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Lashing the Cargo Is Not the Same as Protecting It
By Vignesh D. · January 10, 2026 · 4 min read
Lashing crews secure vehicles against motion. Detection systems protect them against ignition. Conflating the two has cost more than one operator real money.
In operator interviews we still meet the framing that "the cargo is secured" implies the cargo is safe. Lashing is a motion-control problem. Vehicle-deck fires are an ignition-and-detection problem. The two are independent and have to be funded as such.
Where the conflation shows up
- Annual safety budget lines that mix lashing gear with detection capex.
- Operational drills that test stowage but not thermal response.
- Insurance presentations that overweight cargo-securing in the risk narrative.
Underwriters have started disaggregating the two in their submissions. Operators that do the same internally end up with clearer capex priorities — and, in our observation, faster decisions on detection retrofits.
Sources
- IMO — Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS Code).
- IMO MSC.1/Circ.1353 (rev.) — "Guidelines for the Preparation of the Cargo Securing Manual."
- IUMI — position papers on EV carriage (Loss Prevention Committee output).
- DNV — Class guidance on cargo securing on RoRo and PCTC vessels.