Cargo Worthiness Of Containers 

In the case of shipping cargoes by container, the shipper has to arrange for the drayage of the empty container from the carrier's container terminal to the shipper's premises or the loading places. The shipper must inspect the container to ensure it will adequately protect the cargo. In a dry cargo container, the doors, panels and flooring demand the utmost attention.

The doors must be in good working condition and the door locking bars should secure and lock properly. The load may push against the container doors during a rough sea voyage. Even though the rating of a 20' container is 24,000 kgs., the doors cannot withstand that much pressure of cargo load pushed against them during transit.
 

The panels and flooring must be free from cracks or damage to prevent water and moisture from entering. There is a chance that a dry cargo container will be carried on deck since the cellular container ship carries about one-third of the containers on deck. The possible ingress of the sea water and rain through a damaged container may ruin the cargo.

Always inspect the container before using it. If a container was contaminated (e.g. chemical spill / oil ) in prior use, then using the same container can be hazardous. In such circumstance, shipper should postpone cargo loading for replacement of another sound container condition from the carrier. Extra caution must be taken when loading foodstuffs in a dry cargo container. Some foodstuffs may absorb odor and moisture.

  
Stowage of Containers 
During the course of cargo loading, never allow anyone to smoke inside a container. A carelessly discarded cigarette can cause a serious fire that may destroy the cargo and the container, and may cause the loss of life.

In tropical areas, the air inside a dry cargo container is hot, humid and suffocating, especially inside a 40' container. To relieve discomfort when packing a container, it is necessary to use forced ventilation with an electric blower or fan. The air humidity is high, especially during the wet or rainy season. Forced ventilation can minimize humid air from being trapped inside a container, as the air may condense into liquid and damage the cargo when the container enters a subzero temperature area.

The weight of cargo must be distributed evenly throughout the container. As a rule of thumb, the center of gravity should not be above half the height of the container, and it should be within two feet from the center of container in the front-rear direction and within one foot in the sidewise (transverse) direction.

Cargoes like video monitors and glassware have a stacking limit or the maximum stack. Otherwise, the compression from excess weight of overstowing packages may damage the goods underneath. For this reason, heavier packages should never be stowed above lighter packages. Liquids should never be stowed above non-liquids. Keep soft packages away from other packages or objects with protrusions or sharp corners, to prevent damage cause by movement at sea and inland transit (rail or truck).
 

A ship at sea may move in different directions simultaneously. Always apply cargo dunnages (i.e., material used to separate and protect the cargo from damage during conveyance, for example, foam, mat, wire, metal chain, lumber, inflatable and fiberboard) and / or cargo lashing when necessary to prevent the cargo from crashing and cascading inside the container. Cascaded cargo may lie against the container doors, posing danger to any person who opens the doors.