The International Transport Federation wants to see a mandatory weight limit for shipping containers criss-crossing the world’s oceans, warning of vast dangers posed by unweighed or mis-declared loads.

An amendment to the existing Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) has been put before a meeting of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) sub-committee on dangerous goods, solid cargoes and containers.

Safety authorities will be waiting to hear whether the weighing of packed shipping containers will become mandatory, after nearly a decade of lobbying by the ITF - it too will be hoping to see some weight regulations finally formed. The existing system of self-reliance may be knocked overboard by the constantly increasing load capacities on ships.

The ITF proposal stipulates that there should be an international law for mandatory weighing of loaded containers; a process put in place to address mis-declaration of container weights; and for ships’ masters to be able to refuse to load un-declared or mis-declared containers. The amendment is supported by the United States and Danish governments as well as industry bodies including the World Shipping Council (WSC) and the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO).

ITF president and chair of the ITF dockers’ division Paddy Crumlin says: “This is a key issue for transport workers worldwide. We estimate containers that are declared as one weight but in reality are substantially lighter or heavier, may be in the region of 20 per cent of all cargo. This presents a major health and safety risk to dockers loading and unloading in ports, to seafarers onboard cargo vessels, and to drivers transporting containers on the roads.”

“But this isn’t just a worker issue. When a truck jack-knifes because it can’t handle the burden of the container, if a cargo ship splits in two because it’s been overloaded, when port equipment and infrastructure are prematurely worn down because of overweight containers, then you have a major issue for the public, for the environment and for shipping companies.

“It is time for this issue to get the weighty response it deserves and we want to see governments and industry players get behind the SOLAS amendment so that an appropriate response to the issue can be delivered, via the IMO.”

The ITF submission points to the recent dramatic fracturing and sinking of the MOL Comfort; a five-year old containership which broke in half before descending to the depths in June this year.