CONTENTS

1
1.1

Introduction
Therisksarereal

2
2.1

TheIMSBCCode
WhattheCodecontains

3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7

TheBulkCargoChain
Shipsuitability
Cargodocumentation
Portstorage
Inspection,survey,samplingandtesting
Loading
Thepassage
Discharge

Personalsafety

Beingmethodical

Furtherresources

INTRODUCTION

ThisReferencecoverstheprinciplesthatgovernthehandlingandcarriageofallbulk
cargoes.TogetherwiththeDVD,itissuitableforbothinitialandrefreshertraining.
Whileitputsforwardamethodicalapproachtodealingwithdangerousanddifficult
bulkcargoes,youshouldbeawarethatitdoesnotcovereveryaspecttobe
consideredaboutspecificcargoes.ThemandatoryInternationalMaritimeSolidBulk
CargoesCode(IMSBCCode)producedbytheInternationalMaritimeOrganizationis
thekeyresourceforalltheinformationthatneedstobetakenintoaccountforany
particularcargo.
1.1 Therisksarereal
Unfortunately,thereisnoshortageofexamplestomakethepointthatbulkcargoes
needtobetreatedwiththeutmostrespect.

Abulkcarriercarryingdirectreducediron(DRI)finesfromVenezuelatoChina
waslostastheresultofarapidseriesofexplosionsafterthehydrogengas
thathadbuiltupintheholdsignited.Sixmembersofthecrewwerekilled.

Afterthreedaysatsea,abulkcarriertakingnickelorefromNewCaledoniato
Australiadevelopeda15listafterthecargoinfourofthefiveholdsliquefied.
Ballasthadtobepumpedurgentlytocorrectthelistandenabletheshipto
makeport.

AshipcarryingzincskimmingsfromFrancetoItalyfounderedandsankwithin
aminuteafterasevereexplosionfollowingthebuildupofgasinthehold.Six
outofsevencrewmemberslosttheirlives,andthesunkenshipwasnever
evenlocated.

Ashipcarryingacargoofironorefinesonlymanagedtosailafewmilesfrom
itsportofloadingbeforedevelopingalistwhichbecamesoseverethatthe
shipwasbeachedtopreventcapsizing.Thecargohadliquefied.

Therecanbenoquestionoftheseincidentsbeingcausedbybadluck.Theywere
causedbybadpractice.

THEIMSBCCODE

Inordertocodifybestpractice,theInternationalMaritimeOrganizationhaspublished
theInternationalMaritimeSolidBulkCargoesCodeusuallyknownastheIMSBC
Code.Thisisofficiallyinforcefrom1January2011,fromwhichdateitwillbe
mandatoryundertheprovisionsoftheSOLASConvention.TheIMSBCCode
supersedestheCodeofSafeWorkingPracticeforBulkCargoes(BCCode)and
presentsadditionalinformationincludingtheCodeofSafeWorkingPracticeforthe
LoadingandUnloadingofBulkCarriers(BLUCode)andrecommendationsonthe
safeuseofpesticidesinshipsapplicabletothefumigationofcargoholds.
Beingamandatorydocument,ithastobeaboardeverybulkcarrier,andits
requirementsfollowed.Butthisisnotjustacaseofyetanothersetofrules.The

IMSBCCodeistheretohelppreventaccidentsandincidentsbyinformingseafarers
abouttherisksassociatedwithbulkcargoes.
Theserisksfallintothreemaincategories:

Riskofstructuraldamage
Thiscanoccurthroughincorrectcargodistributionbutcanalsobecausedby
corrosion.Equipmentcanalsobedamaged,especiallybydustduringloading
andunloading.

Riskofinstabilityduringthevoyage
Thisismainlyaresultofasolidcargoturningliquidinthehold.

Riskofchemicalreactionswithinthecargoes
Principallythosewhichgenerateheat,explosivegasortoxicgases.

