Why Your Cargo Always Moves

Let’s just start this post with a short video.

The mechanics of our oceans

Some basic principles/understanding of the mechanics of our oceans and how this influences the way in which a (cargo) vessel moves, and what effect this has on your container and the cargo inside this container.

Even though at a glance an ocean may appear flat, it is anything but. Wave action, currents, and wind all influence the movement of a ship and as a result the movement of your cargo.

Heave, sway, surge, roll, pitch and yaw. Movement is not just forward and reverse, but up and down, side to side and even heaving into the air!

Pitch; up and down motion of vessel. Characterized by rising and falling of the bow and stern.

Yaw; spins the ship like swiveling on a chair. Caused by waves moving perpendicular to motion of vessel. Can change heading or direction of vessel

Roll; tilting from side to side. Wind and waves pushing against the vessel, causing it to rock back and forth.

Heave; up and down motion of a vessel, caused by large swells heaving a vessel vertically on the crest and throughs of waves.

Sway; sliding motion caused by the hull of the vessel being pushed by wind or current.

Surge; larger swells following a vessel pushing it forward, impacting the front to back motion of the vessel.

In the video the vessel only moves in one direction and you can already see the effect this has on the cargo inside the container. Now imagine that same container moving in all directions here fore described, multiplied by tens of thousands of movements during one ocean journey. Do you still believe your “snug fitting” or “too heavy to move” cargo does not move?

Always secure your cargo. It can be done quickly and cost-effectively. It will prevent cargo damage and securing your cargo in a compliant manner will eliminate your liability if anything happens as a result of your unsecured cargo.

Cordstrap has been the global market leader since 1965 in research, development and manufacturing of cargo securing systems. Our team of cargo securing experts is happy to provide you with our recommendations, a complimentary 3-D loading plan or free on-site demo. We can assist you in Australia and anywhere in the world.

This page will also give you great insight of the wide variety of container securing solutions we offer.

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