International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargo (IMSBC) Code categorizes cargoes into three groups, A, B & C:
A = cargoes which may liquefy if shipped at a moisture content in excess of their transportable moisture limit
B = cargoes which possess a chemical hazard which could give rise to a dangerous situation on a ship.
C = consists of cargoes which are neither liable to liquefy (Group A) nor to possess chemical hazards (Group B).
English: Bulk carrier HUMBOLDT CURRENT arriving in harbour. Français : Vraquier HUMBOLDT CURRENT arrivant au port. IMO-Number: 7819943 MMSI-Number: 376331000 Length: 193 m Callsign: J8FI4 Beam: 20 m (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Liquefaction property of group A cargo is a major concern on safety of ship and its crew. In 2010 vessels Jian Fu Star, Nasco Diamond, Hong Wei and Vinalines Queen sank resulting in total loss of 67 lives at sea. The cargo carried by these four ill-fated vessels was nickel ore.
When liquefaction takes place vessel at sea may experience cargo shifting resulting in sudden loss of stability and capsizing.
When does liquefaction occur? Liquefaction takes place if the moisture content in cargo is above the Transportable Moisture Limit (TML). Since Nickel ore is not listed by name in IMSBC Code the carriage of nickel ore must be within the scope of section 1.3 “Cargoes not listed in this Code”
Recommendations are submitted to Maritime Safety Committee for implementing binding rules for engagement of National Competent Authority together with qualified laboratories for assessment of moisture content, TML to ensure cargoes which may liquefy is not loaded if moisture content is above TML.
English: A bulldozer is loaded on a bulk carrier using a crane, prior to unloading. Français : Un bulldozer est chargé sur un vraquier grâce à une grue, avant de commencer le déchargement. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Quote from China’s submission to Maritime Safety Committee (MSC89)
“China, as the country of nationality of the 45 seafarers [who lost their lives], carried out the investigation immediately after the accidents. In view of the fact that the subject ships had sunk and the difficulty to obtain cargo samples from the port of loading, the investigation was mainly based on the interviews with the surviving seafarers.
According to the evidence available, the direct cause of these accidents was the loss of stability as a result of cargo liquefaction and shifting in bad weather. However, the cargo documentation provided to the masters indicated that the moisture content of the cargo samples was lower than the Transportable Moisture Limit (TML)”.
A long international voyage of an unknown sailor and his small occasion to celebrate.
Anno Domini 15th October 2010 evening I shutdown my office workstation (at Maersk) and walked off to the retired life at the age of 40. I didn’t had much plans in my life other than relaxing in my home town, a small city, Calicut, fanned by gentle breeze from Arabian Sea.
Back at home, Bombay, on that evening I made a blog account thinking I will narrate my long journey in life.
Why long journey in life by 40, because I always followed my heart. A life’s journey followed by heart is much longer than a scheduled journey, because the true happiness is in journeying not in the destination.
That's Me
I always followed my heart, where I loved to stay I stayed long, where I didn’t love to stay I moved on. When I was sailing on long voyages I loved the staying in the going. When I stayed long during breaks in sailing or worked on storage tankers moored to SPM many nautical miles off the shore I loved the going in the staying.
In between sailing I took a break of 2 years and lived in West Africa, Tema and Abidjan mainly, involving myself into various aspects of port operations related to MPVs. It was one of the best days in my life spent in gold coast and ivory coast. Once I sat Hours and hours at Cape Coast Castle where 100s and 1000s of slaves were held captive before their fateful voyage across Atlantic commenced.
Cape Coast Castle
I was also involved in transporting ECOWAS Soldiers to Liberia for peace keeping mission, a life time experience of loading and discharging armored cars, ammunition and heavy artillery into and out of the cargo holds. Arranging the logistics for 1000 plus soldiers to sail on ship, installing their military radio station and antenna ,testing their radio. Communication was HF SSB Radio Telephony and Morse code. I felt am a soldier without uniform. Oops! I felt a soldier in Merchant Marine uniform 😉
Later during 1999 coup in Ivory Coast I had to save myself from looting, arson, gunshots and finally flee the country with nothing but the cloths I wore and my passport. Of course when I got out of then Sahar airport I had the stub of the air ticket additionally together with cloths I wore, passport and a one rupee coin which had hid itself in my jeans pocket. I walked from Sahar airport (Mumbai) , some 20 odd kilometers, to D.N. Road and borrowed a pen to fill up withdrawal form at my bank. The meal I had then at a restaurant is the best I ever had in life though cockroaches were playing on the table. I lost many of my documents and a box full of old photographs and negatives I had with me. I hadn’t changed to digital camera then, technologically less savvy I am. But those memories I still cherish in my heart.
Remembering those good old days I still some time test my ability to key Morse code.
My dusty old Morse Key
Coming back to the immediate days after leaving my last job and opening blog account, I sat in front of my laptop thinking what to write and where to start. I entered some small notes on dangerous goods; a topic very fresh in my mind after working 8 years in P& O Nedlloyd and Maersk dangerous goods department.
My blog entry was very infrequent through the months. Later one day I received an email from Microsoft stating that they are stopping the blog service and it will be automatically transferred to WordPress. I obliged and moved all my previous ‘rare’ entries on to WordPress.com
My entries during September and October 2011
13 entries in Sept 2011 is accumulated figure from Oct 2010.
Then at home town I bought a mountain bike and started cycling. Hitting out on the road before sunrise coasting Calicut’s beach road and turn back home from Beypore port some 17 kilometers one way.
Beypore port entry
Ability to read is a real gift, with this gift we can immerse ourselves into the world of literature. I indulge myself into reading any book I come across be it political, historical, religious or atheist. When I look back at my working days and now the graph of reading hasn’t changed much as reading was always part of me.
