General cargoes, even if not classed as dangerous, can pose dangers to ships or those on board, if certain precautions are not observed. If the cargo is to be discharged in generally the same condition as when loaded, further common sense considerations apply. In order to plan stowage, the responsible officer should have information on the nature, mass and stowage factor of the individual cargo. Where large items of cargoes are concerned, information on the dimensions of the cargo is required. Such information will then be used to distribute the cargo in such a way as to ensure adequate stability and workable trim at all stages of the voyage and to have the cargo gear rigged so as to ensure that heavy items can be lifted without the possibility of a stow collapsing and endangering the ship; of items of machinery or steel shafts falling and penetrating the ship's shell-plating; or of shifting deck-cargoes causing fractured deck piping and ventilation trunks.

In addition to those safety matters, the cargo officer must take into account commercial considerations and separate tainting from taintable cargoes or sweating cargoes from those that may be damaged by moisture and that heavy items are not placed on frail packages or packaged liquids on bagged cargoes. For some cargoes ventilation must be encouraged or sometimes it must be restricted but the different climatological conditions in which a ship is expected to operate must always be taken into account. In all cases, the drainage of liquids to the hold bilges or wells should be facilitated.

The securing of breakbulk cargoes is most conveniently done by planning stows to occupy the spaces from side to side, incorporating, where appropriate, built-in anchors of dunnage or using locked stows. Heavy items are individually lashed and for some cargoes, known to have given rise to difficulties in the past, IMO has published a Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (resolution A.714(17)). For the securing of freight containers a wide variety of standardized fittings are available. On open-top container ships, the need to secure cargoes is greatly diminished as all containers are placed within cells. The securing of containers on general cargo ships can cause problems unless special fittings have been provided.

Barge carrying ships have specialized arrangements to secure the barges and if problems arise, they stem from the cargoes within the barges. Ro-ro ships have fittings to secure lorries, although these are not always used.