Member Advisory - SKULD

Applicability: Shipowners and Charterers

Members will be aware of the issues involving self heating and methane emitting coal cargoes,
which have recently been originating from Indonesia. The logistics of dealing with coal cargoes
apply to all regardless of origin.
The Association is grateful to Messrs. Brookes Bell for assistance with this update.
"Problems prior to, and during loading"
Coal
Coal has its origins as vegetable matter which has been subjected to heat and pressure over
time. It is primarily composed of carbon with variable quantities of other components and it is
changes in the proportions of carbon to the other components which describes the coal rank.
As the rank increases, which is as a result of the effects of increasing pressure and temperature
over millions of years, so too does the calorific value. Peat is the precursor to coal and is
usually considered the lowest rank as it clearly shows the remains of plants. Lignite or brown
coal, is the next lowest rank followed by sub-bituminous coal which is usually dark brown to
black. Sub-bituminous coal is utilised for heating, steam-electric power generation and as an
important source of light aromatic hydrocarbons for the chemical industry. Bituminous coal is a
black coal and is one most people are familiar with as it is primarily used as a fuel in both open
fires and in steam-electric power generation and manufacturing. It is also in coke production.
The highest rank of coal is anthracite which is a hard glossy black coal primarily used for
residential and commercial heating.
Most coal deposits in Indonesia are relatively young as coals go and it is the length of time
available for coal formation which determines the coal rank with this process called
'coalification'. Most Indonesian coals are brown coals, i.e., lignite to sub-bitumious coal, with
the rest being black coals, and many of the shipments we have seen are blended to achieve
the requirements of the purchaser. Indonesian coal is known to have low dust and sulphur
contents and these are very desirable properties e.g., burning low sulphur steam coal produces
less sulphur dioxide. However, lower rank coals have higher volatile contents and many
Indonesian low rank coals have high resin contents both of which are undesirable. Coal
reserves in Indonesia are found in various areas of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, Sulawesi and
West Papua. The largest deposits are found in South Sumatra, East Kalimantan and South
Kalimantan.
During the coal forming process, gases like methane can become trapped in the coal (and can
be 'tapped off' as a resource separate from the coal). This feature represents a significant
operational and transport hazard. Coal and related cargoes are fuels which undergo
combustion. If coal undergoes spontaneous oxidation and the energy released by this process
is trapped and not dissipated to the environment, it is known as self-heating. As a result the
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temperature rises and this may progress to full combustion of the coal and as a consequence
stockyard and coal seam fires are well documented. Self-heating of coal can result in
secondary hazards, which include the production of carbon monoxide as well as other toxic and
flammable gases. In addition, any form of combustion consumes oxygen, so extreme care
should be taken when dealing with coals and related cargoes as they are oxygen depleting
materials. As a general rule, the higher coal rank products tend to be methane producing coals,
whereas the lower rank ones are those prone to self-heating. However, in some ports, Shippers
sometimes blend self-heating and methane producing coals.
Trade names for Coal:
The commercial names for some coals (often used on Bills of Lading), such as steam or thermal
coal (grades of sub- to bituminous coal), and metallurgical or coking coal (bituminous and
anthracite coal) reflect their end use rather than their coal rank (manufacture of steel and
burning in power stations, respectively).
The IMSBC Code - COAL
Regardless of the trade name for the type of coal, there is only one COAL entry in the IMSBC
Code (the Code), so we would expect all coal cargoes should be listed on the cargo
declaration as coal. The Code provides a reasonably comprehensive set of instructions for the
safe loading of coal cargoes and we would refer all parties to this entry in the Code.
Coal is usually shipped in the form of lumps, but some are very fine grained (called 'fines') and
may exhibit liquefaction characteristics, hence these require further loading controls in the form
of a Transportable Moisture Limit Certificate (TML) and a Moisture Content (MC) Certificate.
The IMO has put guidelines in place on how shippers can monitor their moisture control
methods, and the Competent Authority of the Port of Loading is now required to supply an
additional certificate which details their approval of these methods.
Another coal-related cargo is listed as COAL SLURRY, and this also consists of fine coal
particles, often washed off larger lumps. Since this too can liquefy, it requires a TML Certificate
and MC certificate prior to loading.
All vessels intending to carry coal are required to have appropriate gas monitoring equipment
for the duration of the voyage (see below).
Prior to loading a COAL or related cargo
Shippers are required to provide a cargo declaration stating if the cargo has a history of selfheating or methane emission. If it does not, ask shippers again as both these properties are
common in Indonesian coals, with self-heating especially so.
All coal cargoes will require monitoring during the voyage. This will take the form of
temperatures and gas readings for each hold. As indicated above, all vessels intending to carry
coal are required to have appropriate gas monitoring equipment for the duration of the voyage
and it is important that this equipment be in good working order with an up-to-date calibration
certificate prior to the commencement of loading. Since gas monitoring is a requirement of the
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Code for coal and some related cargoes, it is very important to know how the ships gas meter
works BEFORE loading starts.
Gas meters come in many different types and makes, with some having an inbuilt pump to draw
the gas sample through a sampling tube inserted into the hold headspace though the gas
sampling port and over the gas sensors inside the instrument. Others do not have this facility
and require a rubber bulb type hand-pump positioned in-line between the end of the sampling
tube and the gas meter to draw the headspace gases through the meter. Once a reading has
been taken, it is also important to ensure that the meter returns to reading normal gas levels in
fresh air before attempting to take the next measurement i.e. oxygen 20.9%, carbon monoxide
0%, %LEL (lower explosive level) 0%. It is also important to prevent dust and moisture from
entering the gas meter as these can damage the sensors and consequently, an in-line filter is
useful in this respect..
Access to the headspaces via the gas sampling ports enables assessment of the gas levels
without opening the hatch covers so that oxygen (O2), methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide
(CO) levels can be reliably monitored. It is also extremely important to know which gases are
being checked and why:
Oxygen (O2) this is consumed by self-heating / combustion processes, e.g., a self-heating
coal should show decreasing O2 levels. Without O2 self-heating cannot occur.
Carbon monoxide (CO) this gas is produced when self-heating or combustion occurs at low
oxygen levels. This gas has no smell and is a silent killer because it binds to haemoglobin in
the blood 200 times more strongly than oxygen thereby shutting down blood oxygen transport
leading effectively to suffocation.
Methane (CH4) is a gas released by some coals, so an increasing level indicates the coal is
emitting CH4 and needs to be closely monitored. If the concentration increases to reach 20% of
the lower explosive limit (LEL), ventilation is required.
It should be noted that most of the commonly used multi gas meters encountered onboard ships
will not be reliable for hydrocarbons or other flammable gases at low oxygen levels - in fact they
will not work properly below about 12% O2 values. This is because most gas meters use
combustion sensors which require oxygen to function properly and to produce reliable
hydrocarbon/flammable gas readings.

