Glossary / Project & heavy cargo

Open top

Also: open-top container

A standard-footprint container with a removable tarpaulin roof instead of a solid top, so cargo can be loaded from above by crane and over-height loads can protrude under an out-of-gauge declaration. Open tops suit dense or tall cargo that’s awkward to load through end doors — the top comes off, the load drops in, the tarp goes back on. Over-height still ships as out-of-gauge.

Full guideOOG shipping: flat rack, open top, breakbulk or RoRo — choosing the method →