Mark Dunbar, Surveys Manager at West P&I Club, has highlighted practical aspects on the carriage of containers onboard dry bulk vessels. And as he says, individual cases will vary widely so the following should not be taken as exhaustive, but as an aide memoire for the major factors that need to be considered and addressed.
– Bridge visibility needs to meet SOLAS requirements.
– Vessel stability including bending moments and shear forces to be verified as within limits.
– Container stacking weights – check CSC plate for maximum allowable – US 53 foot containers are usually significantlylower than standard ISO containers.
– Strength of tanktop/hatch covers/deck plating – remember all the weight of a container is distributed Continue reading “Practical aspects of the carriage of containers on dry bulk vessels”
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Quarterly Report on Port State Control (
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has partnered with the Australian New Zealand Safe Education Boating Group (
The potential catastrophic impact arising from the deterioration of abandoned cargo cannot be disregarded as a remote risk. However, the considerable costs accruing from container demurrage, detention, storage and disposal regularly result from cargo that, for a variety of reasons, is no longer required by the original receiver or consignee, and is simply abandoned at a port terminal or cargo facility. Increased risks of safety and regulatory infraction are inevitably consequent, as well as significant demand on management and operational resources to resolve individual cases. 
During an annual lifeboat safety inspection it was discovered that the on-load cable release could not easily be moved, and the release lever required extreme force to operate. The forward hook cable release also did not operate properly. A replacement cable release arrangement was procured locally, and repeated tests were conducted to confirm that it was once again fully operational.