Iron Ore Fines Cargoes exported from Sierra Leone have been identified as an area of increasing concern due to a lack of regulatory oversight at loading ports and the potential for excessive wetting and thereby liquefaction and instability.
This is a joint publication of CINS and the International Group of P&I Clubs outlining updated guidlines for the safe carriage of seed cake in containers.
Following a rise in the number of enquiries relating to the transport of metal scrap in containers, the Association would like to bring Members' attention to the CINS Metal Scrap Carriage Guidelines, which were published in January 2018.
The UK Club routinely advises Members on the implications of proposed carriage of cargo on deck. The Club usually advises on both the contractual aspects, i.e. risk allocation under the Bills of Lading and Charterparties, as well as from a loss prevention/ or practical perspective. Carriage of cargo on deck exposes the cargo to a variety of extra risks from the elements, such as sea-spray and wind, as well as the potential risk of being washed off or falling overboard due to bad weather conditions or inadequate lashing/stabilising. Depending on the cargo, there may also be issues with the stability of the vessel itself, for example, the carriage of wing blades on top of hatch covers.
The vessel loaded a full cargo of soya beans in North America for discharge in the Far East. The voyage was performed in the Northern Winter season during which orders were received to stem fuel oil bunkers at an intermediate port.
During cargo operations, the duty deck officer noticed the presence of a large quantity of water within one of the holds. He immediately informed the master and arrangements were made to transfer the water into a holding tank using the hold bilge pumping system.
The crew were instructed to clean the vessel's cargo holds in preparation for the next cargo. The vessel was underway with sea conditions recorded as slight with no ship movement. In order to gain better access to the upper areas of the hold, the crew arranged to position the high pressure washing equipment on top of portable staging erected on the tank top.
The UK P&I Club have received the following update from correspondents Pandi Liquidadores SRL regarding customs regulation on weighting methods of solid bulk cargoes.
It is common in a lot of trades to accept a Letter of Indemnity ("LOI") for non-production of bills of lading. Although it is commonly accepted in many trades, the consequences of non-performance can be extremely serious for Members.
As discharge of a cargo of coal progressed, the level in one of the cargo holds had lowered to the point where stevedores needed to enter for cargo trimming operations using bulldozers.
The Club's Loss Prevention team, in conjunction with Witherby Publishing have just released a new training guide for crew on "Survival craft release and retrieval systems."
This vessel was loading a bulk cargo in two of the vessel's lower holds. During the loading operation, the vessel bunkered 500 MT of HFO into no.'s 2 port and starboard fuel oil side tanks. Shortly after the completion of bunkering operations, the Chief Engineer (C/E) noticed the level of no.2 port fuel oil tank was decreasing from observation of the remote gauging system.
Whilst the vessel was at anchor waiting to berth, one of the engine room fitters was instructed by the Chief Engineer to fabricate a set of locking pins for the anchor cable stoppers. It was planned that the work would take place in the engine room workshop and involve the use of an angle grinder for which the fitter had the choice of an electrical or pneumatically powered tool.
The subject vessel was berthed on a NNE heading, port side to an exposed quay for cargo discharge operations. In the early morning, the wind was observed to increase in strength from the NW. The Master ordered the crew to deploy additional mooring ropes, with the final arrangement reported to be 4 head/stern lines, 2 breast lines and 2 spring lines forward and aft.
