In the international transport of goods, a major part of the risk is not in the journey itself, but in how the transport units are loaded, stowed and secured before the start of the journey. A poorly packed container, with incorrectly distributed weight or insufficient lashing can lead to damage to the goods, accidents during port handling or even serious incidents on the road or on board the ship.
To reduce these risks and unify criteria at a global level, organizations such as the IMO (International Maritime Organization), the ILO (International Labor Organization) and the UNECE (UN Economic Commission for Europe) developed the CTU Code (Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units). This code sets out good practices for the preparation, loading and securing of cargo in containers and other cargo transport units.
Knowing and applying the CTU Code is essential for shippers, freight forwarders, logistics operators and companies that export or import on a regular basis. It is not just a matter of complying with a technical recommendation, but of protecting the safety of people, the integrity of cargo and the continuity of the supply chain.
What is the CTU Code and who regulates it?
The CTU Code (CTU Code – Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units) is an international technical guide that establishes good practices for the preparation, loading, stowage and securing of goods in cargo transport units, especially containers.
Its purpose is to ensure safer operations and reduce incidents resulting from poor packaging or weight distribution.
Unlike other mandatory regulations, the CTU Code is a globally recognized reference document that provides clear criteria for all actors involved in the handling of containerized goods.
Agencies that develop and regulate the CTU Code
The CTU Code is the result of collaboration between three key international organizations:
IMO (International Maritime Organization) – Provides the maritime perspective and requirements related to safety on board ships.
🧑⚖️ ILO (International Labour Organization) – Incorporates aspects related to the safety of workers handling transport units.
UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) – Addresses technical, land transport and intermodal standards.
The joint participation of these three agencies ensures that the CTU Code covers the entire logistics chain, from source cargo to final delivery.
Why it’s a global standard in shipping and inland transport
The CTU Code has become the worldwide reference for several reasons:
📘 Unifies criteria for shippers, forwarders, stevedores and carriers.
🛡️ Reduces risks and accidents associated with improperly distributed or secured loads.
🌎 Facilitates international operations by establishing a common technical language.
⚓ Complements other regulations such as SOLAS, IMDG or ISO, creating a coherent operational framework.
Although it is not a mandatory regulation per se, more and more shipping lines, ports, insurers and authorities are using it as a basis for assessing the compliance of a cargo.
Main objectives of the CTU Code
The CTU Code establishes a set of guidelines aimed at ensuring the safety, efficiency and reliability of cargo operations within containers and other transport units.
Its main purpose is to avoid incidents caused by incorrect packaging, improper weight distribution or inadequate lashing, which account for a high proportion of accidents in international logistics.
Ensuring safe loading, transport and unloading
One of the pillars of the CTU Code is to ensure that the goods, the transport unit and all persons involved in their handling are protected at every stage:
🛡️ Avoiding cargo shifting during sea transport transport by sea, land or rail.
🚫 Reduce damage to goods and containers due to improper stowage or incorrect packaging.
👷 Protect operators handling transport units in ports, warehouses and terminals.
Preventing damage to people, goods and infrastructure
The CTU Code acts as a preventive framework to minimize risks that can compromise the logistics chain:
⚠️ Avoid accidents resulting from improperly secured loads or incorrectly declared weight.
🏗️ Protect port equipment and infrastructure, including ships and cranes.
📉 Reduce claims and economic losses from avoidable claims.
Promote good practices in stowage, lashing and packaging.
The document gathers technical criteria that allow shippers and operators to apply safe and standardized procedures:
📦 Selection of suitable packaging according to type of goods.
Correct choice of lashing materials (webbing, cables, ropes, bars, airbags, etc.).
🔄 Homogeneous weight distribution to ensure stability and avoid overloading.
📝 Compliance with technical references and load diagrams proposed in the Code itself.
These best practices are especially relevant for exporters and forwarders working with heterogeneous goods or long-distance routes.
Scope of the CTU Code: to whom does it apply and in what situations?
The CTU Code is not a document intended only for prevention technicians or port personnel: it directly affects the entire logistics chain involved in the preparation and transport of a unit load.
Its correct application is a shared responsibility among the different actors involved in the loading, stowage, declaration and transportation of goods.
Shippers, stevedores, freight forwarders and carriers
The CTU Code clearly defines who is involved and what role each plays in the safety of the transport unit:
🏭 Shipper: It is the company that delivers the goods for transportation. It must ensure that the cargo has been properly packed, distributed and secured inside the unit, and that the declared information (weight, nature of the cargo, special conditions) is truthful.
⚓ Responsible for stowage and packaging: This can be the shipper himself, a logistic operator or a specialized third party. Their role is to apply good stowage and lashing practices according to the CTU Code guidelines, ensuring the stability of the cargo during transport.
