WELCOME TO THE
CONTAINER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
Welcome to the website of the Container Owners Association, where you can find full information about the latest activities of the COA - Working Groups, Technical Reports, Members Meetings and Regional Developments.
COA Publishes Flexitank Code of Practice5 May 2009 - The Container Owners Association has published its Code of Practice for the manufacture, testing and operation of flexitanks carried in shipping containers. The Code, which will be formally adopted by the COA from 1 January 2010, will permit flexitank manufacturers and operators to test their products according to criteria acceptable to container operators and to other container owners.
The Code is divided into five sections, covering:
• Container Selection for Flexitank/Container Combination
• Test Criteria for Flexitank/Container Combination and for Flexitank Materials
• Container and Flexitank Marking
• Incident Management and Insurance
• Training
In addition, an Appendix to the Code gives details of COA Rail Impact Testing procedures for Flexitank/Container Combinations.
Click HERE to download the Code of Practice
Click HERE to download a detailed report of the Code
Click HERE to download a copy of the TüV Süd Rail presentation made in December 2008
Further information from: secretary@containerownersassociation.org
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Implementation of Common Interchange Criteria:
Working Group Update5 May 2009 - In June 2008, the COA formally adopted and endorsed the “Common Interchange Criteria” (CIC) as its recommended container interchange inspection standard.
As part of the COA’s work to promote the benefits of CIC as a standard container interchange criteria to the whole industry, the COA organised an Open Forum in December 2008 to discuss the implementation, progress and benefits of CIC. The Forum included presentations explaining the reasons for the introduction of the CIC, while also providing details of the benefits of standardised interchange procedures for all sectors of the industry. The COA also published on its website a comparison of the differences between the Common Interchange Criteria, the IICL-5 Criteria and UCIRC.
To monitor the results of CIC and to promote global implementation, the COA established a CIC Working Group, representing the three main industry sectors involved in the Interchange Inspection Process: shipping lines, leasing companies and repair depots.
The WG is now engaged in a project to measure the difference in estimated repair costs, comparing the Common Interchange Criteria with the IICL-5 criteria. Comparative surveys of 20ft and 40ft High Cube containers will be undertaken in depots in Europe, North America and Asia. Interchange estimate surveys will be carried out on these containers, according to both CIC and the IICL-5 criteria, so that the difference in estimated repair cost of the two criteria can be measured.
Once the project ends, the results of the analysis posted on the COA web. To download the Presentation made at the Hamburg meeting, click HERE
To download the Common Interchange Criteria document, click HERE
To download a document indicating the differences between the CIC, IICL-5 and UCIRC criteria, click HERE
To download a document giving answers to “Frequently Asked Questions”, click HERE
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ITCO Unveils New Tank Container Research
19 May 2009: The International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO) unveiled a new tranche of industry knowledge on tank containers at Transport Logistic 2009, Munich.
Three presentations were made, each covering important issues for the industry:
new research on the environmental impact of tank containers (compared to other modes); the profile of tank containers with shipping lines; and the safe handling of tank containers 1. The Environmental Impact of Tank Containers Compared with Alternative Handling Methods To download the presentation, click HERE 2. Raising the Profile of Tank Containers with Deepsea Shipping Lines
To download the presentation, click HERE
3. Safe Handling of Tank Containers
To download the presentation (size = 9mB), click HERE
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COA in 2009
Message from the COA Chairman 30 January 2009: The COA has written a Message to All COA Members. To view the message, click HERE
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