Twistlocks go automatic: lashing without the body count

Manual container lashing — the job of clamping twistlocks into corner castings on a ship's deck — remains, in the TT Club's words, "one of the last major, unresolved occupational safety risks in container handling." That's the headline fact of this story, and it comes from an insurer with 1,300-plus members across maritime, road, rail and air since 1968. Insurers don't editorialise for sport.

The mechanics of the risk are blunt. Stevedores work in the travel area of horizontal transport beneath gantry cranes, directly under suspended loads. "The combination of moving equipment, restricted visibility and heavy components creates an environment where the margin for error is extremely small," the TT Club notes. Serious injuries, and sometimes fatalities, follow.

Why lashing matters beyond the deck

General Lashing System (GLS), a Ningbo-based global supplier of lashing materials, ticks off the basics: containers that don't shift, vessels that stay stable, compliance with IMO rules, and no fines. The failure cases are memorable. In 2013 the MOL Comfort broke in two in the Indian Ocean after investigations found the lashing system couldn't handle high-wave forces. In 2018 the YM Efficiency lost 81 containers overboard off Australia — lashing arrangements judged inadequate for the weather.

Then there's the bill. "The loss of cargo can result in substantial financial losses for shipping companies and their customers," GLS states, adding that cleanup is costly and that containers carrying hazardous materials can damage marine ecosystems. So it's safety, money and environment in one fitting.

What does automation actually change?

The standout is KALP GmbH's Automatic Lashing Platform (ALP) — per the TT Club, the only system that can "fully automate the insertion and removal of twistlocks and stackers without requiring personnel to work near or beneath suspended loads."

The specs are tidy. The ALP needs no external power; an internal hydraulic system uses the container's and crane spreader's own weight to drive lashing and delashing. Integrated magazines hold over 1,000 twistlocks or up to 2,000 stackers — roughly one bay's worth on an ultra-large container vessel. Staff can monitor it remotely through the terminal's network or a handheld device.

It's not a concept drawing. ALP entered German terminals in 2021, with a further rollout in 2024, plus training for gantry crane operators and horizontal transport drivers. Result: no port operatives beneath cranes or suspended loads, and one major safety exposure deleted.

The wider kit list

Other technologies are spreading too:

• Extended Cell Guide & Twistlock Rooting Systems — lashing-free designs fastening containers directly to the ship structure outside the main cell guide area
• Fully Automatic Twistlocks (FAT) — MacGregor's Hippo, Cargo Care Solutions' FAT and Dawson Group designs engage and disengage automatically during loading and discharge
• Balanced Lashing Systems — MacGregor hardware that equalises peak forces between upper and lower lashing bars

360iResearch, in its mid-2025 paper on standardising automated securing protocols, is enthusiastic: sensors, robotics and AI "reduce the risk of improper lashing, accelerate loading and unloading times, and enhance overall operational productivity." The consultancy also notes sensor data can feed predictive maintenance.

The payoffs, quantified

Safety is the headline, but the commercial tailwind is real. The TT Club reports terminals using the platform saw increased productivity, and that lashing-free and balanced systems can allow ships to carry over 10% additional cargo weight or extra tiers on deck. Ten percent more cargo per sailing is not a rounding error.

Acceptance, often automation's weak spot, looks solid. Crane drivers and transport operators "recognis[e] both the safety and efficiency benefits of the automated process," per the TT Club.

The roadblock

Standardisation, or the lack of it. 360iResearch calls missing standard procedures and components a "major roadblock," creating compatibility issues between shipping lines and ports. Its fix is collaboration: harmonised modular components and interfaces, shared operational protocols for emergencies and maintenance, joint training programmes, and regulatory alignment with the IMO.

The TT Club's verdict is confident: the ALP "delivers a step change in terminal safety, eliminates a long-standing high-risk task, and supports the future development of truly automated, safe container terminals." 360iResearch agrees the path to full standardisation is "complex" but sees a "promising future." Expect automated lashing to move from pilot novelty to procurement line item as carriers chase both the safety record and that extra tier on deck.