The P&I Club, Steamship Mutual, has received a number of enquiries concerning the carriage of containers on vessels not primarily designed to carry containers on deck and/or inside cargo holds, such as bulk carriers and general cargo vessels. The Club is aware of at least one instance where carriage of containers in this manner on a bulk carrier has resulted in a container stack collapse within the hold, necessitating a return to port in order to restow the containers.
Steamship Mutual has issued this guidance concerning the risks presented by such operations and to draw attention to the need to ensure that a ship is suitable for the safe loading, carriage and discharge of the cargo and is equipped with the appropriate means of securing such cargo. The note identifies some of the primary information gathering and reporting necessary for considering such activities, along with other considerations of due diligence and risk assessment to mitigate and minimise the potential risks. Continue reading “Safe loading of containers on vessels other than container ships”
