Cargo net

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A cargo net being used to unload sacks from a ship at Haikou New Port, Haikou City, Hainan, China. Cargo net 01.jpg
A cargo net being used to unload sacks from a ship at Haikou New Port, Haikou City, Hainan, China.

A cargo net is a type of net. It is usually square or rectangle, but sometimes round, made of thick rope, with cinch ropes extending from the corners, and in some designs, the edges. It is named for its use in transferring cargo to and from ships.

Contents

Uses

Cargo transfer

Loading cargo secured within a cargo net Defense.gov photo essay 110313-F-BW907-155.jpg
Loading cargo secured within a cargo net

In shipping, cargo lift nets are used to load and unload cargo. The net is spread out by stevedores, who load the goods onto it. They then attach the cinches to a crane hook. Lifting the hook draws the corners of the net around the cargo. This results in a balanced and secure load which can be safely hoisted. Goods are transferred from one place to another in the construction industry using cargo nets. When used to transfer cargo by helicopter, they are referred to as "underslung" cargo nets.

Securing loads

Cargo nets are used by the military, and in the shipping industry, to secure loads to prevent them from shifting during transport, as well as to deter theft.

Obstacle courses

Climbing a cargo net Climbing a cargo net.jpg
Climbing a cargo net

As part of obstacle courses, cargo nets are used as flexible ladders. This originated with landing nets used by amphibious assault troops to board landing craft in the water alongside the ship. The troops climbed down the nets hung over the ship's side and boarded the bobbing landing craft.

Playgrounds

Although still used in playgrounds around the world, cargo nets have been subject to criticism due to the hazard of strangulation. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a notice expressing concern that a child's head can become trapped if the openings are of a particular size. [1]

Marine rescue and ship embarkation

In maritime situations, cargo nets can be slung over the side of a ship to allow passengers stranded in the water to climb aboard to safety. Cargo nets can also be used to transfer troops from a ship to landing craft. [2]

Safety barriers

Especially on ships, cargo nets are used as physical barriers, to prevent individuals from falling through openings or overboard into the sea.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Maritime transport and hydraulic effluvial transport, or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers) or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by sea has been widely used throughout recorded history. The advent of aviation has diminished the importance of sea travel for passengers, though it is still popular for short trips and pleasure cruises. Transport by water is cheaper than transport by air, despite fluctuating exchange rates and a fee placed on top of freighting charges for carrier companies known as the currency adjustment factor. Maritime transport accounts for roughly 80% of international trade, according to UNCTAD in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Containerization</span> Intermodal freight transport system

Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers. Containerization is also referred as "Container Stuffing" or "Container Loading", which is the process of unitization of cargoes in exports. Containerization is the predominant form of unitization of export cargoes unlike other systems viz the barge system or the palletization. The containers have standardized dimensions. They can be loaded and unloaded, stacked, transported efficiently over long distances, and transferred from one mode of transport to another—container ships, rail transport flatcars, and semi-trailer trucks—without being opened. The handling system is completely mechanized so that all handling is done with cranes and special forklift trucks. All containers are numbered and tracked using computerized systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intermodal container</span> Standardized reusable steel box used for transporting goods

An intermodal container, often called a shipping container or a freight container, is a large standardized shipping container, designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different modes of transport – from ship to rail to truck – without unloading and reloading their cargo. Intermodal containers are primarily used to store and transport materials and products efficiently and securely in the global containerized intermodal freight transport system, but smaller numbers are in regional use as well. These containers are known under a number of names. Based on size alone, up to 95% of intermodal containers comply with ISO standards, and can officially be called ISO containers. Many other names are simply: container, cargo or freight container, shipping, sea or ocean container, container van or sea van, sea can or C can, or MILVAN, SEAVAN, or RO/RO. The also used term CONEX (Box) is technically incorrect carry-over usage of the name of an important predecessor of the international ISO containers, namely the much smaller prior steel CONEX boxes used by the U.S. Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winch</span> Mechanical device that is used to adjust the tension of a rope

A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope.

Intermodal freight transport Cargo transport using multiple containers

Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation, without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes. The method reduces cargo handling, and so improves security, reduces damage and loss, and allows freight to be transported faster. Reduced costs over road trucking is the key benefit for inter-continental use. This may be offset by reduced timings for road transport over shorter distances.