My Bookshelf
From Milton’s Paradise Lost , through Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment or Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina or Khayyam’s Rubaiyat one can spent his life journeying through letters. Need not mention Don Quixote of Miguel De Cervantes which makes me feel am another Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of Calicut 🙂
Back at blog, during my interaction with various people in industry I realized there is definitely a lack of general understanding in dangerous goods transportation. How to rectify it? Training, already made mandatory by IMO. Yes training is mandatory and is undertaken by many.
But training starts and ends within a scheduled timetable. What happens if the trainee had any doubt many days, weeks or months after training? This was the question pondering my mind. Who will answer him or her? Whom the trainee can approach post training with a specific question?
Then late in November 2011 I decided to write on blog again. But what to write? I started recalling what I used to ask myself during my initial days in dangerous goods safety department and on those topics I started writing on blog.
How much more I wrote? In November 2011 I wrote one more entry
End November my blog entry status looked like this.
Watching the visitor status I felt I am the most frequent visitor reading my blog through admin panel but later the number of visitors started growing. The topics they read made me understand what information they are looking for. This encouraged me to write more and more.
End December my blog entry status looked like this.
Then I got a Class 1.4S fireworks email from WordPress.com celebrating my blog status 😉
Blog Visitor Status – Months and Years
I realized that when I write more number of visitors are increasing, compare no. of entries and visitors for Oct, Nov and Dec below.
This encouraged me to write more about what readers are looking for and my status went on to end of March 31st as below
Across the globe there are dedicated people ensuring compliance to SOLAS, 1974, as amended, and MARPOL 73/78 for safety and environmental protection during transport of dangerous goods.
I am happy to serve those who are looking for information about safe transport of dangerous goods by Road, Rail, River and Sea. Its my duty to give back to the industry what it taught me!
Today I will celebrate passing the milestone of 10,00th reading of my safety blog with “BEER”, because
“An aqueous solution containing not more than 24% alcohol by volume is not subject to the provisions of IMDG Code.” 😉
Before loading of Solid Bulk Cargo the shipper must furnish information to the master or his representative about the cargo sufficiently in advance of loading to enable the precautions which may be necessary for proper stowage and safe carriage of the cargo to be put into effect.
A bulldozer is loaded on a bulk carrier using a crane, prior to unloading. Français : Un bulldozer est chargé sur un vraquier grâce à une grue, avant de commencer le déchargement. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Below segregation table defines the requirement of segregation between bulk materials possessing chemical hazards and dangerous goods in packaged form. Relevant entries in IMDG Code and IMSBC Code shall be referred on case by case basis.
Segregation Table for Bulk Dangerous Goods and Dangerous Goods in Packaged form
International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes , IMSBC, Code supersede Safe Practice for Solid Bulk Cargoes. IMSBC Code became mandatory from 1st January 2011.
Annex 4 of IMSBC Code is pertaining to training of terminal personnel involved in loading or unloading of bulk carriers
Below is quoted from Annex 4 of IMSBC code
— quote —
Loader/unloader operator training should include: 1. The general hazards of loading and/or unloading Bulk Carriers (ref. BLU Code (Code of Practice for the Safe Loading and Unloading of Bulk Carriers) and BC Code (Code of Safe Practice for Solid Bulk Cargoes))
2. The dangerous effect improper loading and/or unloading can have on a ship.
Practical aspects to be included in the training should include:
The BLU Code so that they understand and appreciate both the obligations it places on their terminal, and the limitations of the ships the terminal personnel are loading and/or unloading.
The correct operating instructions for the ship loader or unloader they are operating.
A basic understanding of the mechanical and electrical components of the loader and/or unloader such as travel drives, braking arrangements, ropes and rope care, grab/trolley winches, conveyors, operating and wind limits, storm anchoring.
Emergency procedures such as fire on ship, terminal, or loader and/or unloader; mooring incidents, emergency stops.
The correct techniques and patterns to be used to load or unload a ship, depending on the type of and number of loaders or unloaders being used.
To load a ship:
Loader operators should have an appropriate understanding of how to:
Distribute the cargo in each hold in accordance with the agreed cargo plan to ensure the ship remains upright, and is neither stressed nor twisted.
Ensure no hold is overloaded or overfilled, and that the ship can be safely trimmed on completion.
Ensure loading efficiency is maximized, as per the agreed loading/deballasting plan.
Ensure safety and environmental protection procedures are followed.
Ensure that good communications are maintained between the loader operator and the designated ships officer, and between master and terminal representative.
To unload a ship:
Unloader operators should have an appropriate understanding of how to:
Unload the cargo from each hold in accordance with the agreed unloading plan to ensure that the ship remains upright and is not stressed or twisted.
Remove the cargo from the holds by either grab or continuous unloader in a manner that minimizes the risk of damage to the ships structure.
Ensure that good communications are aintained between the unloader operator and the designated ships officer, and between master and terminal representative.
Assess the risks arising from cargo sticking in frames and on hopper sides and facilitate, if possible, its safe removal without risk to the safety of terminal personnel and ships crew members, or risk of damage to ship.
Terminal representative training
The terminal representative should:
1. Have a thorough understanding of the underlying principles related to the loading and/or unloading of bulk carriers as described in the BLU Code.
2. Know how to implement all aspects of the BLU Code.
3. Understand and manage the ship/shore interface in relation to the operations and limitations of the terminal, its cargo handling equipment and procedures, the planning, control and monitoring of cargoes, relevant properties of the cargoes being handled, berthing/mooring operations and emergency procedures.
The training, assessment and certification of trainees should be carried out by competent persons within the framework of existing training standards and national health and safety legislation
IMDG Code Compliance Centre 