Safety at Sea
The World Shipping Council's position on safety is focused on ensuring high, globally consistent safety standards for both seafarers’ lives, protection from piracy and protection freedom of navigation. WSC supports collaborative efforts to develop and enforce international regulations, the continuous adoption of technology to improve safety on containers and well-being of crews.
Keeping Crew, customers and assets safe
The world of international logistics is not immune to the threats of terrorism, piracy, and trafficking of illegal goods. WSC members take these threats seriously and implement detailed plans and procedures to ensure safety and security.
Seafarer Welfare
Being a seafarer is quite different from an ordinary job on land. Seafarers are usually on board for several months, and then have several weeks or months off before mustering on again. As part of their job, crews are exposed to extremes of weather, operational hazards and dangerous cargoes.
Container Safety
How to safely handle containers is described in detail in the IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice, known as the CTU Code. But despite this, there have been several widely reported fires aboard containerships, where containerised cargoes may have been the cause. Container stack failures, vehicle roll-overs, train derailments and internal cargo collapses, can all too often be traced to poor packing practices.
Cargo Safety Program
Learn about the composition of the shipping industry, the role of liner shipping, and how we contribute to growth and employment in economies across the world.
Container Lost at Sea
In 2024, approximately 576 containers were lost at sea, out of the over 250 million containers transported. The liner industry is taking proactive measures to prevent incidents and enhance cargo safety. Every container overboard is one too many.
Cargo Integrity
The Cargo Integrity Group brings together international freight transport and cargo handling organisations with different roles in the supply chain and a shared dedication to improving safety, security and environmental performance throughout the logistics supply chain.
Preventing Charcoal Fires
Charcoal shipments have caused serious fires on containerships, mainly due to improper handling, non-declaration, and problematic regulation. Change is necessary to keep shipping safe. WSC has been instrumental in negotiating and developing these significant improvements to international regulations.