TheIMSBCCodeprovidesinformationonthecharacteristicsofthecargoesand
instructionsontheprocedurestobefollowedwhensolidbulkcargoesareduetobe
carried.Itisessentiallyareferencebooktohelpshipsofficersassesswhethera
particularcargoisacceptable.
2.1 Whatthecodecontains
TheIMSBCCodehasseveralgeneralsectionsatthefrontwhichapply toallbulk
cargoes.TheseincludeonespecificallyonthesubjectoftheAssessmentof
AcceptabilityofConsignmentsforSafeShipment,whichcontainsdetailsofthe
informationaboutabulkcargothathastobeprovidedbytheshipper.
Italsoliststhedetailedcharacteristicsofover150differentbulkcargoes,andthe
handlingprocedurestobefollowed.
ThemostfundamentalcharacteristicistheGrouptowhichthecargobelongs.All
cargoesareclassifiedusingthreecategories:
GroupAcargoeswhichmayliquefyintheholdwhiletheshipisonpassageifthe
moisturecontentishigherthanpermittedforcarriage
GroupBcargoeswithchemicalpropertiesthatcouldleadtoadangeroussituation
onboard,suchastheproductionofanexplosiveortoxicgas
GroupCcargoeswhicharenotliabletoliquefyortobeasourceofchemical
hazards

Anothercharacteristicthatis
listed,whichappliestofree
flowingmaterialsasvariedas
grain,potashandurea,isthe
AngleofRepose.Thisisthe
maximumpermittedslope
angleofthecargowhenitisin
thehold,measuredasthe
anglebetweenthehorizontal
andtheslopeupthecone.

TheentryintheIMSBCCodeforeachcargothenlistsinformation,warnings,and
procedurestobefollowed,underthefollowingheadings:
Hazard

Loading

Discharge

Stowageandsegregation

Precautions

Cleanup

Holdcleanliness

Ventilation

EmergencyProcedures

WeatherPrecautions

Carriage

Inrelationtoinstructions,thetextmakesthefollowingdistinctionsbetweenthreekey
words:
Shall
Should
May

=mandatorye.g.acertificateshallbeprovided
=recommendede.g.thisshouldbecalculated
=optionale.g.thischeckmaybemademorefrequently

THEBULKCARGOCHAIN

Itisimportantthatthewholeprocessofdealingwithallbulkcargoesiscarriedoutin
amethodicalway.Ineverycase,thestagestobegonethroughintransportinga
cargofromitssourcetoitsdestinationarelikethelinksinachain.

Likeanychain,thestrengthofthisoneisdependentonthestrengthofeachofthe
individuallinks.Thedifficultyforseafarersisthatsomeofthecriticallinksarein
someoneelsescontrol.
Butastheexamplesearlierinthisguideshow(andtherearemanyothers),itisthe
shipandthecrewthatareatriskifalinkinthechainprovesfaulty.SotheMaster
hastobesatisfiedthatevery linkissoundevenwhensomeoneelseistheoretically
responsibleforit.
3.1 Shipsuitability
EveryshiphasaCertificateofCompliancewithGroupA,BorCcargoes,ora
CertificateofFitnessforcarryingsolidbulkcargoes.Therefore,thesuitabilityofthe
shipforaparticularcargoshouldalreadyhavebeencheckedwhenthevesselwas
fixedoncharter,orthecargobooked.Butthiscannotbetakenforgranted.Thereis
alwaysthepossibilityoferrorsoromissions.
TheIMSBCCodelaysdownalltherequirementsthatapplytotheshipinrelationto
eachspecificcargo,andareessentialforitsloadingandcarriage.Dependingonthe
cargo,thesecouldinclude:
Theboundariesoftheholdsareresistanttofireandliquid
Electricalequipmentintheholdsissafeforuseinanexplosiveatmosphereor
canbeisolatedoutsidetheholds
Theshipiscarryingtheappropriateequipmentforgasmeasurement
Thespecifiedtypeofventilationisfitted
Thenecessaryspecialistsafetyequipmentandpersonalprotectiveequipment
isonboard
Nothingislostbycheckingespeciallyifthecargobookedhasnotbeencarried
before.
Correctidentification
Agoodnumberofcargoeshavevariantsofthesamebasicmaterial,andinsomeof
thesecaseseachvariantneedstobehandleddifferentlybecauseitpresentsa
differenthazard.Itisessentialtoknowexactlywhatcargoisinvolved.
However,thismightnotalwaysbestraightforward,becauseidenticalcargoes
sometimesgounderdifferentnames,dependingwhereintheworldtheyareloaded.
Inthemostextremecase,tenormorenamesareinuseforvariantsofthesame
material.ThatiswhytheIMSBCCodespecifiesthattheBulkCargoShippingName
(BCSN)mustbeused.TheBCSNisthenameunderwhichthecargoislistedinits
detailedsectionoftheIMSBCCode.Othernamescanbeused,butonlyinaddition
totheBCSN.
Ifthecargonameisnotimmediatelyrecognisableorfamiliar,Appendix4ofthe
IMSBCCodeallowsforcrossreferencinganumberofcommoditiesandmaterialsto
providethecorrectBSCNasapplicabletotheschedules.

