Lesson 10 · 12 min
Cargo securing equipment and the Cargo Securing Manual
You will know what the Cargo Securing Manual must say about lashing equipment, how securing devices are inspected and recorded, and what PSC checks in 2026.
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The 2-minute primer
New to this? These 6 cards explain the lesson in plain words. Go through them first and the lesson will make sense.
Primer done.
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1/6Picture this
Strapping a fridge into a van
When you move house, you strap the fridge to the side of the van. Use a frayed old strap, or a hook that isn’t strong enough, and the fridge shifts at the first sharp corner.
Ships do the same with cargo, only at sea in big waves. Every strap, lock and rod must be the right kind and in good condition.
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2/6The big idea
One manual decides what holds the cargo
Every ship carrying cargo other than bulk has a Cargo Securing Manual, approved for that ship. It lists the fittings welded to the ship and the loose lashing gear, with how much each may hold.
The rule is simple: use only the gear the manual lists, inspect it, take damaged pieces out of use, and write it all down in a record book.
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3/6Words you'll meet
Six words, in plain English
- Cargo Securing Manual
- the approved book explaining how cargo is stowed and held in place on one particular ship.
- Lashing
- a rod, wire, chain or strap that ties cargo down to the ship.
- Twistlock
- a small locking piece that joins containers together and to the deck at their corners.
- Turnbuckle
- a screw fitting used to tighten a lashing.
- MSL
- maximum securing load, the most a piece of lashing gear may be used to hold.
- Record book
- the log, kept with the manual, of inspections and gear that was rejected.
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4/6Why it matters
Loose cargo can sink a ship
Containers lost overboard make the news. Cargo that shifts inside a hold can sink a ship.
Port inspectors are checking cargo securing closely in a 2026 campaign. Gear not listed in the manual, damaged rods mixed with good ones, or officers who don’t know the weight limits can mean a recorded fault, or the ship being held in port.
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5/6In this lesson
What you’ll be able to do
- Know what the manual must say about lashing gear.
- Inspect securing devices and reject damaged ones properly.
- Keep the record book and the manual up to date.
- Know what port inspectors check in the 2026 campaign.
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6/6Quick check
A box of twistlocks arrives of a type not in the manual. What do you do?
Right: the ship must use only the types of gear its approved manual lists, and inspectors check exactly that.
The basics
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 checked on ships in their ports during that period. 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 the rest of this lesson
- Try it: 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
- 4 questions people ask
- Quiz: 5 questions
- Ask our engineers about this lesson
Familiarisation training from Al Safwan Academy. Finishing a course shows completion of online familiarisation training: it is not an STCW, flag-approved or manufacturer qualification, and these courses don't replace that training. The manufacturer's manual and your flag's rules always come first.