Self-heating coals
The COAL schedule in the Code states that:
"This cargo shall only be accepted for loading when the temperature of the cargo is
not higher than 55C"
If the shippers' have declared that the coal has a history of self-heating then temperature
monitoring of cargo will be required prior to loading (and during the voyage, see second
advisory).

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If shippers declare there is no history of self-heating, then prudent action would be to monitor
the cargo temperature carefully and not to load any coal with temperature above 55C. If the
coal temperature is already at 55C, then it has probably been mis-declared anyway.
The reason for having a maximum cargo temperature limit is the recognition that the selfheating reactions are like any chemical reaction in that the rate of reaction approximately
doubles for every ten degree rise in temperature. Thus once coal gets to about 55C, the rate of
the self-heating reactions will be such that potentially the coal can heat relatively quickly to the
point of self-ignition. Generally if the cargo temperature is below 55C then there will be
sufficient time to load the cargo, monitor it and to restrict oxygen such that the self-heating
reactions are stifled and the coal cannot attain the high temperature required for ignition.
There is no provision in the Code to indicate that average values are acceptable, therefore we
would advise against accepting any 'average' values for temperatures taken on barges or
stockpiles.
If the coal is declared as having a past history of self-heating and/or emitting methane, this
should be given in writing via the cargo declaration. These characteristics do not preclude the
carriage of the coal, but dictate its handling and monitoring during loading and the voyage.
If the coal on any barge is found to have temperature in excess of 55C then it is the
responsibility of the shipper to either cool such cargo down by rotating it using bulldozers or to
ensure such coal is not loaded onboard. This will require policing by the crew by way of
checking temperatures regularly or local surveyors if they have been appointed. We add that it
is possible to cool coal down by rotating it and/or turning it over and we in fact have had
experience where this has been done effectively such that the cargo temperature was
subsequently found to be below the 55C limit and was therefore acceptable for loading.
Self-heating coals Taking the temperature prior to loading
The Code recommends that pre-loading checks on the temperature are conducted. If shippers
do not give any indication that the coal may self-heat, some may question why such monitoring
would be necessary. Unfortunately there is a long history of shippers not telling the truth, or
simply not realising that the information is required, or what the consequences might be for a
ship in the event that the cargo self-ignites. After all, if a stockpile onshore catches fire, it is
easier to deal with.
We recommend therefore that prior to loading the temperature of the nominated cargo should
be checked. This may be difficult in Indonesia where much of the coal is transferred from
barges, so monitoring temperatures of the cargo prior to it being transferred to the vessel will
likely require the coal on the barges having to be checked.
Ideally, a thermocouple probe and thermometer should be used, but it can be difficult to push
such a probe into coal. Therefore if it is difficult or none is available, then an Infra-Red (IR)
thermal spot temperature device could be used. These are becoming relatively cheap so could
be made available to each coal-carrying ship. However these instruments have a number of
limitations, such as they are not particularly accurate and they can only record surface
temperatures, so rechecking the cargo below the surface is vital, i.e., once it is disturbed by the
grabs and by checking the temperature of the freshly exposed surfaces of the stow. In
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addition, the shippers might have temperature sensors on the loading conveyors, so these could
be monitored if access is granted.
Because the monitoring of temperature may necessitate loading being stopped, it is important
that the results of the cargo temperature monitoring operation are carefully recorded. Surface
temperatures are a good place to start, and if these are already above 55C (given as the
maximum temperature acceptable for loading in the Code), then the cargo would appear to
already be self-heating and does not meet the carriage requirements. To take further
temperature readings, the stow on the barges (on stockpiles, if ashore), should be taken from
within the pile, i.e., it requires digging into the pile to access the inner parts of the stow.
Self-heating can be very localised in a pile of coal, therefore many pits will need to be dug to
establish the temperature throughout the whole of the stockpile/barge-load/stow. This way, a
clear picture of the temperature profile of the cargo can be obtained. It may be possible to use
an IR thermometer to check the freshly exposed surfaces after a grab-load is removed and if
necessary stop it reaching the holds if the temperature proves to be above 55C in the inner
parts of the stow.
Methane emitting coals
Some coals emit methane, which is a highly flammable gas, so the coal entry in the Code also
details the precautions needed to load and transport such material.
It is only once such coals are loaded that the monitoring for methane becomes possible, as the
gas needs to be accumulated in the hold and its presence cannot be checked for in the open
air.
The key to managing the risks requires understanding the nature of coal, and the management
for ship transport is detailed in the COAL schedule of the Code.

Dave Myers, Fire investigator

Penelope Cooke, Cargo scientist
Nick Crouch, Cargo scientist

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