Project-Cargo Shipper Information Package

Nomenclature

Term	Definition
AMSA	Australian Maritime Safety Authority
CSS Code	IMO Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing
DoS	Declaration of Security
IMO	International Maritime Organization
ISPS Code	International Ship and Port Facility Security Code
MARSEC	Maritime security level
MO	Marine Order
SOLAS	International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea

Purpose

This form is the shipper information package Westlink Logistics completes, when acting as the shipper of non-containerised project, heavy-lift or break-bulk cargo on an international voyage, to give the master of the carrying vessel the information required to stow and secure the cargo safely. The IMO Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS Code), given effect in Australia through AMSA Marine Order 42, requires the shipper of cargo other than containerised cargo to provide the master with information on the cargo’s physical and chemical properties and its stowage and securing requirements before the cargo is loaded. This form also records the ship/port security interface (Declaration of Security) at the loading berth.

Scope

This form applies to every consignment of non-containerised cargo — project cargo, heavy-lift, out-of-gauge and break-bulk — where Westlink is named as the shipper for carriage on a ship engaged on an international voyage. It does not cover containerised cargo, for which the Verified Gross Mass is determined and declared under OPS-PRO-003 VGM and Container Weight Declaration Procedure. Westlink does not consign dangerous goods; this form therefore carries no IMDG Code dangerous-goods declaration. If a dangerous-goods consignment is ever contemplated, it must not proceed on this form — the matter is escalated to the Operations Manager and the dangerous-goods controls stood up before any movement.

How to Use This Form

The Freight Coordinator completes one package per consignment before the cargo is delivered to the load port, drawing the figures from verifiable sources (engineering drawings, manufacturer data, weighbridge records) rather than estimates. The completed package is transmitted to the carrier or the master sufficiently in advance of loading to be used in the ship stowage and securing plan. The security-interface section is completed where the cargo is loaded at a security-regulated port facility. The Operations Manager resolves any incomplete or inconsistent cargo information before the consignment is released.

Cargo Information

The following cargo information is provided to the master for each cargo unit or item. Where a figure cannot be verified, it is marked as such and the Operations Manager decides whether the consignment may proceed.

Cargo information field	Detail provided to the master
Cargo description and unit count	Plain-language description of each cargo unit/item and the number of units.
Dimensions	Length, width and height of each unit (metres), including any out-of-gauge projections.
Gross mass	Verified gross mass of each unit (tonnes) and the source of the figure (drawing, manufacturer data, weighbridge).
Centre of gravity	Position of the centre of gravity where the unit is heavy, tall or asymmetric, so the vessel can plan lifting and stowage.
Physical and chemical properties	Any property relevant to safe carriage — e.g. fragility, moisture sensitivity, reactivity, temperature limits (non-dangerous-goods).
Lifting and securing points	Designated lifting points, padeyes, and lashing/securing points, with their safe working loads.
Stowage and handling requirements	Orientation, stacking limits, under-deck/on-deck preference, and any special handling instruction.

Stowage and Securing Requirements

Westlink provides the stowage and securing requirements it is aware of as shipper. The master remains responsible for the stowage and securing of cargo on the vessel in accordance with the ship’s approved Cargo Securing Manual; this information supports, and does not replace, that responsibility.

Stowage/securing item	Requirement
Securing arrangement	Recommended lashing/securing arrangement and the rating of securing devices.
Environmental constraints	Sensitivity to weather, seawater, heat or vibration affecting stowage location.
Compatibility	Cargo that must be segregated from, or may be stowed with, other cargo.
Supporting documentation	Drawings, lifting plans, or method statements supplied with the package.

Ship/Port Security Interface

Where the cargo is loaded at a security-regulated port facility, a Declaration of Security (DoS) may be required between the ship and the port facility at elevated maritime security levels, or where one party operates at a higher security level than the other (SOLAS Chapter XI-2 Regulation 10 and ISPS Code Part A §5; maritime security levels are set under the Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Act 2003). The DoS is generally issued and acknowledged by the ship and the port facility. Where Westlink staff supervise project-cargo loading at the interface, Westlink’s role is to comply with the access-control and security arrangements in force and to acknowledge a DoS if asked. The fields below record the interface for the consignment.

Security-interface field	Detail
Load port and facility	Name of the port and the port facility.
Maritime security level	Declared MARSEC level in force at loading (1, 2 or 3).
Declaration of Security required	Yes / No, as advised by the ship or port facility security officer.
Westlink acknowledgement	Name and position of the Westlink representative acknowledging the security arrangements; date.

Shipper Declaration

The Westlink representative completing this package declares that the cargo information provided is accurate and complete to the best of Westlink’s knowledge as shipper, is drawn from verifiable sources, and is provided to enable the safe stowage and securing of the cargo. The declaration records the name and position of the representative, signature or electronic authentication, and date.

Records

Completed shipper information packages and their supporting documentation are retained in accordance with GOV-SCH-001 Document Retention Schedule (International Freight and Customs Records — 5 years).

Applicable Standards and Legislation

This form operates within the framework of the following external instruments. Where a statutory provision applies, the statutory obligation prevails over any narrative description in this form. Penalty-unit dollar values are not stated; obligations are as set out in the cited instruments.

• IMO Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS Code) — shipper information to the master on the physical and chemical properties of cargo and its stowage and securing requirements, for non-containerised (break-bulk, heavy-lift, project) cargo (given effect via Marine Order 42)

• Marine Order 42 (Cargo, stowage and securing) 2016 (Cth) (F2016L01018, made under Navigation Act 2012 (Cth) s.342(1)) — Schedule 7 (Verified Gross Mass — container weight verification implementing SOLAS Chapter VI Regulation 2); ss.11–12 shipper VGM duties

• SOLAS Chapter XI-2 + International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code — Ch XI-2 Reg 9 (control and compliance — port-State verification of ships) and ISPS Code Part A §19 (International Ship Security Certificate, ISSC); Ch XI-2 Reg 10 and ISPS Part A §5 (Declaration of Security)

• Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Act 2003 (Cth) (No. 131, 2003; compilation C2026C00106) — Part 2 (maritime security levels — ss.21/22: default MARSEC 1, Secretary may declare 2 or 3), Part 3 (maritime security plans; Division 3 — complying with another participant’s plan), Part 4 (ship security plans and ISSCs for regulated Australian ships)

• ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems — Requirements — cl. 5.2 (policy), cl. 7.5 (documented information), cl. 10.2 (nonconformity and corrective action)