Start hereRules checked 20 October 2026
Containers lost overboard make headlines; cargo that shifts in a hold sinks ships. The World Shipping Council reported about 1,478 containers lost at sea in 2025, compared with 576 in 2024, according to a UK P&I Club summary. Much of what stops cargo moving is simple hardware on deck: twistlocks, lashing rods, turnbuckles, chains, D-rings and deck sockets, each with a rated strength and a finite life.
The Paris and Tokyo port State control MoUs are running a joint concentrated inspection campaign on cargo securing from 1 September to 30 November 2026, so these items are being checked on ships in their ports right now. This lesson covers the equipment side: what the approved Cargo Securing Manual must say about inspecting and maintaining securing devices, and what inspectors look for.
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In this lesson
- Lashing gear walk-round before the PSC campaign
- In plain words
- In detail
- What the rules say
- Flag and class notes
- Key numbers
- What inspectors find
- Quiz: 5 questions
Try it
Lashing gear walk-round before the PSC campaign
In plain words
Every ship that carries cargo other than solid or liquid bulk must have a Cargo Securing Manual (CSM) approved by its flag (usually through the classification society). It explains how cargo is stowed and secured on that particular ship, and it lists the ship’s securing devices:
- fixed devices welded to the ship: deck sockets, D-rings, eye plates, container fittings on hatch covers;
- portable devices: twistlocks, lashing rods and wires, turnbuckles, chains, bridge fittings, car lashings.
Each device has a maximum securing load (MSL), the load it may be used up to for securing cargo. The manual sets out how devices are inspected, maintained, repaired or thrown away, and the ship keeps a record book of those inspections. In short: use only the devices the manual lists, inspect them, take damaged ones out of use, and record it.
In detail
The legal basis
SOLAS regulations VI/5 and VII/5 require cargo units and cargo transport units to be loaded, stowed and secured throughout the voyage in accordance with the Cargo Securing Manual approved by the Administration, drawn up to a standard at least equivalent to IMO’s guidelines. Those guidelines are the Revised guidelines for the preparation of the Cargo Securing Manual, now in their second revision, MSC.1/Circ.1353/Rev.2. The Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS Code) gives the underlying principles and calculation methods.
What the manual says about equipment
Chapter 2 of the manual describes the securing devices and arrangements:
- Fixed devices: number, location, type and MSL, on deck, on hatch covers, in holds and on deckheads, shown in plans, sketches or tables.
- Portable devices: type, total number, maker’s name, MSL and use, for example container stacking and deck fittings, chains, wire lashings, rods, tensioners, car securing gear and trestles.
- Inspection and maintenance schemes (section 2.3), which may be kept as a separate document referenced in the manual.
Inspection and maintenance (section 2.3 of the guidelines)
- Regular inspections and maintenance are carried out under the responsibility of the master.
- At minimum: routine visual examination of components being used, and periodic examinations or re-testing as the Administration requires.
- A record book, kept with the manual, containing the procedures for accepting, maintaining and repairing or rejecting securing devices, and a record of inspections.
- Information for the master on inspecting and adjusting securing arrangements during the voyage.
- Computerised maintenance systems may be referred to.
In practice, a workable scheme sets: who inspects (for example the bosun under the chief officer), when (before and after use, after heavy weather, and periodically), what to look for (cracks, deformation, worn or seized moving parts, corrosion, illegible markings), what makes a device unserviceable, and where rejected devices go so they cannot come back into use. Follow the device maker’s instructions, which the manual should reflect.
Keeping the manual true
The manual must match the ship. Fixed fittings changed in dry dock, a new type of twistlock bought from a different supplier, or a different lashing system all require the manual to be updated and re-approved. The same applies to the number of portable devices on board: a ship should carry the devices its manual relies on.
What the 2026 campaign checks
The joint Paris and Tokyo MoU questionnaire covers:
- the validity of the CSM and its approval, and whether it reflects the arrangements on board;
- whether it is followed during loading, stowage and securing, including stack and tier weights and weight limits on tank tops, hatch covers and decks;
- the condition of securing devices and up-to-date inspection and maintenance records;
- availability of adequate portable devices of the correct brand and type;
- crew familiarisation with the manual and its limits;
- bridge visibility (SOLAS V/22), VGM in the cargo plan, a Cargo Safe Access Plan where required, and heavy-weather and cargo loss procedures in the SMS.
Deficiencies can lead to anything from a recorded deficiency to detention.
