The rapid increase since the 1950s in the use of freight containers for the consignment of goods by sea and the development of specialized container ships, prompted the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in 1967, to study the safety of containerization in marine transport.
In 1972, a conference jointly convened by the United Nations and IMO was held to consider a draft convention prepared by IMO in cooperation with the Economic Commission for Europe.
The 1972 Convention for Safe Containers (CSC 1972) adopted by that conference has two goals: one is to maintain a high level of safety of human life in the transport and handling of containers by providing generally acceptable test procedures and related strength requirements which have proven adequate over the years; the other is to facilitate the international transport of containers by providing uniform international safety regulations, equally applicable to all modes of surface transport. In this way, proliferation of divergent national safety regulations can be avoided.
The requirements of CSC 1972 apply to the vast majority of freight containers used internationally, except those designed specifically for carriage by air. As it was not intended that all containers, vans or reusable packing boxes should be affected, the scope of the Convention is limited to containers of a prescribed minimum size having corner fittings.
CSC 1972 sets out procedures whereby containers used in international transport must be approved for safety by the Administration of a Contracting Party or by an organization acting on its behalf. The Administration, or an organization authorized by it, will then authorize the manufacturer to affix a Safety Approval Plate containing the relevant technical data onto approved containers.
The approval evidenced by the Safety Approval Plate granted by one Contracting Party should be recognized by other Contracting Parties. This principle of reciprocal acceptance of approved containers constitutes the cornerstone of the Convention. Once approved and plated, containers are expected to move in international transport with the minimum of safety control formalities. The subsequent maintenance of a container approved for safety is the responsibility of the owner, who is required to have the container periodically examined.
