National Cargo Bureau

Summary of National Cargo Bureau

A nonprofit, membership corporation concerned with the safe loading, stowage, transport, and unloading of cargoes aboard vessels. The NCB provides on-site inspection services to ensure that cargoes are stowed correctly and that incompatible materials are not stowed together. In the case of shipments aboard bulk vessels, the NCB may provide draft or deadweight surveys; such surveys can be used as a render of the amount of cargo laden or discharged in ports where shore side scales are not available. In addition, the NCB performs equipment inspections to satisfy compliance with government regulations. The Coast Guard and Department of Labor accept NCB certification of compliance for ship's gear. NCB certificates are accepted by the major maritime nations as evidence of compliance with the requirements of International Labor Organization Convention No. 32 concerning safety at sea. Also, the NCB has been appointed as vessel inspection agent in the United States for Liberian and Panamanian flag ships.

The National Cargo Bureau was formed in 1952 by the merger and expansion of the Board of Underwriters of New York (formed 1820) and the Board of Marine Underwriters of San Francisco (founded 1886).

The NCB maintains its headquarters in New York and operates through ninety-two offices in the United States and the Panama Canal Zone.

(Main Author: William J. Miller)