Forwarders and logistics operators: Coordinate the operation between shipper, carriers, shipping lines and terminals. They must verify that the units have been prepared according to the recommendations of the CTU Code, especially in consolidation operations (LCL) or mixed loads.
🚚 Carriers (land, sea and rail): Although not always involved in loading, they are responsible for transporting safe units and, in many cases, for rejecting units with obvious defects (structural damage, overweight, improperly secured cargo, etc.).
In essence, the CTU Code makes it clear that safety is not the responsibility of a single link: it is the result of the collaboration of all the agents involved.
Application in containers, trailers and intermodal transport units
Although it is often associated with shipping containers, the CTU Code applies to a broader concept: Cargo Transport Units (CTUs). These include:
Standard sea containers (20′, 40′, High Cube, reefers, etc.).
🚛 Road trailers and semi-trailers used in international transport.
🚆 Mobile boxes and intermodal units used in combined rail-road transport.
🧊 Refrigeration units (reefers) used in cold chain.
The common denominator is that these are units prepared to be loaded, transported and unloaded as a single entity, where poor stowage poses a significant risk to the operation.
Relationship with other international standards (IMDG, SOLAS, ISO)
The CTU Code does not replace other regulations, but complements them within an overall safety framework:
IMDG Code (dangerous cargo by sea): For dangerous goods, the CTU Code expressly refers to the rules of the IMDG Code, which regulates classification, packaging, labeling and segregation. In these cases, the CTU provides additional guidelines on how to physically load and secure the goods inside the unit.
SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention: Particularly relevant in the verified weight declaration (VGM). A misdeclared cargo can affect the stability of the ship. The CTU Code reinforces the importance of correct determination and distribution of weight within the unit.
📏 ISO standards on containers and transport equipment: They define the technical characteristics and dimensions of containers and other units. The CTU Code relies on these standards to establish stowage and lashing recommendations consistent with the strength and design of the unit.
Overall, the CTU Code acts as a practical guide that brings these regulatory frameworks down to day-to-day cargo preparation: how to check the unit, how to distribute the goods, how to secure them and how to document them correctly.
Key requirements of the CTU Code
The CTU Code details a series of requirements and good practices that must be followed before, during and after the loading of a transport unit. Although not a law per se, its contents are considered a high-level technical reference and, in practice, many incidents could have been avoided simply by applying these principles.
The fundamental pillars are: correctly preparing the unit, loading and distributing the goods safely, securing the goods with appropriate methods and documenting the operation with accurate information.
Unit preparation: inspection, cleaning and integrity
Before loading any goods, the CTU Code insists that the transport unit must be in proper condition:
👀 Complete visual inspection: check for structural damage, deformations, holes, severe corrosion or doors that do not close properly.
🧹 Interior cleanliness: the container or unit must be free of debris from previous cargo, dust, liquids, strong odors or elements that may contaminate or damage the new goods.
💧 Humidity and tightness control: check for leaks, excessive condensation or signs of water ingress, especially critical for sensitive goods.
🔐 Correct functioning of doors and locks: check hinges, locking bars and sealing points.
If the unit fails these checks, it should not be used until repaired or replaced.
Weight distribution and load stability
One of the most frequent risks is poor weight distribution within the unit, which can lead to overturning, deformation or damage to equipment and goods. The CTU Code places special emphasis on:
⚖️ Distribute the weight evenly along the floor of the container or unit.
🧱 Place the heaviest packages at the bottom, avoiding too high centers of gravity.
📍 Keep the center of gravity as low and centered as possible, both longitudinally and transversely.
🚫 Do not exceed the maximum permissible unit load (payload) or axle weight limits for overland transport.
A poorly distributed load can lead to serious problems during crane handling, trucking or shipping.
Recommended stowage and lashing methods
The CTU Code does not simply say “secure cargo”: it specifies principles and practical examples of how to do this correctly according to the type of commodity and unit. Among the key recommendations:
Use appropriate lashing devices (straps, chains, bars, airbags, chocks) according to weight, friction and type of packaging.
🧱 Avoid significant gaps between packages by using filler material or restraint systems to prevent shifting.
📦 E nsure that the packaging withstands the foreseeable vertical and horizontal loads during transport.
🔄 Take into account accelerations and dynamic forces (braking, turning, ship movements) when designing the lashing scheme.
The CTU Code includes diagrams, examples and guidance tables that help to size the lashing according to the type of load and the expected conditions.
Documentation and shipper’s declarations
In addition to the physical part of the cargo, the CTU Code stresses the importance of correct and complete information:
🧾 Accurate statement of the nature of the goods: including whether they are dangerous, require special conditions or have restrictions.
