important as a safe shifting of the CTU at a
later stage might be difficult. After positioning, brakes should be applied and
wheels should be chocked.
8.3.1.2 Trailers with end door openings and general purpose freight containers on
chassis can be backed up to an enclosed loading bay or can be positioned elsewhere
in the premises. For this type of operation a safe access to the CTU by means of
suitable ramps is required.
8.3.1.3 Where the CTU cannot be closed in situ because of the loading bay structure,
or where to secure the area the CTU would need moving then the packer should
consider positioning the CTU so that the doors to the facility and/or the CTU can be
closed and access gained by a removable ramp.
8.3.1.4 When a semi-trailer or a container on a chassis is to be packed, care should
be taken to ensure that the trailer or chassis cannot tip while a lift truck is
being used inside the CTU.
8.3.1.5 For more information on positioning and securing wheeled CTUs, see annex 5, section 2.1.
8.3.2 Grounded operation
8.3.2.1 CTUs may be unloaded from the delivery vehicle and be placed within secure
areas for packing. Proper lifting equipment is required.
8.3.2.2 When landing CTUs it should be ensured that the area is clear of any debris
or undulations in the ground that may damage the understructure (cross members or
rails) of the CTU.
8.3.2.3 Grounded CTUs will deform to the ground on which they are placed, therefore
it is important that the area should be firm, level and well drained. Failure may
result in:
8.3.2.4 Packers should not position CTUs in such locations where there is a risk of
recontamination. This means that, whenever possible, CTUs should be placed on a hard
pavement clear of soil, vegetation, overhanging trees and away from flood lights.
8.3.2.5 CTUs should not be positioned where there is mud, vegetation or standing
pools of water as these can harbour pests, insects and other animals or under flood
lights which attract nocturnal organisms.
8.3.2.6 When a swap body standing on its support legs is to be packed, particular
care should be taken to ensure that the swap body does not tip when a lift truck is
used for packing. It should be checked that the support legs of the swap body rest
firmly on the ground and cannot shift, slump or move when forces are exerted to the
swap body during packing.
8.3.2.7 For more information on grounded operation of CTUs, see annex 5, section 2.2.
8.3.3 Access to the CTU
8.3.3.1 After the CTU has been positioned for packing, a safe access should be
provided. For loading a CTU by means of forklift trucks driven into the CTU, a
bridging unit between the working ground or loading ramp and the CTU floor should be
used. The bridging unit should have lateral boundaries and be safely connected to
the CTU for avoiding dislocation of the bridging unit during driving operations.
8.3.3.2 If the CTU floor is at a height level different to that of the loading ramp,
a hump may appear between the loading ramp and the bridging unit or between the
bridging unit and the CTU floor. Care should be taken that the forklift truck used
keeps sufficient ground clearance over this hump. Lining the level differences with
suitable timber material under the bridging unit should be considered.
8.3.3.3 If forklift trucks are employed for packing, any roofs or covers of the CTU
should be opened if necessary. Any movable parts of such roofs or covers should be
removed or suitably secured in order to avoid interference with the loading
procedure.
8.3.3.4 Packing of CTUs in poor daylight conditions may require additional lighting.
Electric lighting equipment should be used under the strict observance of relevant
safety regulations, in order to eliminate the risk of electric shocks or incendive
sparks from defective cables or heat accumulation from light bulbs.
8.3.3.5 For more information on access to CTU, see annex 5, section 2.3.