Webbing Strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube used instead of rope

Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres, often used in place of rope. It is a versatile component used in climbing, slacklining, furniture manufacturing, automobile safety, auto racing, towing, parachuting, military apparel, load securing, and many other fields.

Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. Cargo was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transport by rail, van, truck, or intermodal container. The term cargo is also used in case of goods in the cold-chain, because the perishable inventory is always in transit towards a final end-use, even when it is held in cold storage or other similar climate-controlled facility. The term freight is commonly used to describe the movements of flows of goods being transported by any mode of transportation.

Derrick Lifting device

A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and a boom hinged at its base to provide articulation, as in a stiffleg derrick. The most basic type of derrick is controlled by three or four lines connected to the top of the mast, which allow it both to move laterally and cant up and down. To lift a load, a separate line runs up and over the mast with a hook on its free end, as with a crane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Hong Kong</span> Port in Hong Kong

The Port of Hong Kong, located by the South China Sea, is a deepwater seaport dominated by trade in containerised manufactured products, and to a lesser extent raw materials and passengers. A key factor in the economic development of Hong Kong, the natural shelter and deep waters of Victoria Harbour provide ideal conditions for berthing and the handling of all types of vessels. It is one of the busiest ports in the world, in the three categories of shipping movements, cargo handled and passengers carried.

Dunnage is inexpensive or waste material used to load and secure cargo during transportation; more loosely, it refers to miscellaneous baggage, brought along during travel. The term can also refer to low-priority cargo used to fill out transport capacity which would otherwise ship underweight.

Roll-on/roll-off ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a self-propelled modular transporter. This is in contrast to lift-on/lift-off (LoLo) vessels, which use a crane to load and unload cargo.

A freight rate is a price at which a certain cargo is delivered from one point to another. The price depends on the form of the cargo, the mode of transport, the weight of the cargo, and the distance to the delivery destination. Many shipping services, especially air carriers, use dimensional weight for calculating the price, which takes into account both weight and volume of the cargo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landing Craft Mechanized</span> Landing craft designed for carrying vehicles

The landing craft mechanized (LCM) is a landing craft designed for carrying vehicles. They came to prominence during the Second World War when they were used to land troops or tanks during Allied amphibious assaults.

Vertical replenishment

Vertical replenishment, or VERTREP, is a method of supply of seaborne vessels by helicopter. The United States Department of Defense defines VERTREP as:

...the transfer of cargo between ships using helicopters. VERTREP is often used to supplement connected replenishment. Weapons loads, generally limited to 1,800 kg, are transferred from the supply ship to the flight deck of the amphibious ship. The decided advantage of a VERTREP is that it can effect replenishment without ship-to-ship connection.

Heavy-lift ship Ship type

A heavy-lift ship is a vessel designed to move very large loads that cannot be handled by normal ships. They are of two types:

Breakbulk cargo Shipping goods that are loaded individually

In shipping, break-bulk, breakbulk, or break bulk cargo, also called general cargo, refers to goods that are stowed on board ship in individually counted units. Traditionally, the large numbers of items are recorded on distinct bills of lading that list them by different commodities. This is in contrast to cargo stowed in modern intermodal containers as well as bulk cargo, which goes directly, unpackaged and in large quantities, into a ship's hold(s), measured by volume or weight.

Affreightment is a legal term relating to shipping.

A berth is a designated location in a port or harbour used for mooring vessels when they are not at sea. Berths provide a vertical front which allows safe and secure mooring that can then facilitate the unloading or loading of cargo or people from vessels.

Load securing

Load securing, also known as cargo securing, is the securing of cargo for transportation. According to the European Commission Transportation Department “it has been estimated that up to 25% of accidents involving trucks can be attributable to inadequate cargo securing”. Cargo that is improperly secured can cause severe accidents and lead to the loss of cargo, lives, and vehicles, or cause environmental hazards.

Disembarkation or debarcation is the process of leaving a ship or aircraft, or removing goods from a ship or aircraft..

References

  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2012-01-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. John v. Noel, Jr (16 January 1991). Knight's Modern Seamanship, Eighteenth Edition. ISBN   9780471289487.