CSC - International Convention for Safe Containers, 1972

In the 1960s, there was a rapid increase in the use of freight containers for the consignment of goods by sea and the development of specialized container ships. In 1967, IMO undertook to study the safety of containerization in marine transport. The container itself emerged as the most important aspect to be considered.

IMO, in co‑operation with the Economic Commission for Europe, developed a draft convention and in 1972 the finalized Convention was adopted at a conference jointly convened by the United Nations and IMO.

The 1972 Convention for Safe Containers has two goals.

One is to maintain a high level of safety of human life in the transport and handling of containers by providing generally acceptable test procedures and related strength requirements.

The other is to facilitate the international transport of containers by providing uniform international safety regulations, equally applicable to all modes of surface transport. In this way, proliferation of divergent national safety regulations can be avoided.

The requirements of the Convention apply to the great majority of freight containers used internationally, except those designed specially for carriage by air. As it was not intended that all containers or reusable packing boxes should be affected, the scope of the Convention is limited to containers of a prescribed minimum size having corner fittings ‑ devices which permit handling, securing or stacking.

Language: English