Shipping

According to the American P&I Club, the ingress of seawater through leaking hatch covers remains one of the most significant causes of cargo damage aboard dry cargo vessels. Cargo damaged by water leaking through hatch covers can result in large claims and affect Members’ claims records. Most leakage problems occur because of poor maintenance. Hatch covers will leak if:
– compression surfaces are not aligned correctly due to worn bearing pads, locator and/or stoppers;
– gasket sections are damaged, missing, worn, over compressed or inserted in Continue reading “Preventing cargo damage through hatch cover maintenance”

P&I club Britannia has published an incident case study after two fumigation contractors died from asphyxiation on a bulk carrier.

The unexpected incident occurred onboard the vessel nearing the completion of loading corn cargo, which resulted in the death of one contractor. Before the incident, the cargo holds had been closed for six days, leading to depleted oxygen levels inside. This incident highlights the dangers of closed cargo holds, the lack of awareness about hazardous conditions, and the human tendency to help others in distress without considering personal safety. Continue reading “P&I club Britannia shares lessons learned following asphyxiation on a bulk carrier”