Dunnage
Encyclopedia
Dunnage is a term with a variety or related meanings. Typically dunnage is inexpensive or waste material used to protect and load securing cargo
during transportation. Dunnage also refers to material used to support loads and prop tools and materials up off the ground such as jacks, pipes, and supports for air conditioning and other equipment above the roof of a building.
, or quarantine
rules to avoid foreign insect
pests getting offshore, and as a result often the unwanted dunnage is later furtively jettison
ed over side and adds to the area's driftwood
problem. According to U.S. and International Law (MARPOL73/78) it is illegal for ships to dump dunnage within 25 nautical miles (46 km) of the shore. Presently, the International Plant Protection Convention
(IPPC), an international regulatory agency, mandates its 134 signatory countries to comply with the ISPM 15
, which requires all dunnage to be heat treated or fumigated with pesticides and marked with an accredited seal. Several instances where foreign insects have entered land have caused devastation to the ecosystem, even ruining crops and causing famine in Africa.
Originally rubber
bags were used to brace pallets inside trucks. They later evolved into kraft paper
bags with a plastic bag interior. As the use of metal strapping
became less popular, many companies now use polyethylene
or vinyl
- based bags because of their low cost. Extremely important in the use of dunnage bags is that the size of the bag is determined by the void. If this does not match, the dunnage bags will not do their work properly with potential for large damage to cargo and people.
Starting in the 1950s, several U.S. railroad freight carriers started rostering boxcars equipped with load-securing devices to prevent shifting during transit. These cars were usually labeled "Damage Free" or simply "DF" on their sides. The interior loaders helped to negate the use of customer-supplied dunnage.
of stores, spares, repair parts, ammunition, ordnance, and liquids in cans and drums. Dunnage segregates cargo in the hold and prevents shifting of the cargo in response to ship motions.
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
during transportation. Dunnage also refers to material used to support loads and prop tools and materials up off the ground such as jacks, pipes, and supports for air conditioning and other equipment above the roof of a building.
International Laws
When unloading a ship, sometimes there is a problem as to what to do with the dunnage. Sometimes the dunnage cannot be landed because of customs duties on imported timberTimber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
, or quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
rules to avoid foreign insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
pests getting offshore, and as a result often the unwanted dunnage is later furtively jettison
Jettison
Jettison may refer to:* A verb meaning to throw or eject from a ship, aircraft or vehicle; or discard or abandon; see marine debris* Jettison , a Chicago-based indie record label* Jettison , a punk band from the 1980s...
ed over side and adds to the area's driftwood
Driftwood
Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea or river by the action of winds, tides, waves or man. It is a form of marine debris or tidewrack....
problem. According to U.S. and International Law (MARPOL73/78) it is illegal for ships to dump dunnage within 25 nautical miles (46 km) of the shore. Presently, the International Plant Protection Convention
International Plant Protection Convention
The International Plant Protection Convention is an international treaty organization that aims to secure coordinated, effective action to prevent and to control the introduction and spread of pests of plants and plant products. The Convention extends beyond the protection of cultivated plants to...
(IPPC), an international regulatory agency, mandates its 134 signatory countries to comply with the ISPM 15
ISPM 15
International Standards For Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 is an International Phytosanitary Measure developed by the International Plant Protection Convention that directly addresses the need to treat wood materials of a thickness greater than 6mm, used to ship products between countries...
, which requires all dunnage to be heat treated or fumigated with pesticides and marked with an accredited seal. Several instances where foreign insects have entered land have caused devastation to the ecosystem, even ruining crops and causing famine in Africa.
Dunnage bags
Dunnage bags are air-filled pouches that can be used to stabilize, secure and protect cargo during all sorts of transportation. Dunnage bags are placed in the void between the cargo items. Dunnage bags can be used in all modes of transportation, whether on the road, railway, ocean or in the air. This makes them a versatile load securing product to prevent a load from moving during transport.Originally rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
bags were used to brace pallets inside trucks. They later evolved into kraft paper
Kraft paper
Kraft paper or kraft is paper or paperboard produced from chemical pulp produced in the kraft process.Pulp produced by the kraft process is stronger than that made by other pulping processes; acidic sulfite processes degrade cellulose more, leading to weaker fibers, and mechanical pulping...
bags with a plastic bag interior. As the use of metal strapping
Strapping
Strapping, also known as bundling and banding, is the process of applying a strap to an item to combine, hold, reinforce, or fasten it. The strap may also be referred to as strapping...
became less popular, many companies now use polyethylene
Polyethylene
Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...
or vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
- based bags because of their low cost. Extremely important in the use of dunnage bags is that the size of the bag is determined by the void. If this does not match, the dunnage bags will not do their work properly with potential for large damage to cargo and people.
Starting in the 1950s, several U.S. railroad freight carriers started rostering boxcars equipped with load-securing devices to prevent shifting during transit. These cars were usually labeled "Damage Free" or simply "DF" on their sides. The interior loaders helped to negate the use of customer-supplied dunnage.
Ships
Dunnage for securing cargo in holds of ships has evolved from wooden boards forming "cribs" to modern mechanical, spring-loaded post-and-socket systems, exemplified by the "pogo sticks" used on US Navy Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ships which provide underway replenishmentUnderway replenishment
Underway replenishment or replenishment at sea is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way.-History:...
of stores, spares, repair parts, ammunition, ordnance, and liquids in cans and drums. Dunnage segregates cargo in the hold and prevents shifting of the cargo in response to ship motions.