THE UNIVERSITY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

UNIVERSITY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

1. With respect to loading Iron ore fines;

a) Describe how you safeguard against short delivery of cargo in discharge
port.
Shortage claims in disport
Claims from cargo receivers against shipowners for alleged short delivery of
cargoes of iron ore fines in bulk are invariably paper losses the cargo is
bought and sold in dry metric tons (DMT) but shipped in wet metric tons
(WMT) under a bill of lading the vessel can only check the wet weight of
the cargo, e.g. by draft survey, when issuing a bill of lading.
Where iron ore fines are to be treated as Group A cargoes that may liquefy
under the IMSBC Code, a shipper-issued certificate with a declaration of the
cargos moisture content (MC), transportable moisture limit (TML) and flow
moisture point is provided to owners at the load port. The MC of such cargoes
can be as high as 12 per cent, which amounts to a significant quantity of water
onboard large bulk carriers, such as capesizes, which can typically carry in
excess of 160,000 MT.
During the voyage, a large quantity (up to 60 cubic metres per day) of
moisture in the cargo will usually drain to the bilges and is pumped overboard
in accordance with applicable regulations.
At the discharge port in, draft survey reports and certificates of weight and
quality including the cargos MC - are issued by Inspection & Quarantine
Services (IQ)

Receivers then make a claim against the owners of the carrying vessel for
short delivery of cargo, which is often successful.
It is therefore important for owners to preserve the following documents:
Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate;
Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate;
Document of Compliance;
Safety Management Certificate;
Testing certificate of hatch covers;
Port log at the loading port;
Weather reports during loading operation;
Statement of Facts at load port;
Signed bilge log;
Deck log;
Result of any can test performed by the crew after loading;
Shippers IMSBC Code documentation.
Mitigating the risk of liability for shortage claims
Avoid any reference to the dry weight of the cargo in the bill of lading.
If owners are required to sign the shippers load port MC certificate, try to
include the words, for receipt only. This does not constitute any
admission/confirmation of the content.
Copies of the vessels bilge log, signed daily by the crew, should be sent to
the shipper and other relevant parties, such as charterers and vessels agents.

Clausing a bill of lading with the statement that the cargo is shipped on board
weight, measure, quality, quantity, condition, contents and value unknown
would not be upheld by the courts in a shortage dispute. Therefore, the
Master should try to clause the bill moisture content unknown or with other
remarks when there are grounds for suspicion or a lack of reasonable means
for checking.

b) Identify and list the hazards and precautions when loading, carrying and
discharging iron Ore fines in bulk

Handling iron ore in bulk carrier

The majority of incidents where bulk carriers have been lost were when
carrying iron ore. In the carriage of iron ore, the following precautions should
be taken:
Iron ores are heavy cargoes which occupy a small area for a large weight, ie
they have a low stowage factor (between 0.24-0.80 m3/tonne). It is therefore
important that the tank top has sufficient strength to carry certain iron ores
Iron ore stock
trimming of these cargoes is generally required (even though their angle of
repose is mostly above 35) to spread their weight across the entire tanktop

the stability of vessels - as iron ore is a high density cargo, when loaded on an
ordinary bulk carrier (not an ore carrier) it will increase the vessel's GM to
make it a `stiff' ship.

dust - iron ore is commonly loaded with conveyor belts, grabs, chutes and
bucket belt unloaders, causing significant quantities of dust during both
loading and discharging. However, enclosed conveyor belt systems generate
less dust. The dust may damage ship's machinery as well as the health of
personnel.

moisture content - iron ore is assumed to have a homogeneous moisture

content between 0-16%. However, if kept lying in the open, the moisture
content may increase due to absorption from air or rain. If the exact moisture
content is unknown, a proper laboratory test may be called for. The Master
must also ask the shipper to detail the cargo's moisture content and TML

In recent years an increase incidents attributed to carrying iron ore filings with
excessive moisture content, causing sloshing and adverse stability and in some
cases the rapid loss of the ship. During the monsoon season in the Indian subcontinent iron ore filings are stored and transported open to the elements. It is
worth remembering that the cargo may remain stockpiled before being
shipped later in the dry season

It is imperative that the cargo moisture content is tested prior to and monitored
during all stages of loading as, once onboard, cargo may be extremely difficult
to remove.
The shipper's test certificate should be presented before loading, be sound and
no more than seven days old. A good indicator during the load is the presence
of splatter marks of iron ore filings on the bulkheads. If splatter marks are
evident, they should be taken very seriously as an indication that the moisture
content is above the TML and the flow moisture point. If the Master is in any
doubt, he should contact the owners and the P&I Club correspondent.

stress monitoring - stresses upon the ship, both in port and at sea, should be
monitored using an HSMS (Hull Stress Monitoring System) if fitted, and the
movement of cargo and ballast monitored using stress calculating software

alternate hold loading - bulk carriers sometimes carried iron ore in alternate
holds at the request of charterers owing to the economic advantages of faster
turnround and raised centre of gravity. To do so ships must be specially
strengthened. SOLAS Chapter XII bans alternate hold loading for single skin
ships of 150 m or more in length, built before 1st July 1999, that carry cargo
equal to 90% of the ship's deadweight.

the iron ore standard sampling procedure given in the IMSBC Code should be
followed.

