Shipping is one of the main modes of international logistics, and is also the most widely used transportation mode in the world.

The goods transported by sea are of various types, different natures, large quantity, high value and low freight. However, due to the complexity and variability of the marine environment and the limitations of natural conditions, maritime transport also has some shortcomings.

1. Vessel vulnerability

(1) The damaged ship can not be repaired or the repair cost is expensive.

(2) It is easy to hit rocks when sailing in bad weather; When ships encounter severe weather at sea, such as strong wind and waves, they are prone to overturning accidents; In the port loading and unloading operation, the cargo damage and difference are caused by the breakage or slip of the lifting appliance.

(3) Due to the complexity of the marine environment and the limitations of the ship itself, it is difficult to obtain the safety of the cargo (for example, flammable materials will burn when encountering open fire); Some chemicals have strong corrosive effect on sea water, etc.

(4) Due to the particularity of the marine environment, the limitations of various equipment on board and the impact of human factors (such as overload operation), there are many unsafe factors in the process of cargo transportation. (For example, the damage rate of containers during loading and unloading is high)

2. Unsafe handling operation

(1) The handling process is heavy and dangerous; In particular, spillage and leakage are easy to occur during loading and unloading of bulk goods, which will affect the quality and hygiene of goods; At the same time, personal injury accidents are likely to occur due to the unmatched handling tools (such as casualties caused by improper forklift operation).

(2) Due to the crude or imperfect terminal equipment, the handling workload is large and unsafe. (For example, the stacking and unloading of bulk containers on the wharf are likely to cause crushing accidents.