Containers

Hong Kong Marine Department has published a safety note regarding cargo safety following an incident where a cargo hold explosion was caused by hot work on the hatch coaming. A Hong Kong registered bulk carrier fully loaded with coal departed for its discharging port with all hatch covers of the cargo holds and ventilation flaps closed.

On the voyage, the crew carried out hot work in an attempt to dismantle the connection of a leaky hydraulic ram which was attached to the cargo hold forward hatch coaming. During the repair, an explosion in the cargo hold took place, injuring three crew members, who were later taken to the hospital by a helicopter. Amongst the three injured crew members, one of them was the fitter who died two days later. Continue reading “Crew must be familiar with cargo safety information says new note”

The development of the wind turbine sector is creating new challenges for the shipping industry as giant wind blades and elements are shipped from their manufacturers to the staging points for their installation. APM Terminals Pecem, at the port of Pecem in northeast Brazil, recently handled the loading of three blades, which it reports became the largest non-containerized cargo operation in the world.

The shipment consisted of three giant wind blades, each of which measured approximately 238 feet in length. While these blades were only about two-thirds the length of the largest wind blades ever built, they were the largest in Brazil and needed to be shipped from the port of Pecem in the north to the state of Santa Catarina in the south where they will be installed as part of the growing wind energy sector Continue reading “Giant wind blades are largest non-container cargo loaded”

Amid an alarming trend of containers lost overboard, the Swedish P&I Club has published a 32 page guide offering guidance on planning and loading the containers. According to the Club’s statistics, the main reason for containers being lost overboard is related to container vessels navigating in heavy weather, combined with crew failure to reduce speed and/or alter course to avoid it or alleviate its effect. The reasons can often be attributed to a series of multiple failures, rather than a single cause, but raising awareness of these issues to both ship and shore staff will serve to prevent accidents from happening.

The guide also notes that other common factors are
– Containers not being correctly stuffed or declared by the shipper;
Continue reading “Key loss prevention tips for containers lost overboard published in new guide”