In 2024, 11.4% of inspections carried out on ocean container shipments found various types of non-conformities, marking a 0.4 percentage point increase on the previous year, according to the World Shipping Council (WSC), the association representing liner shipping.
Among the irregularities reported are missing or incomplete declarations regarding dangerous goods, improper packaging and documentation errors.
According to the WSC, these critical issues can cause serious accidents, including fires on board.
“Cargo safety starts with correct declaration and secure packing of goods,” said World Shipping Council President and CEO Joe Kramek, pointing out that more than one in ten shipments have non conformities. “Gaps in cargo safety remain far too common. Cargo deficiencies put crews, ships, cargo, and the environment at risk,” he added, noting that to date only seven countries – Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, Chile, Germany, South Korea and the US – make their data available: He concluded that it would therefore be useful for more governments to contribute their data to the analysis.
Translation by Giles Foster