3.2 Cargodocumentation
Thissecondlinkinthechainisparticularlyimportant.Thatisbecausesome
decisionsthatneedtobetakenbytheshipinrespecttocargoeseventotheextent
ofrejectingthemasunsuitabledependonaccurateinformation.
ItistheresponsibilityoftheshippertoprovidealltheinformationlistedintheIMSBC
Code.Someofitsimplyconfirmsthecharacteristicsofaparticularcargoaslaidout
intheCode,whichdonotchange.Buttherearethreeareaswhichdochange,even
betweentwodifferentcargoesofthesamematerial,andwheregreatcareneedsto
betaken.
Moisturecontent
Excessivemoistureisamajorfactorbothincargoesthatcanliquefyandinthose
thatcanbesubjecttochemicalreactions.Theshippermustthereforeprovidea
certificatethatstatestheaveragemoisturecontent.InthecaseofaGroupAcargo,
theremustalsobeastatementofTML(TransportableMoistureLimit)whichisthe
maximummoisturecontentconsideredsafeforcarriage.
Temperature
Forsomecargoes,anincreaseintemperaturetriggersapotentiallydangerous
chemicalreaction.TheIMSBCCodespecifiesamaximumloadingtemperaturefor
such cargoes.
Therewillbeoccasionswhenthisinformationwillbeprovidedbuttheremaybe
doubtofhowuptodateitispreciselybecauseitisvariablesthathavebeen
measured.Therefore,theshipmaystillneedtocheckforaccuracy.
3.3 Portstorage
Thenextlinkinthechain,portstorage,isalsorelevantbecauseofthevariablesof
ShipStabilityandCargoDocumentationforwhichaccurateinformationisneeded.
Evenassumingthatthefiguresformoisturecontentandtemperatureintheshippers
documentationwereaccuratewhentheyweremeasured,howandparticularlywhere
thecargowasstoredintheinterveningperiodcouldhavehadaconsiderableimpact
onthefigures.
Thisisespeciallytrueofmoisturecontentforanycargostoredintheopenwhen
therehasbeenrecentrainfall,orthecargoisbeingloadedinapartoftheworldthat
hasamarkedrainyseason.
Thisproblemwouldbeincreasedifthestorageareaisnotwelldrained.
Forsomecargoes,theIMSBCCodelaysdownparticularlystringentrequirements
aboutstoragepriortoloading,suchasbeingundercoverbutexposedtodryweather
intheopenforatleastthreedaysofweathering.Thisisanotherrequirementfor
whichacertificateshouldbeprovidedbytheshippertotheMaster.
3.4 Inspection,survey,samplingandtesting
AspertheIMSBCCode,thecertificatesthathavetobeproducedfortheshipgiving
accurateinformationaboutthecargorecordtestshavetobedonebycompetent
personnel.Thesetestshavetobeconductedinaccordancewithnationallyor
internationallyacceptedstandardprocedures.

