China’s Ministry of Transport has issued a directive that effective 1 June 2020, no overweight containers can be loaded on ships in the country’s ports. The ministry said that as container shipping is increasingly being used to move goods, there is a need to step up safety measures.

Overweight containers have cost the industry over US$6 billion, as reported this month in the Cargo Integrity Campaign and could cause serious injury to crew and others. Meanwhile, airlines have slashed flights in response to depressed demand amid the Covid-19 pandemic…