It is common to buy a new or used shipping container for shipping or exporting goods overseas. These containers are commonly referred to as shipper owned containers.  Shipper owned containers are a nice alternative to using a container provided by a shipping line, especially since you own the shipper owned container once it arrives overseas.

Shipper owned containers require a shipper survey along with the purchase of the container.  Amongst other things, the shipping container survey verifies that the shipper owned container has a valid or current CSC certificate for overseas shipping.  Most shipping lines will not accept your shipper owned container without a valid CSC survey certificate.

When ordering a shipper owned container from Jake, we will supply you with the CSC survey certificate prior to container pickup.  Jake works with independent third party survey professionals to inspect containers and provide shipping survey certificates.

WHAT IS A CSC SURVEY?

“CSC” stands for “Convention for Safe Containers” which establishes uniform international safety regulations and requires all containers to be fitted with a “CSC plate”.   The CSC plate on a shipping container includes information including:

• Container Identification number
• Date of manufacture
• Weight capacity
• Stacking capabilities
• ACEP number (Approved Continuous Examination Program)

The CSC (Convention for Safe Containers) Plate

The CSC sets the container quality standards for safe transportation use of shipping containers. A container with a current CSC should live up to its original design capability in terms of stacking, racking, payload, etc..  The CSC inspection essentially ensures the structural integrity of the container.

JAKE TIP: “Many customers think that a shipper owned container with a valid CSC certificate will always be cosmetically appealing.  However, this is not always the case.   A good looking container does not guarantee that the container will safely hold cargo when shipping overseas.  Surface rust and corrosion on a container might be ugly, however, they might not undermine the structural integrity of the container.”

Transporting Your Shipper Owned Container

Once you have purchased your shipper owned container, you will need to arrange pick-up, loading, and the delivery to wherever you are shipping from.  Working with an experienced shipping & logistics provider is essential to avoid costly mistakes.

JAKE TIP: “We can deliver your shipper owned container to your location and drop it on the ground.  However, once you load the container with your contents to ship overseas, you will need to lift it off the ground for the transportation company shipping the container overseas.  This often requires specialty lift trucks and/or cranes, both of which can be costly.   Must customers work with their transportation provider to pickup the shipper owned container from Jake and leave it on wheels at the customer location for 2-3 days for loading (commonly referred to as live loading), saving lots of money.”