In the meantime....... never position yourself under or near the travel path of a box!

We're borrowing three of the four photographs appearing below from the "Operators" FB page, where we've learned of an apparent corner fitting(s) pull through that likely led to the dropping of this container at the CCT Marine Terminal at Colon, Panama yesterday.

Design and component strength criteria built into the IMO's Convention for Safe Containers (CSC) ensures that corner fittings are fabricated of the appropriate steel and contribute to the overall container structure's ability to withstand twice the maximum gross weight imposed (2R). Accordingly, why this particular lift succumbed to a "pull through" is, without more facts being known, a matter of conjecture. Nonetheless, it did.

Some likely potential reasons for the failure:

1). Grossly overloaded conditions;
2). Inappropriate carbon content of corner fitting steel;
3). Non compliance with ACEP examination protocols.

The veracity of ACEP program compliance has been drawn into deep question at IMO, and will likely be the subject of some CSC amendment in the future. The prevailing politics at IMO, however, generally ensures a glacial speed for that type of undertaking. 

In the meantime....... never position yourself under or near the travel path of a box!

to Longshore Safety  

‎Ron Signorino‎

President at The Blueoceana Company, Inc.

• With great regret, a Norwegian friend has alerted us to a fatal accident that claimed the life of a longshore worker last Wednesday morning (21 November) at the Chilean port of Huasco.

  In that accident, we're made to understand that while loading the M/V PRONOI R with a cargo of iron ore the boom of a marine loading leg collapsed upon Sr. Jorge Alejandro Chilcumpa. Allegedly, Sr. Chilcumpa was engaged in positioning the cargo loading appliance at the time.

  Metal fatigue has been mentioned as a potential cause by the relevant investigating authority.