WELCOME TO THE
CONTAINER OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Welcome to the website of the Container Owners Association, where you can find full information about the latest activities of the COA - Working Groups, Technical Reports, Members Meetings and Regional Developments.

10th COA Members Meeting
Seoul, 12 & 13 June 2012
Register now – just one month to go!


11 May 2012: With just one month to go, interest in the 10th COA General Meeting in Seoul (12 and 13 June) has been high. The programme and participants list are available below.

The Meeting will take place at the Hotel Lotte, Seoul, Korea, on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 June 2012. There will be sessions covering:

- Container shipping developments
- Korea shipping market
- Container manufacturing/demand
- Contaminated reefer machinery/counterfeit refrigerant gases
- Cargo Incident Notification Systems (CINS)
- Flexitanks
- New technology

A Cocktail Reception and Gala Dinner for all participants will be organised on the evening of Tuesday 12 June 2012.

COA/Valspar Golf Tournament: Monday 11 June 
The COA/Valspar Golf Tournament will take place on Monday 11 June. Places are limited, so if you are interested in participating, please register as soon as possible. Click HERE for further information and registration form

To download the Event Programme and Registration Form:

For PDF Version, click HERE
For Word Version, click HERE

To view the latest Participants List (at 11 May), click HERE

  8th COA Flexitank Meeting
Antwerp, Monday 14 & Tuesday 15 May 2012

11 May 2012: Over 65 participants have registered for the 8th COA Flexitank Meeting, taking place at the Radisson Blu Astrid Hotel, Antwerp, Belgium on Tuesday 15 May 2012, with a Networking Welcome Reception on Monday 14 May 2012.

The Conference will review a wide range of issues relating to Flexitanks, including:

  • Overview of the current status of the COA Flexitank Code of Practice, including an update on COA Flexitank Test Report programme and progress on COA Flexitank Compliance Document
  • Rail Impact Testing: Status Report
  • Marking of Flexitanks
  • Materials Thickness Compatibility
  • Commodity Density in relation to Flexitank Capacity
  • Expanding the Scope of the Code of Practice (Bulkheads, Incident Management) Issues relating to the Development of a Publicly Available Standard (PAS) for flexitanks  

To download the Conference Programme and Registration Form:

For PDF Version, click HERE
For Word Version, click HERE 

To download the participants list (at 10 May 2012), click HERE

Counterfeit Refrigerants/Contaminated Reefer Machinery
4th COA Reefer Forum: Antwerp, 28 March 2012

1 April 2012: 110 participants attended the 4th COA Forum on Counterfeit Refrigerant Gases and Contaminated Refrigeration Machinery in Antwerp on Wednesday 28 March 2012. The Forum comprised classroom sessions in the morning, followed by refrigerant testing demonstrations in the afternoon.

Members may download the presentations: Click on the "Reefer" button (above)


IPPC: Minimising Pest Movement by Container

5 March 2012: The COA has been invited to participate in an Expert Working Group established by the International Plant Protection Convention, to produce a standard aimed at minimising pest movement by shipping container.

The task of the Working Group is to identify particular pest risks associated with shipping containers as pathways in sea and overland transport between countries; identify appropriate phytosanitary measures to mitigate such risks, in particular prior to export, including procedures for packing and cleaning of the interior and exterior of shipping containers, as well as inspection and measures related to the area surrounding packing, storage and loading locations; Identifying verification procedures.

The purpose of this standard is to minimize the risk of quarantine pests moved as contaminants with shipping containers, irrespective of the cargo carried. The standard should provide guidance as to how appropriate pest risk management can be achieved with minimum impediment to efficient movement and management of shipping containers.

For further information, click HERE

COA Report on Water-Based Paints for the Container Industry

Updated report published

26 November 2011: The COA's New Materials Committee has published the first Revision to its report on water-based paints for the container industry.

The report's introduction looks at the issues relating to the search for water-based paints. It then explains the problems associated with the use of solvent-based paints and reviews the possible alternatives. It gives details of the problems involved in switching to water-based paints, before giving an update on the current situation.

The final section of the report gives a detailed report on each of the major suppliers of container paint, together with comments and information submitted by paint producers and container manufacturers.

Members may download the Report by clicking HERE
(Login & password required).

 
COA publishes updated “Alternative Materials for Container Flooring” Report


17 October 2011: The COA's "New Materials" Working Group has published the 2011 Revision of its "Report on Alternative Materials for Container Flooring".

The publication summarises developments since the WG's last report in August 2010, while also providing information on the current market for alternative floor materials.

A comprehensive list of alternative floor materials and suppliers is published. In addition, the report also provides a comparison table of alternative materials.

COA Members can download this information

To download the Complete Report, click HERE
To download the Comparison Table of Alternative Materials, click HERE