No ‘one size fits all’ for securing cargo

Poorly secured cargo has been identified as a leading cause of loss or damage – particularly in the project cargo sector. According to Pooven Moodaliar, managing director of Cargo Lash, valuable cargo and project cargo can be exposed to extreme external influences and the use of traditional polyester securing solutions with standard buckles can lead to a risk of slippage under such circumstances. “In addition, cargo that has not been properly loaded and secured may break free and move in transit which, in the case of large trucks, can throw a vehicle off balance resulting in an accident,” he says. “Project cargo is often more difficult to secure than general cargo as it comes in different or abnormal shapes and sizes such as heavy lift, breakbulk and out-of-gauge cargo.” And securing cargo is not a one size fits all solution. “It is only after conducting a physical inspection of the cargo that we can supply lashing and securing plans to the client,” he said. “We work closely with our customers to provide advice and solutions – whether transporting dangerous chemicals or fragile artefacts. We insist on comprehensive and accurate cargo information.” According to Moodaliar most damage can be attributed to the use of poor quality or uncertified lashing material, a lack of detailed planning, use of a poorly trained lashing crew, or limited awareness or lack of compliance with global codes of practice for the handling and packing of cargo. He said ongoing investment in infrastructure and equipment was therefore essential for a cargo securing specialist company such as Cargo Lash. The company recently entered into a ten-year lease with Transnet Port Terminals for a facility in Bayhead close to the Port of Durban. “This will allow us a much quicker response time to get to the port’s claims quarantine areas, if and when we required to render our expertise to correctly secure cargo that has been rejected,” he told FTW. “We also have invested in corrosion intercept and power heat shrink equipment. We have had very positive responses from clients to our alternative and cheaper solution to tarpaulins by power heat shrinking cargo moving on the back of open trucks.” He said they recommended using a power heat shrinking application as opposed to traditional tarpaulins. The company has invested in internationally designed and

manufactured heat guns used for the heat shrink tubing and carrion intercept applications. “We now have pneumatic tensioners as opposed to the traditional manual tensioners which allows us all round even tension and speeds up the cargo securing process, especially on heavy abnormal project cargo,” said Moodaliar.