Liquefaction still a risk for dry bulk ships

Whilst there has been no reported loss of life or loss of ship attributed to liquefaction in 2018, moisture related cargo failures continue to be a major concern and Intercargo urges stakeholders to remain vigilant.

Pertinent updates to IMSBC 04-17 include changes to section 4.5 which stipulates the shippers’ responsibility to ensure that testing for transportable moisture limit (TML) and moisture content is carried out at the prescribed intervals. Other updates are changes to the individual coal schedule and the inclusion of a new test procedure for determining the TML of coal.

Intercargo’s annual casualty report shows that 101 lives and nine bulk carriers were likely lost due to liquefaction during the years 2008 to 2017 and the organisation urges ship operators to be especially cautious when loading during the wet season.

Intercargo also stresses the importance of investigating an incident and the subsequent and timely publication of a casualty investigation report in order for lessons to be learnt.