⚖️ Accurate indication of the gross weight of the cargo and, when applicable, compliance with the gross mass verification (GMV) according to SOLAS.
📄 C lear instructions for the carrier and operator when there are specific handling or stowage requirements.
🏷️ Appropriate labeling and marking on the outside of the unit for hazardous or special condition loads.
An incorrect declaration of weight, type of goods or conditions can compromise the safety of the vessel, personnel and the rest of the cargo, as well as result in legal and financial liabilities for the shipper.
Common errors in complying with the CTU Code
Although the CTU Code provides clear and widely accepted guidelines, in practice many logistics incidents are caused by avoidable errors in the preparation and loading of transport units. These failures can result in damage to goods, serious accidents, operational delays and even legal penalties.
The following are the most common errors, all of which are repeatedly pointed out in the CTU Code itself.
Bad practices in load sharing
One of the most frequent causes of incidents is incorrect weight distribution, especially in containers with mixed goods.
⚖️ Carrying too much weight on one side, generating a displaced center of gravity.
🧱 Mixing heavy packages at the top and light packages at the bottom, compromising stability.
↔️ Do not secure the load longitudinally, allowing displacements during braking or swinging.
🚫 Ignore maximum container load limit (payload) or axle weight limits.
Incorrect use of lashing materials
An improperly secured load can come loose even under normal transport conditions. Typical errors include:
🪢 Using inappropriate straps or cables for the weight or type of goods.
🫙 Leave gaps unfilled, allowing lateral displacements.
📦 Relying too heavily on product packaging, without adding additional restraint.
🔄 F ailure to properly calculate the dynamic forces acting on the load (acceleration, braking, turning, sea roll).
Inaccurate weight or merchandise declarations
This is one of the most serious problems because it affects the safety of maritime and land transport.
🧾 Incorrectly declared weight, which compromises stowage on the vessel and may violate SOLAS.
⚠️ Omission of dangerous goods or special conditions, violating regulations such as IMDG.
🚚 Errors in cargo type description, making logistics planning and safe handling difficult.
Legal and operational consequences of noncompliance
Failure to correctly apply the CTU Code can result in a chain of operational and legal consequences that affect all parties involved:
💸 Damage or loss costs, insurance claims and civil liabilities.
⏱️ Delays, immobilization of units and rejection of cargo by shipping lines or authorities.
🏛️ Fines or penalties, especially in the event of non-compliance with mandatory derived regulations (IMDG, SOLAS).
🛑 S erious risks for workers, drivers, stevedores and ship’s crew.
Benefits of correctly applying the CTU Code
The correct application of the CTU Code has a direct impact on the safety, operational continuity and profitability of the supply chain. It is not just a matter of “complying with a technical recommendation”, but of reducing real risks that affect shippers, logistics operators, carriers, insurers and end customers.
Systematically implementing its guidelines helps to reduce incidents, improve service quality and reinforce trust among all stakeholders.
Reduction of accidents and claims
When transport units are prepared according to the CTU Code, the probability of incidents is significantly reduced:
🛡️ Less damage to the goods by avoiding internal displacements, crushing or overturning during transport.
👷 Increased safety for drivers, stevedores and crew by reducing risks of falling packages, overturning units or structural failure.
💸 Decrease in claims and insurance claims, which may result in better insurance conditions in the medium term.
This translates into a more stable logistics chain, with fewer interruptions and less exposure to unforeseen costs.
Optimization of safety throughout the logistics chain
The CTU Code is not limited to a single link, but reinforces end-to-end security:
🚢 Increased stability of cargoes on board vessels, reducing the risk of shifting, heeling and collateral damage.
🚚 Sa fer ground transportation, by respecting axle weight limits and avoiding inadequate centers of gravity.
🏗️ Port and terminal operations more predictable, with units better prepared for handling.
The consequence is a reduced likelihood of operational disruptions, unit rejections or the need to re-stow loads in transit.
Increased control, traceability and operational efficiency
Applying the CTU Code means working with more defined and better documented processes, which has a positive impact on day-to-day management:
📋 C lear inspection, stowage and lashing procedures, facilitating personnel training and repeatability of operations.
🧾 More reliable information on weight and cargo characteristics, key to ship, truck and train planning.
📊 Improved risk and cost analysis by having consistent data on incidents, damage and critical points.
Greater confidence among shippers, freight forwarders, shipping lines and insurers, as it is based on a recognized international standard.
Overall, the CTU Code contributes to safer, more efficient and more predictable logistics, which is essential for companies working with large volumes or complex supply chains.
Across Logistics: your international logistics partner for safe and efficient operations
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