P&I Clubs

Hatch covers and ship holds guidance for safe operation

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Graph of cause of large cargo claims by value from the hatch cover and ship holds guidance
Graph of cause of large cargo claims by value from the hatch cover and ship holds guidance

The London P&I Club has published an updated guide on the safe operation and maintenance of ship holds and hatch covers, highlighting some of the common associated causes of damage, loss and personal injury and providing recommendations on best practices and points to avoid.

According to the Club’s data, the cause of large cargo claims by value in dry bulk and general cargo vessels accounts for 33%.

As noted, ISM Code systems should include procedures for loading, unloading, ballasting, deballasting, securing manholes, blanking ballast lines, testing bilge Continue reading “Hatch covers and ship holds guidance for safe operation”

Cargo handling industry experts move to prevent port and terminal collisions

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Dry dock
Dry dock

To minimize risk and improve port safety, three of the cargo handling industry experts have produced an information paper Collision Prevention At Ports & Terminals. Experts from international freight transport insurers, TT Club, together with cargo handling industry experts ICHCA and PEMA share the latest technologies to detect and prevent collisions to promote safety.

In an attempt to improve safety, reduce injuries and loss of life, equipment damage and minimize costly business disruption at ports and terminals worldwide, PEMA, TT Club, and ICHCA International have pooled resources to make available information to promote collision prevention. All relevant stakeholders have been involved in the development of this project. PEMA represents container crane and technology manufacturers, and TT Club and ICHCA International represent container terminals.

Continue reading “Cargo handling industry experts move to prevent port and terminal collisions”

The role of the marine surveyor – a P&I club’s perspective

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Ship of Thesus
Ship of Thesus

‘…The ship wherein Theseus {ref.2} and the youth of Athens returned had 30 oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their place…’

per Plutarch in Life of Theseus {ref.3}

Like their predecessors of ancient times, the marine surveyor of today inspect and make recommendations in respect of the state of seaworthiness (or lack thereof) of a vessel. Unlike their predecessors, and unsurprisingly, their role has expanded. Continue reading “The role of the marine surveyor – a P&I club’s perspective”

‘Bunkering – A Compendium’ – American Club publishes a detailed loss prevention guide

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Bunkering – A Compendium
Bunkering – A Compendium

The American Club has released its latest loss prevention guidance ‘Bunkering – A Compendium’, together with website access to a comprehensive approach to loss prevention initiatives demanded by new regulations and generally by supplying guidance on operations and management.

The Compendium is intended to give guidance not only in respect of issues arising from the new MARPOL regulations coming into effect on January 1, 2020, but also in regard to best practice generally in the conduct of bunkering operations. Continue reading “‘Bunkering – A Compendium’ – American Club publishes a detailed loss prevention guide”

Increased inspection in NZ and Australia as stinkbug season arrives

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Brown Marmorated Stinkbug
Brown Marmorated Stinkbug

According to Gard P&I Club, the 2019/20 Brown Marmorated Stinkbug season has arrived and ships arriving in New Zealand and Australia from countries with established stink bug populations must prepare for increased surveillance and inspection. Last season, New Zealand turned away four contaminated vessels from its waters.

The Brown Marmorated Stinkbug is an agricultural pest that feeds on, and can severely damage, fruit and vegetable crops. The pest has spread from its native range in East Asia to establish populations in North America and Europe but is not yet established in Australia and New Zealand. If the pest were to find its way to Continue reading “Increased inspection in NZ and Australia as stinkbug season arrives”

West of England P&I Club says More can be done to prevent engine room fires

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Burnt engine room - Photo credit: West of England P&I Club
Photo credit: West of England P&I Club

West of England P&I Club says that it is well known that fires on ships require a lot of effort to address. And they risk all those on board, presenting extreme danger to the vessel. Engine room fires are especially challenging to put out because of the potential confined nature of the scene and an abundance of fire triangle elements; namely heat, fuel and air.

Now, condition surveys conducted by the West of England P&I Club repeatedly present worrying examples of substandard fire safety in engine rooms which can easily be avoided by taking some simple steps.

The main sources of ignition in the engine room include hot exhaust manifolds of engines, boilers and indicator valves of the engines. When flammable Continue reading “West of England P&I Club says More can be done to prevent engine room fires”

Mega box ships bulletin published by Standard Club

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Standard Club has published an invaluable bulletin about mega box ships
Standard Club has published an invaluable bulletin about mega box ships

As the size of mega box ships has steadily increased, so has the level of difficulty in handling casualties involving them. A special 32 page edition of the Standard Club bulletin has been published and looks at the different legal, technical and practical considerations.