TheIMSBCCodealsorulesthatthesamplingandtestingforthemoisturecontent
shouldbedoneasnearaspracticabletothetimeofloading,andnevermorethan
sevendaysbeforehand.
However,asindicatedinthepreviouslinksofthechain,theremaystillbereasonsfor
theshiptoquestiontheaccuracyofthefigures.TheIMSBCCodeitselfsaysthat
checksaretobeconductedifthereissignificantrainorsnowbetweentestingand
loading.
Thefirststageisphysicalinspectionofthecargo.Thiswillindicategeneralaspects,
suchaswhetherthereisobviousvariabilityinitsmakeupacrossastockpile,aswell
asgivinganideaofthenatureofthestorage(especiallywhetheropenairorunder
cover),andanindicationofhowgoodthedrainagemightbe.
Forcargoeswherethesizeoftheindividualconstituentpartsisoneofthedefining
characteristics,surveyingandmeasuringwillprovideahigherlevelofcertainty.The
IMSBCCodegivesthedetailsofbothwhatthesizeshouldbe,andinwhatformthe
cargoshouldbebeitgranules,crystals,briquettes,pellets,powder,fines,oreven
lumps.
Ifitisthoughtnecessarytotakenewreadingsfortemperatureormoisturecontent,
specialistassistancemayberequiredtotakesamples.Itisimportanttotake
representativesampleswhenintendingtoestablishmoisturecontent,bothacrossthe
stockpileandatleast50cmintoit,andthetestmustalwaysbeconductedata
laboratory.
Thereisasimilarneedtoprobesufficientlydeeplyintoastockpilewhenmeasuring
temperaturetogetatrulyrepresentativefigure.
Whileitisalwayspossibletocallforfurtherlaboratorytestingwherethereisany
doubt,therearesomecircumstanceswhereaninterimtestcanbeconductedwithout
specialistknowledge.TheCanTest,forexample,describedintheIMSBCCode,
providesareliableindicationofacargowithmoisturecontenthighenoughtocauseit
toliquefy.
3.5 Loading
Preparationforloading
Onceacargohasbeenacceptedforcarriage,theIMSBCCodecontainsa
considerableamountofinformationineachindividualcargoentrytoguideshipson
whatneedstobedonebeforeloadingbegins.Thiscanbefoundnotjustinthe
Loadingsectionoftheentry,butalsoundertheheadingsofStowageand
Segregation,HoldCleanlinessandPrecautions.
Actionstobetakencouldinclude:
Ensuringthereisnoresidueofapreviouscargointhehold(whichmay
promptachemicalreactioninacargo)
Makingsurethattheholdisdry(wherechemicalreactionistriggeredby
water)
Usingonlyholdsthatarenotimmediatelynexttosourcesofheat(forcargoes
thatselfheatorgiveoffgasesiftheirtemperatureisraised)

Testingtheintegrityofweatherdeckenclosurestothecargospace(for
cargoeswheretheenclosureshavetobeclosedandsealed)
Treatingthesurfacesofthehold(whenthecargocancausecorrosion)
Isolatingpossiblesourcesofignition,likeelectricalequipment(forcombustible
cargoesorthosethatgiveoffgasesifignited)
Coveringsensitiveelectronicsandmachinery(forcargoesthatgeneratedust)
Ensuringmembersoftheshipscrewinvolvedinloadinghavetheappropriate
protectiveequipment(alsoforcargoesthatgeneratedust)

Loading
Therearetwodifferentfacetstotheloadingitself,thephysicalandthe
organisational.
Thephysicalaspectsrelatetotheactionsthatneedtobetakentoavoid
overstressinganypartoftheshipshullandtoaidstabilitywhileonpassage.
Somebulkcargoesareofhighdensityandweightdistributionbecomesevenmore
significant.Wheneverpossible,thehigherthedensityofthecargo,thelowerthehold
inwhichitisstowed.Ifthiscannotbedone,extraattentionneedstobepaidto
considerationsofoverstressingandstability.
Correcttrimmingisvitalforallbulkcargoes.TherelevantcargoentryintheIMSBC
Codewilllistanyadditionalfactorsthatneedtobeborneinmindinthisregard,
usuallyundertheheadingofLoading,butsometimesinaspecialappendixtothe
entryforaspecificcargo.
Theshipsstabilityinformationbookletprovidesthenecessarydatatohelpensure
thattheshipisloadedinsuchaswayastomakesureitsstabilityisatorabovethe
minimumacceptablelevel.
Thephysicalaspectsofloadingalsocovergoodpracticesuchasthemaximumdrop
heightwhenloadingisdonewithcranesusinggrabs,ratherthanconveyors,andthe
speedofloading.
Withthisfacetofloading,theIMSBCCodeworksinconjunctionwiththeBulk
LoadingandUnloadingCode(theBLUCode).Thisisincludedasasupplementin
theIMSBCCode.
Theorganisationalaspectsofloadingrelatetotheextrasafeguardsthattheship
mightneedtoputinplaceduringloading.Thesecouldinclude:
Stoppingallhotwork(suchasburning,cuttingorwelding)inthevicinityof
cargospaces
Enforcingabanonsmokinginandnearthecargospaces
Postingappropriatewarningnotices
Spotcheckingthecargotemperature
Thetimingoftheloadingcanalsobeweatherdependent.Thereareagoodnumber
ofcargoesthatshouldnotbeloadedinrainorsnow.