Precautions for carriage of iron ore:

Iron concentrates
concentrates of iron are produced by either:
the dry method, in which high grade ore is crushed to remove waste material,
leaving a low moisture content in the powdered ore. Iron concentrates
obtained by the dry method are susceptible to spontaneous combustion
because of the air already trapped within the concentrate during the crushing
process.
Due to dampness within the cargo, the sulphur can react with the oxygen to
produce heat, resulting in spontaneous combustion. Therefore, for
concentrates, the holds should be kept closed and ventilation avoided.
Additionally, due to sulphur and other metallic contents within concentrates,
these may emit poisonous/explosive gases. The cargo spaces should be treated
as enclosed spaces and appropriate entry procedures followed

the wet method, in which the crushed rock is washed in water to separate the
sulphides. The concentrate has a high moisture content that may liquefy and
shift onboard ship. The moisture content of these concentrates should
therefore be checked prior to loading and, if above TML, the cargo should be
rejected

c)
i)

Define following terms:

angle of repose

The angle of repose, or critical angle of repose, of a granular material is the

steepest angle of descent or dip relative to the horizontal plane to which a
material can be piled without slumping.

ii)

cargoes which may liquefy - flow moisture point

The flow moisture point of any cargo is deemed to be the

percentage of moisture content at which the cargo behaves
like a fluid and develops a flow state.
iii)

flow state

Flow state is a state which occurs when a mass of granular material is

saturated with liquid to such an extent that it loses its internal shear strength
and behaves as if the whole mass was in liquid form.
iv)

transportable moisture limit

Transportable Moisture Limit this is the maximum moisture content of a

cargo that is considered safe for transportation in ships. It is calculated as 90
per cent of the Flow Moisture Point (FMP). If the cargo is assessed as having
higher moisture content, it is strongly recommended that the cargo should not
be transported unless the vessel is specially built or fitted.
The decision on whether or not to load and transport a cargo is always
ultimately that of the ships master and the port authorities, who may be
guided by the results of FMP testing.
Bureau Veritas is at the forefront of sampling and mechanical testing
including the flow table and penetration tests. We have testing capabilities in

Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Australia with facilities
being developed in Africa.

2.
a)

With aid of simple sketches explain;

Alternate loading on a Cape size ship

Alternate Hold Loading Conditions (Fully Loaded) Heavy cargo, such as iron
ore, is often carried in alternate cargo holds on bulk carriers,
It is common for large bulk carriers to stow high density cargo in odd
numbered holds with the remaining holds empty. This type of cargo
distribution will raise the ship's centre of gravity, which eases the ship's
rolling motion. When high density cargo is stowed in alternate holds, the
weight of cargo carried in each hold is approximately double that carried in a
homogeneous load distribution.
To support the loading of the heavy cargo in the holds, the local structure
needs to be specially designed and reinforced. It is important to note that the
holds which remain empty, with this type of cargo distribution, have not been
reinforced for the carriage of heavy cargoes with a non-homogeneous
distribution.
Ships not approved for the carriage of heavy cargoes in alternate holds by
their classification society must not adopt this cargo load distribution.

b)

Block loading on Cape size ship.

Block Hold Loading and Part Loaded Conditions

A block hold loading condition refers to the stowage of cargo in a block of
two or more adjoining cargo holds with the cargo holds adjacent to the block
of loaded cargo holds empty, see figure 15. In many cases, block hold loading
is adopted when the ship is partly loaded. Part loaded and block hold loading
conditions are not usually described in the ship's loading manual unless they
are specially requested to be considered in the design of the ship.
When adopting a part loaded condition, to avoid over-stressing of the
hull structure, careful consideration needs to be given to the amount of cargo
carried in each cargo hold and the anticipated sailing draught When a ship is
partly loaded, the cargo transported is less than the full cargo carrying
capacity of the ship.
Hence, the sailing draught of the ship is likely to be less than its maximum
design draught. The weight of cargo in each hold must be adequately
supported by the buoyancy upthrust acting on the bottom shell. A reduction in
the ships draught causes a reduction in the buoyancy upthrust on the bottom
shell to counteract the downward force exerted by the cargo in the hold.
Therefore, when a ship is partly loaded with a reduced draught, it may be
necessary to reduce the amount of cargo carried in any hold.

c)

How can heavy density cargoes cause structural damage

It is recommended that high density cargo

be stowed uniformly over the cargo space
and trimming be applied to level the cargo,
as far as practicable, to minimise the risk of
damage to the hull structure and cargo shift
in heavy weather.
The distribution of cargo in a hold, and
water ballast distribution, have an
important
influence on the resultant stress in the hull
structure. The double bottom and the cross
deck structure are designed based upon a trimmed cargo distributed
symmetrically in a hold space.
Still water shear forces and bending moments given in the ship's loading
manual and the corresponding calculations from onboard loading instruments
are based on an even distribution of cargo in a hold space, unless otherwise
indicated.
Still water shear force and bending moments calculated with an onboard
loading instrument do not consider the torsional loads acting on the hull girder
resulting from asymmetrical cargo or ballast loading When heavy cargo is
poured into a cargo space at one end of the cargo hold, the lateral cargo
pressure acting on the transverse bulkhead, as a result of the cargo piling up at
one end of the cargo space (see figure 16), will increase the loads carried by
the transverse bulkhead structure and the magnitude of transverse compressive
stresses in the cross deck.