What the rules say
- SOLAS regulations VI/5 and VII/5 require cargo units and cargo transport units to be loaded, stowed and secured throughout the voyage in accordance with the Cargo Securing Manual approved by the Administration, drawn up to a standard at least equivalent to IMO guidelines. 1
- The CSM guidelines define the maximum securing load (MSL) as the allowable load capacity for a device used to secure cargo to a ship, and allow SWL to be substituted where it equals or exceeds the MSL strength. 1
- The CSM guidelines, section 2.3.1, place regular inspection and maintenance of securing devices under the responsibility of the master, with at least routine visual examinations and periodic examinations or re-testing as the Administration requires. 1
- The CSM guidelines, section 2.3.2, require a record book kept with the manual containing the procedures for accepting, maintaining, repairing or rejecting securing devices and a record of inspections. 1
- The CSM guidelines, sections 2.1 and 2.2, require the manual to list fixed and portable securing devices with their number, location or use, and MSL. 1
- The UK applies MSC.1/Circ.1353/Rev.2 for approving Cargo Securing Manuals and allows the inspection and maintenance schemes of paragraph 2.3 of the guidelines to be kept in a separate document referenced in the manual. 2
- The Paris and Tokyo MoUs run a concentrated inspection campaign on cargo securing of cargo units and cargo transport units from 1 September to 30 November 2026, with one CIC inspection per ship per MoU in that period. 3
Flag and class notes
- United Kingdom (MGN 699 (M), annex C) explains how UK ship CSMs are prepared and approved to MSC.1/Circ.1353/Rev.2, including the content of the securing devices chapter. 2
- Belize (Merchant Marine Notice MMN-26-004) required its ships to submit the CIC questionnaire before the campaign and lists what flag inspectors verify: CSM approval, that it reflects on-board arrangements, crew familiarisation, evidence of implementation, and records of adequate securing devices and their maintenance. 3
- The classification society usually approves the CSM on behalf of the flag. Ask it before changing fixed fittings or the type of portable devices.
Key numbers
What inspectors find
- Manuals that do not reflect the fixed fittings or portable devices actually on board. 3
- Portable devices of a type or make not listed in the manual, or too few devices for the stowage the manual describes. 3
- No inspection and maintenance records for securing devices, or no procedure for rejecting damaged ones. 3
- Officers unfamiliar with stack weights and deck, hatch cover and tank top load limits. 4
- Cargo plans that do not use the containers’ verified gross mass. 4
FAQ
Do bulk carriers need a Cargo Securing Manual?
The manual is required on ships carrying cargoes other than solid and liquid bulk. A bulk carrier that also carries steel, project cargo or containers needs one for those cargoes.
Is there a fixed interval for re-testing lashing equipment?
The guidelines leave periodic examination or re-testing to the Administration and the manual’s scheme. Follow your manual, your flag’s requirements and the device maker’s instructions.
Can we use lashings bought locally in port?
Only if they are of a type and MSL that the manual allows, with certificates. Otherwise the manual has to be amended and approved first.
What is the difference between MSL and breaking load?
MSL is the allowable load for securing purposes, a fraction of the breaking load that depends on the type of device. The CSS Code gives the method; the manual lists each device’s MSL.
Quiz5 questions
Sources
- 1
IMO MSC.1/Circ.1353, Revised guidelines for the preparation of the Cargo Securing Manual (30 June 2010), paragraph 1 and Annex sections 1.1, 2.1 to 2.3; now revised as MSC.1/Circ.1353/Rev.2 (copy of the 2010 text hosted by the German Flag). https://www.deutsche-flagge.de/de/redaktion/dokumente/interpretationen/solas/vii/msc-1-circ-1353-revised-guidelines-for-the-preparation-of-the-cargo-securing-manual.pdf
- 2
UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, MGN 699 (M), Guidance on the Merchant Shipping (Carriage of Cargoes) Regulations 2024, annex C, Stowage and securing: Cargo Securing Manual, paragraphs 1.2 and 1.9. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mgn-699-m-guidance-on-the-merchant-shipping-carriage-of-cargoes-regulations-2024/annex-c-stowage-and-securing-cargo-securing-manual
- 3
IMMARBE (Belize), Merchant Marine Notice MMN-26-004, Joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign on Cargo Securing of Cargo Units and Cargo Transport Units (14 August 2026), including the Paris and Tokyo MoU press release of 3 August 2026. https://www.immarbe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MMN-26-004-Joint-Concentrated-Inspection-Campaign-on-Cargo-Securing-of-Cargo-Units-and-Cargo-Transport-Units.pdf
- 4
UK P&I Club, 2026 PSC CIC on cargo securing: key considerations for ship operators (2026), citing World Shipping Council container loss figures. https://www.ukpandi.com/news-and-resources/news/article/2026-psc-cic-on-cargo-securing-key-considerations-for-ship-operators/
Rules checked 20 October 2026. VSL Safety is not an approved training provider and doesn't issue certificates. These lessons don't replace STCW training, or the manufacturer's training and certification that service technicians need.