Therearealsosomebulkcargoesthatcarryapotentialsecurityrisk.Section11of
theIMSBCCodecontainsprovisionsrelatingtosecurity.
Whencargoesthatfallinthiscategoryarecarried,theISPSCodeandSOLAS
regulationsandguidancemustbefollowedclosely.
3.6 Thepassage
Forthemanycargoespronetodangerouschemicalreactions,allthepreviouslinks
intheBulkCargoChainareaimedatreducingthepossibleoccurrenceofthose
reactionsduringpassage.Forcargoeswhichcanliquefy,theyareintendedtokeep
themoisturecontentbelowtheTML.However,thereisacontinuingrequirementfor
vigilanceduringthevoyage.Asbefore,theIMSBCCodelaysdownwhatneedstobe
done.
Oneimportantareaisventilation,whichgetsitsownheadingineveryindividualbulk
cargoentry.Havingtherightventilationfittedforthecargoispartofthefirstlinkin
thechain.Thistenthlinkisconcernedwiththecorrectoperation.
Dependingonthecargo,therecouldbearequirementto:
notventilateatall
maketheholdgastight
opentheventilatorflapstoallowsurfaceventilation
makeuseofmechanicalventilation,or
inafewspecificcircumstances,carryacargounderinertconditions
Therequirementforventilationcanbecontinuousoratspecifiedintervals.Theonly
overridingconsiderationwouldbewhenmaintainingventilationwouldendangerthe
shiporthecargo(unlessinterruptingitwouldproduceariskofexplosion).
Formanycargoes,therewillalsobearequirementtomeasurethegasesthey
produce,bothintheholdandinotherspacesintheship.(Therequirementtohave
suchequipmentonboardisanotherelementofthefirstlinkinthechain,ship
suitability.)
Themostimportantgasesthatmightneedtobemeasured,dependingonthecargo,
are:
methane(flammable,andpotentiallyexplosivewhenmixedwithair)
hydrogen(thisisalsopotentiallyexplosive,andcanselfignite)
oxygen(somecargoeswillabsorbthis,leadingtooxygendepletioninthe
hold)
carbonmonoxide(toxic,butcouldalsobeanindicatorforselfheating)
Withsomecargoes,therewillalsobearequirementtomonitortemperatureat
specifiedintervals.
3.7 Discharge
Thislastlinkinthechainoftensimplymirrorstherequirementslaiddowninthe
IMSBCCodeforloading,exceptthattherearelikelytobefewerrequirementswhen
discharging.Typicaloftheseisthegenerationofdust,andthereforetheprotectionof

equipmentvulnerabletodustdamage,andtheneedforpersonalprotective
equipment.
However,therearecargoeswhichhavespecialrequirementsonlyduring
discharging,thatarisebecauseoftheperiodthecargohasbeeninthehold.These
couldbeasvariedas:
notbunkeringorpumpingfueloil
testingtheatmosphereofthecargospacebeforeanypersonnelenterit
continuingtotestitatspecifiedintervalswhilepeopleworkinthecargospace
trimmingacargothathashardenedduringpassage,toavoidoverhangs
monitoringapotentiallyselfheatingcargoforhotspots
Asinallothercases,therequirementsarespecifiedinthedetailedentryforeach
cargointheIMSBCCode.

