PRECAUTIONS FOR LOADING BULK GRAIN

The Master shall ensure that the ship:

a. Before loading, can comply with intact stability criteria at all

stages of the voyage.
b. Is upright before proceeding to sea.
c. Has all the paperwork completed and onboard.

Fumigation requirement

Charterers and shippers may require the cargo to be fumigated. If

this is to be done during the voyage or before or after loading, full
and clear instructions should be received from the charterers and
shippers. These instructions should refer to product data sheets and
the correct procedures and safety advice, application dangers,
method of handling, and requirements for personal protective
equipment and monitoring equipment. Refer to IMO
Recommendations on the Safe Use of Pesticides on Ships. Always
carry out a risk assessment.

A qualified fumigator should be engaged by the charterers when

fumigation is to be done in port.

All spaces should be padlocked and sealed to prevent anyone from

entering the space. No-one should enter a space that has been
fumigated until after it has been thoroughly ventilated. It is
recommended that an expert chemist declares whether the space is
safe to enter. If the cargo requires ventilation after fumigation,
advice should be sought from fumigation experts in respect to crew
safety.
 Fig: Fire consequence

Fuel oil tanks precautions

 masters and officers must be aware of the location of the

heated fuel oil tanks
 masters and officers should monitor the tank top temperature
above the fuel oil tanks as this can affect the integrity of
certain cargoes – particularly grain cargoes
 fuel oil temperatures can be monitored on the fuel oil transfer
pumps
 masters and chief engineers should manage the fuel oil
onboard to reduce heat damage to cargoes loaded in holds
above heated fuel oil tanks
 heat only fuel oil tanks in use

Failed pipes onboard ship carrying grain often cause, or contribute

to, many serious claims. Bagged grain on a small bulk carrier was
damaged after water escaped from an air pipe running between a
ballast tank and the cargo hold. The pipe had a corrosion crack
where it connected to the tank top and water escaped through the
crack when the ballast tank was overfilled. The ship was 20 years
old, but nothing had ever been done to protect the pipe from
corrosion; not even a lick of paint. Cost – $220,000. Repairs to the
pipe would have cost less than $150.
Measures against spontaneous combustion :

Some grade of grain cargos are carried in a damp condition

and may cause spontaneous combustion to occur. The centre
of these cargos will have very little ventilation to allow for
cooling effect, therefore the natural heat generated can build
up to such a degree that combustion takes place. Due to the
restriction of oxygen, the cargo will only smolder until part
of the cargo is removed, then admitting additional air will
cause the cargo to burst into flames.

The only possible way to obtain an early warning of the start

of spontaneous combustion is by monitoring the temperature
of the cargo holds. Many ships are fitted with `temperature
ports', ie pipes that are fitted beside the cargo hold access
ladders into which thermometers can be lowered to obtain
the hold temperature. The best practice is to leave the
thermometers within the ports and withdraw them when a
reading is desired. However, if the ship is not fitted with
temperature ports, the sounding pipes could also be used to
obtain temperatures. Whichever method is used for
measuring temperature:

1. The thermometers should be reset before introducing

them into the pipes
2. the thermometers should be left in the pipes for some
time (2-3 minutes at least)
3. the temperature should be measured at least 2-3 height
levels within the hold
4. the temperature should not be measured solely at the
surface of cargo as it is likely to be quite different from
that at the bottom of the cargo hold.

Modern bulk carriers may be fitted with permanent

temperature sensors providing continuous readings. It is
important to maintain records of all temperature
observations and ensure readings are taken at the same
times and at regular intervals. This makes it easy to
establish a pattern for any irregularities in the observed
behaviour.

Appropriate precautions should be taken to protect machinery and

accommodation spaces from the dust of the cargo. Bilge wells of the
cargo spaces shall be protected from ingress of the cargo. Person
who may be exposed the dust of the cargo shall wear protective
clothing, goggles or other equivalent dust eye protection and dust
filter masks, as necessary. Bilge wells shall be clean. Dry and
covered as appropriate, to prevent ingress of the cargo.

Carriage

After completion of loading of this cargo, the hatches of the cargo

spaces shall be sealed as necessary. All vents and access ways to
the cargo spaces shall shut during the voyage. Bilges in the cargo
spaces carrying this cargo shall not be pumped unless special
precautions are taken.

Germination

Grain can germinate during a voyage so it is essential that the cargo

is loaded in a completely dry condition. It follows that grain must
not be loaded and holds should be covered during periods of
precipitation.

Clean up

In the case that the residues of this cargo are to be washed out, the
cargo spaces and the other structures and equipment which may
have been in contact with this cargo or its dust shall be thoroughly
swept prior to washing out. Particular attention shall be paid to bilge
wells and framework in the cargo spaces. The fixed bilge pumps
shall not be used to pump the cargo spaces, because this cargo may
make the bilge system inoperative.

Risk of claims

There is a strong risk of spurious cargo claims being made on grain

cargoes in Iraq. During the discharge of an Argentinean wheat cargo
at Umm Qasr, the Iraqi receivers claimed that cargo in one hold was
contaminated with e-coli bacteria. The cargo was analyzed three
times by a local health authority laboratory and on each occasion
the tests were positive. The Member had a cargo sample analyzed
by Solomon and Seaber in the UK and the result was negative.

HOLD CLEANING IN BULK CARRIERS – GRAIN In the dry bulk trades, there are
essentially five grades of hold cleanliness:

1. hospital clean, or ‘stringent’ cleanliness

2. grain clean, or high cleanliness

3. normal clean

4. shovel clean

5. load on top

Hospital clean is the most stringent, requiring the holds to have 100% intact paint
coatings on all surfaces, including the tank top, all ladder rungs and undersides of
hatches. The standard of hospital clean is a requirement for certain cargoes, for
example kaolin/china clay, mineral sands including zircon, barytes, rutile sand,
ilmenite, fluorspar, chrome ore, soda ash, rice in bulk, and high grades of wood
pulp. Generally, these high standards of cleanliness will only be met by vessels
trading exclusively with such cargoes. It will rarely be required in the tramp
trades.

Grain clean is the most common requirement. A ship will be required to be

grain clean for the majority of bulk and break bulk cargoes, such as all grains,
soya meal and soya products, alumina, sulphur, bulk cement, bauxite,
concentrates, and bulk fertilisers. Some ports and shippers may allow a
different standard of cleanliness.

Normal clean means that the holds are swept clean, with no residues of the
previous cargo, and washed down (or not, depending on charterer’s
requirements), that is, cleaned sufficiently for taking cargoes similar to or
compatible with the previous shipment.

Shovel clean means that all previous cargo that can be removed with a
‘Bobcat’ or a rough sweep and clean with shovels by the stevedores or crew.
The master should clarify what standard is expected.

Load on top means exactly what it says – the cargo is loaded on top of existing
cargo residues. Usually, this means ‘grab cleaned’. This standard will
commonly be required where a ship is trading continuously with the same
commodity and grade of that commodity. This will typically occur when a ship
is employed under a Contract of Affreightment to carry, for example, a single
grade of coal over a period. With such a trade, there is no commercial need for
holds to be cleaned between successive cargoes, and each cargo is simply
loaded on top of any remaining residues from the previous cargo. With load
on top, guidance may be necessary for the master on any cleaning
requirements, including the use of bulldozers and cleaning gangs.