Ultra large container ships, or mega box ships as they are commonly called, can have a carrying capacity in excess of 20,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent units) and are frequently in excess of 14,500 TEU. This can have a considerable impact in the event of a casualty. In particular, the global shipping and insurance markets have expressed concern regarding the firefighting capability of these ships, which has not necessarily kept pace with their increasing size. It can be extremely difficult to find suitable ports of refuge to accommodate these ships and which have infrastructure capable of handling the number of containers on board.

Continue reading “Mega box ships bulletin published by Standard Club”

Swedish Club publishes booklet on preventing wet damage to cargo on bulk carriers

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Foam on a ship
Foam on a ship

The Swedish Club has highlighted how to avoid wet damaged cargo on bulk carriers in a 32 page pdf booklet, which can be downloaded below. The Club says that heavy weather in combination with leaking hatch covers is the most common cause of wet damage on cargo. However, the main concern is the incorrectly applied and poorly maintained cargo hatch covers and sealing systems.

As a result of information collected from its claims handling, many cargoes of steel and steel coils, grain, peas and solidified cement were damaged by sea and rainwater enabling the report to be produced. In fact, 34% of all insured bulk carriers suffered a cargo claim in 2017 and this has increased by 75% since 2014. For 2017, the average cargo claim on a bulk carrier was almost USD 70,000.

Continue reading “Swedish Club publishes booklet on preventing wet damage to cargo on bulk carriers”

First judgement of Hague and Hague Visby rules tested in the English courts

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Coffee beans
Coffee beans

Britannia P&I Club referred to the English supreme court that presented its first authoritative judgement in English law, addressing the question of whether it is the carrier or cargo interests who bears the burden of proof under the Hague and Hague-visby rules.

The case had to do with a low value claim for condensation damage to coffee beans.

In the first trial the judge ruled in favour of the cargo deciding that where goods shipped in apparent good order and condition show loss or damage on discharge, there is an evidential inference that the loss or damage is caused by the fault of the carrier.

The carrier then has the burden of showing that it has not breached any of its obligations.

Continue reading “First judgement of Hague and Hague Visby rules tested in the English courts”

Unsafe transfer of wood pellets increases the possibility of fire

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Sand cargo on a ship - Photo by Steve Pomeroy, Empire Shipping Agency, Vancouver, B.C.
Photo by Steve Pomeroy, Empire Shipping Agency, Vancouver, B.C.

Peter Hazell, Assistant Vice President and Head of FDD Skuld, has looked at former coal fired power stations that have started to burn biomass as feedstock in order to enhance sustainability of fuel sources. This results in increased shipments of wood pellets intended to be burned.

Most of these shipments are completed without incident but there are significant hazards associated with the carriage of wood pellets that surveyors should be aware of.

Generally, to have safely transfer wood pellets the Club advises always to follow standard enclosed space entry procedures.

They can include a binder additive but not all do so. Each of these types can self-heat when in bulk form.

Continue reading “Unsafe transfer of wood pellets increases the possibility of fire”

Crack in cargo hold cover leads to wet damage

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Cargo ship
Cargo ship

In its monthly safety scenario, April edition, the Swedish Club describes a case of cargo deteriation from wet damage, due to a crack in the hatch coaming.

The incident resulted in several days of delay for the ship to get the wet cargo off the vessel, while most of the cargo was refused by the buyer.

The bulk carrier had a full cargo of zinc concentrate onboard and was sailing from the west coast to the east coast of South America.

When the vessel passed Cape Horn, it experienced heavy weather of Beaufort scale 9 with green sea covering the cargo hold covers 1, 2 and 3.

This continued for 4 days as the vessel battled the waves. The vessel had no weather routing.

When the weather had calmed down the master asked the chief officer to inspect the cargo holds. The chief officer found that water had Continue reading “Crack in cargo hold cover leads to wet damage”

IG Clubs continue to implement survey triggers for tankers carrying HFO

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If a vessel continues to carry HFO as cargo over a period of successive years, the Club is not obliged to carry out a survey every year.
If a vessel continues to carry HFO as cargo over a period of successive years, the Club is not obliged to carry out a survey every year.

As part of the industry’s efforts to ensure higher ship standards, the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG Clubs) continues to implement survey triggers for seagoing vessels of 10 years of age or more carrying HFO, the American P&I Club has reminded the industry in a bulletin.

As a consequence, all sea-going vessels aged 10 years or more which have carried heavy HFO as cargo within the previous 12 months will be subject to condition survey, unless:
– the vessel has undergone a P&I club condition survey during the previous 12 months; or
– the vessel has undergone a Special Survey during the previous 6 months; or
– the vessel has a valid Condition Assessment Program (CAP) rating of 1 or 2 with a classification society having membership in the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).
– HFO is defined as residual fuel with a kinematic viscosity of 380 centipoises when measured at 50 degrees Celsius by the ISO 3104 test method.

Continue reading “IG Clubs continue to implement survey triggers for tankers carrying HFO”

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