201060 Project and heavy lift cargoes

Project and heavy lift cargoes
MARS Report 201060

Edited from North of England P&I Club's Signals Newsletter, no 76

Shipping high-value and often fragile project cargoes can result in extremely costly claims if preparation, loading and discharge procedures are not carried out in strict compliance with manufacturers' recommendations and industry best practice. The key to success is detailed planning, which should involve a representative of the shipper, cargo superintendent and surveyor appointed by the carrier.

Pre-planning should include provision of suitable information describing the cargo in detail and include gross mass, centre of gravity, principal dimensions (including scale drawings), bedding requirements and careful preview of the arrangements at load and discharge ports/berths. The ship's classification society and flag state may need to be consulted to verify the adequacy of the vessel's cargo-handling equipment, cargo spaces, and documentation for the intended cargo.

Heavy lift items should be stowed in a fore and aft direction and as close to the ship's centre of motion as possible. Details of securing points must accompany the cargo information and include their maximum strength and optimum angle of restraint. An angle of 25¡ to the horizontal is often considered optimum for resistance to sliding and 45¡ to 60¡ the preferred angle for tipping resistance.

Calculations should be carried out to determine the number and strength of lashings as outlined in the vessel's Cargo securing manual (CSM) and/or IMO's publication Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS Code). The lashing material should be of appropriate strength and design for each piece of equipment being secured. It may be necessary to attach additional securing points to the vessel, but welding to frames and fuel tanks should not take place without class approval. Voyage details (including weather forecasts and worst case stability condition: Editor) will have to be pre-assessed to ensure safe conditions throughout. On ships that frequently carry heavy lift and project cargoes, the Cargo securing manual (CSM) and/or the vessel's SMS should include a checklist for loading and discharging such cargoes.