PERSONALSAFETY

ThesafetyoftheshipistheprimarypurposeofensuringthateverylinkintheBulk
CargoChainissound.Thatnaturallyincludesthesafetyofthoseonboard:thetwo
gohandinhand.
Butthereisasafetydimensionthataffectsonlypeople,andneedstobeconsidered
separatelybecauseitisaregularsourceonitsownofincidentsand, sometimes,
fatalities.
TheresultofchemicalreactionsinmanyGroupBcargoesisthattheygiveoffgases.
Somearetoxic.Carbonmonoxide,aproductofcombustion,hasalreadybeen
mentioned.Othersincludephosphineandarsine,bothofwhicharecolourless.
Acomparableproblem inthatthereisnothingbywayofvisiblewarningistoo
littleoxygentosupporthumanlife.Withsomecargoes,oxidisationdrawsoxygen
fromtheatmosphereinaclosedcargospacethatleadstosevereoxygendepletion.
Thetypesofcargoinvolvedvarywidely:fromgraintotimber,fromguanotoscrap
metal.
Furthermore,thereplacementofoxygenfromtheairwhenthespaceisopenedisnot
instantaneous.Ittakestimeforthespacetobefullyventilated.Eventhen,pockets
oflowoxygenatmospherecanremain.Closedholdsremainingemptyforlong
periodscanalsohavelowoxygenlevels.
Asaresult,everyenclosedspaceshouldbetreatedwithcaution.Thisincludesnot
justholds,butanycompartmentwithlimitedopeningsforentryandexit,and/orlittle
naturalventilation,andonenotdesignedtobeoccupiedonapermanentbasis.
Everyshipmusthaveproceduresforenteringtheseenclosedspaces,whichwill
include:
ventilatingthespacebeforeentry
testingtheatmospherebeforeentry

notenteringthespacealone,andhavingonepersonoutsideitwhoisin
communicationwithanyoneinside
wearingproperequipmentandclothing
havingasystemofformalpermitsapprovingentry
havingwarningsignsorpostersnexttotheentrytoanenclosedspace

Proceduresmustbefollowedbyeveryonewithoutexception,andtotheletter.As
withalltheissuesthatareaddressedbytheBulkCargoChain,accidentsinvolving
personalsafetyarealmostalwaysnottheresultofbadluck,butofbadpractice.

BEINGMETHODICAL

Goodpractice,incontrast,istakingdecisionsandactionsonthebasisofa
methodicalapproach,i.e.followingcorrectprocedures,atalltimes.
TheBulkCargoChainprovidessuchanapproachmakingsuretherightquestions
areaskedandtherightinformationisavailable.Thereforeitminimisesthechances
ofadifficultordangerouscargodoingseriousharmtotheshiporthoseonboard.
Nobulkcargoshouldbeloadedandtransporteduntilthosedirectlyatriskare100%
sureitissafetodoso.ThatiswhyitisessentialthatallelevenlinksoftheChainare
sound,andknowntobesound.Evenwhenitisoutsidethedirectresponsibilityofthe
ship,eachlinkhastobecheckedandtested.
TheIMSBCCodeservesasthepointofreferenceforthisprocess,providingallthe
necessaryinformationnotjustamandatorysetofinstructions,butatooltohelpget
thejobdone.Safely.

FURTHERRESOURCES

BulkCarrierPractice,NauticalInstitute
BulkCarrierSafety,BalticandInternationalMaritimeCouncil(BIMCO)and
MarineTechnicalManagersAssociation(MARTECMA)
BulkCarriersSafetyStudies,MaritimeandCoastguardAgency(MCA)Marine
InformationNote228(M)
CodeofPracticefortheSafeUnloadingandLoadingofBulk Carriers(BLU
Code)
IMOandtheSafetyofBulkCarriers,InternationalMaritimeOrganization
InformationResourcesonBulkCarrierSafety,InternationalMaritime
Organization
InternationalAssociationofDryCargoShipowners(Intercargo)
www.intercargo.org
InternationalConventionfortheSafetyofLifeatSea(SOLAS),ChapterXII:
AdditionalSafetyMeasuresforBulkCarriers
InternationalGrainCodeInternationalCodefortheSafeCarriageofGrainin
Bulk
InternationalMaritimeSolidBulkCargoesCode(IMSBCCode)

ManualonLoadingandUnloadingofSolidBulk CargoesforTerminal
Representatives(BLUManual)

RelatedtrainingprogrammesfromVideotel

BulkCarriersHandlewithCare(Code691)

CargoLossPreventiononBoardBulkCarriers(Code598)

EnteringintoEnclosedSpacesEdition2(Code628)

HullStressMonitoring(Code550)

SafeLogCarrierOperations(Code760)