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Cargo operations on ships

General cargo operations

General cargo operations may be carried out on a 24/7 basis always subject to the safety of

the crew and vessel considering national and international rules and regulations.

Daylight limitations for night operations should not apply if sufficient artificial lighting is provided.

Heavy Lift Operations

HL-cargo operation shall take place during daytime and the lift is scheduled to complete before sunset. Heavy Lift during night times belongs to the professional judgment of the Master.

In such cases he must decide whether the safety of the crew, cargo and ship is granted. If the

decision is negative, it must be accepted by all parties involved. He may not be put into disadvantage because his professional decision.

A pre-operation meeting must be conducted with participation of all parties involved in the

operation. All tasks, responsibilities and communication must be discussed and documented

on the form Safety Meeting. A respective report of the meeting must be issued and signed by

all participants for acknowledgement and understanding.

In case of any doubts or violation with rules and regulations the operation must be stopped

and further procedures must be confirmed after contacting the Inspection and Chartering Department involved in the matter.

A proper documentation of all steps during the Heavy Lift Operation shall be carried out and

shall be available on board.

Carriage of Bulk Cargo

Cargo hold lights must be in a good condition. Ensure that only correct bulbs/lamps are installed. During carriage of critical cargo (i.e. bulk etc.) it must be ensured that cargo hold

lighting is switched off and secured against turning on again, i.e. by

  • key switches
  • cover above the switches
  • withdrawal of fuses
  • “pull out of circuit breakers”
  • After the voyage all parts from the cargo hold including shelves, lights and sounding pipes

    have to be cleaned from cargo residues in order to avoid deficiencies during cargo hold surveys. Vessels own Bulk Cargo Booklets (where applicable) shall be considered as well as

    Stability Calculation (where available). Further guidelines and publication can be found in the

    Annex of this ISM Manual.

    A hatch cover hose test is mandatory and must be documented in the Log Book prior loading.

    Shipper’s declaration - Information on solid bulk cargo

    A shipper’s declaration as per the IMSBC Code must be available on board to avoid claims

    and/or fines in port. It is the Master’s obligation to ask for such a declaration.

    Loading/Unloading of Bulk cargo (BLU Code)

    The master shall, well in advance of the ship's estimated time of arrival at the terminal,

    provide the terminal with the information set out in Part 2 of the code.

    Before any solid bulk cargo is loaded, the master shall ensure that he has received the

    required cargo information and, where required, a solid bulk cargo density declaration.

    Before solid bulk cargoes are loaded or unloaded, the master shall agree with the terminal

    representative on the loading or unloading plan in accordance with the BLU Code.

    The loading or unloading plan shall be prepared in the form laid down in Appendix 2 of the

    BLU Code. The plan shall contain the IMO number of the bulk carrier concerned, and the master and the terminal representative shall confirm their agreement to the plan by signing it.

    Any change to the plan, which according to either party may affect the safety of the vessel or

    crew, shall be prepared, accepted and agreed by both parties in the form of a revised plan.

    The agreed loading or unloading plan and any subsequent agreed revisions shall be kept by

    the ship and the terminal for a period of six months for the purpose of any necessary

    verification by the competent authorities.

    Draught Survey-Bulk Cargo

    Draught surveys shall be carried out in the loading as well as in the discharge port. Furthermore in order to determine the amount of cargo inserted into the Bill of Lading draught surveys should be carried out as well.

    If possible, a representative of shippers/receivers should attend during draught surveys and

    sign reports to ensure that cargo interests confirm the amount of cargo loaded / discharged.

    The draft survey must also be documented in the vessel’s Logbook.

    Carrying Dangerous Goods (DG)

    The Chief Officer shall provide an information to the Officer on Watch and the Duty Watchman

    (Gangway Watch), indicating the stowage positions and DG classes of all dangerous goods to

    be loaded and shifted. The Information shall be also available to all crew members on board

    also indicating safety measures and precautions. Before loading and discharging a safety

    meeting is required and must be documented also in the Deck Logbook. The respective codes

    and guidelines shall be carefully considered.

    Captains are reminded that the shipper must provide the relevant certificates and information

    such as (but not limited to):

  • Material Safety Data Sheets
  • Declaration of no objection
  • Safety Bulletin
  • Shippers declaration
  • INF Cargo is treated different as this includes additional certificates and a separate INF Contingency Plan which must be approved by the RO. This is not applicable for regular Class 7

    Cargo which is considered and handled as Dangerous Goods and any recommendation shall

    be in accordance with the IMDG Code.

    Gas measurement

    In cases dangerous goods carried on board a regular measurement of hydrogen, phosphine,

    arsine,silane, ammonia and acetylene relevant to the cargo has to be measured and the result

    has to be recorded in a Log sheet which can be freestyle but must be available on board for

    later verification. These Logs shall be kept in the Log Sheet folder (ISM VI). In addition to above,

    continuous mechanical ventilation must be carried out if cargo permits. This must be recorded

    in the Deck log.

    Cargo Computer

    The Chief Officer must ensure that the cargo computer and its loading/stability program are

    tested for proper function at frequent intervals not exceeding twelve (12) months. Respective

    print outs of these test conditions should be available on board for inspections or surveys.

    Each cargo PC (as well as communication PC) need to have an APC (=Auto Power Control) back

    up system which has to be connected to the PC in order to avoid loss of data in case of a

    blackout and/or power failure.

    Stability Calculations

    Stability calculations must be done prior departure prior loading and upon completion of loading. The stability calculations must be signed by the Chief Officer and the Master.

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