ULD CARE has launched an online process to allow industry organisations to sign up to the the association’s Code of Conduct, a voluntary set of principles to ensure proper handling of the Unit Load Device (ULD), airfreight’s “unspoken hero”.
According to IATA, there are some 900,000 ULDs in circulation with a replacement cost of more than $1bn and an annual damage repair cost of $330m.
ULD CARE is the association that represents and advocates for owners, operators and suppliers of airfreight containers,
Bob Rogers, ULD CARE vice president, said: “A common sight on most airports, the ULD is the unspoken hero of the air cargo industry, facilitating the movement of millions of tons of air cargo carried by the world’s airlines each year.
“Yet all too often, ULDs don’t receive the respect they require, respect that is particularly essential when recognising that ULDs are aircraft equipment whose primary function is to provide flight safety by securing cargo in its allocated location on the aircraft during all phases on flight.”
While most ULDs are required to meet stringent aviation safety standards, Rogers said that the widespread practice of outsourcing ground and cargo operations to third party service providers has moved the majority of ULD handling and operations “outside the directly regulated environment” in which airlines operate.
“The ULD CARE Code of Conduct puts in place a set of simple operating guidelines that will lead to safe and sustainable ULD operations and handling, which must surely be at the forefront of any stakeholder in the air cargo industry,” said Rogers.
“As with many codes of conduct, the ULD code is both voluntary and free of any charge, relying instead on the commitment of its signatories to live up to the principles it embodies,” Rogers added.
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ULD CARE believes that the Code of Conduct, along with its three supporting functions, the book ULD Explained, online learning modules ULD Instruct and a new tracking pilot project ULD Connect, can “foster a new awareness of the importance of well managed ULD operations and handling”.
