Cargo stowage plan guideline for general cargo ships

Cargo stowage plan guideline for general cargo ships

Plans showing the disposition of all cargo loaded should always be prepared. The value of full and accurate plans cannot be over emphasised. Inaccurate plans may cause delay and costly, unproductive employment of stevedores. During the passage cargo plans should be carefully checked with any error likely to affect the intended discharge pattern communicated to agents/stevedores at the discharge port(s).

The plan should be large and whilst not necessarily to scale, should be sufficiently approximate so as to indicate the comparative volume of a stow in any compartment. This may be the only means of conveying to agents and others at discharging ports the proportion and quantity of cargo in any hold destined for that port. Pillars, beams, lockers and positions of doors should be shown and it is good practice to indicate the number and type of derricks/cranes of each hatch and the length and breadth of each unless the ship is well known to the agent or stevedore. The position of cargo should be shown accurately in relation to these features. Suitable details should be advised: whether cargo is on pallets, whether stowed by forklift trucks, whether or not pre-slung, etc.

Where mechanical handling equipment has been used, indication of the exact flow of traffic used to achieve the stow may be useful to facilitate discharge. Notes on how any particularly awkward cargoes have been loaded can be of considerable assistance during discharge.

With a mixed general cargo it is not possible to show the marks of various packages on the plan, but in the case of substantial consignments the marks, quantities and position should be shown. Where practical, identification of individual Bills of Lading in the stow can be extremely useful. Fuller details, particularly of tonnages, should be given in relation to overstowed cargo, always indicating whether such tonnages are weight or measurement.

To facilitate discharge planning it is essential that a copy of the plan reaches the discharging ports ahead of the ship and modern communications technology makes this easily achievable.

Bulk carrier plans must contain the total tonnage of each commodity loaded into each hatch.

Container plans are drawn up and delivered by the container terminal, usually under the direction of a central authority for a particular service. The number and weight of each container must be recorded together with any specific information need by the Master, e.g. IMDG cargo, temperature controlled, tank, etc.

Container transport

Planning and control of cargo handling

All cargoes should be stowed and secured in a manner that will avoid exposing the ship and persons on board to unnecessary risk. The safe stowage and securing of cargo depends upon proper planning, execution and supervision by properly qualified and experienced personnel. Advance planning, exchange of information, and continuous ship to shore communication are all critical. Key factors will include:

1) Terminal/ cargo data for the ship.

2) Stowage and loading/ unloading plans

3) Communication before and during cargo operations.

4) Monitoring of stevedoring

5) Monitoring the ship's condition and

6) Checking for hull damage

Preparation for cargo handling

Cargo and port information: To plan stowing, loading and discharge , the cargo terminal should provide the ships staff well in advance with :

1) Cargo characteristics, amounts and properties.

2) Availability and any special sequence required.

3) Characteristics of loading/unloading gears,number,

4) Range of movement loading/unloading rates.

5) Depth of water alongside and fairway

6) Water density at berth and any air draft restrictions

7) Maximum sailing draught and minimum draught for safe manoeuvring

8) Terminal requirements/ procedures for moving ship.

9) Relevant local port restrictions ( bunkering/ deballasting etc.)

To minimise cargo shift it is recommended cargo in holds to be trimmed. The ships master should be aware of the possibility of harmful effects from corrosive and high temperature cargoes, and cargoes which may liquefy if the moisture content exceeds a certain limit.

The amount and type of cargo and intended voyage will dictate the proposed cargo and or ballast stowage plan for departure. The officer in charge should always refer to ships approved loading manual to determine a cargo load distribution consistent with the structural loading limits imposed.

If cargo needs to be distributed differently from the loading manual, calculations must always be made to determine , for any part of the voyage , that SWSF, SWBM, block loaded cargo weights and local loading limits are not exceeded.

Ballasting must be considered to ensure : correect synchronisation with cargo operations ; loading rates and imposed structural / operational limits; simultaneous ballasting/de-ballasting of symmetrical port/starboard tanks.

Stress and displacement calculations must be commensurate with the number of cargo pours and loading sequence to ensure that SWSF/SWBM , cargo weights and tanktop/local loading limits remain within limits.

At all times , hull stress limits should be kept below permissible limits.

For each step of the cargo operation, the cargo loading/unloading plan should give a clear indication of :

1) Cargo quantity and corresponding hold numbers.

2) Amount of water ballast and corresponding tank/hold to be discharged/loaded.

3) Ships draft and trim at completion of each stage.

4) Calculated SWSF and SWBM at completion of each cargo.

5)Estimated time for completion of each cargo.

6) Assumed rates of loading/unloading

7) Assumed rates of ballasting/ deballasting

8) Allowances for any necessary cargo operation stoppages

Cargo ships guideline

The MS (Carriage of Cargoes) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/336) (regulation 6) specifies that the owner and master must ensure that:

• cargo and cargo units carried on or under deck are loaded, stowed and secured so as to prevent as far as practicable, throughout the voyage, damage or hazard to the ship and the persons on board, and loss of cargo overboard;

• appropriate precautions are taken during loading and transport of heavy cargoes or cargoes with abnormal physical dimensions to ensure that no structural damage to the ship occurs and to maintain adequate stability throughout the voyage;

• appropriate precautions are taken during loading and transport of cargo units on board ro-ro ships, especially with regard to the securing arrangements on board such ships and on the cargo units and with regard to the strength of the securing points and lashings;

• cargo on ships required to carry a Cargo Securing Manual is stowed and secured throughout the voyage in accordance with the Cargo Securing Manual; and

• cargo on board all ships having ro-ro cargo spaces and required to carry a Cargo Securing Manual is stowed and secured in accordance with the Cargo Securing Manual before the ship leaves the berth.

Where packaged goods have been packed into or onto a cargo unit, the shipper or forwarder of the goods must ensure that: • the cargo is packed and secured so as to prevent, throughout any voyage, damage or hazard to the ship and the person on board; and

• if the cargo unit is a container, it is not loaded to more than the maximum gross weight indicated on the Safety Approval Plate attached to the container in accordance with the IMO International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC 1972).

Fuel oil stored in side and double bottom tanks often requires heating to maintain viscosity required for pumping. Heat transfer into adjacent cargo holds can cause problems, the effects ranging from 'toasting' and moisture migration in bulk cargoes to explosion of IMDG cargoes in over-heated containers. Until now, courts have generally regarded the breach as falling within the ship's 'error of management (Hague Visby rules,) so owners could avoid liability. However, when the Rotterdam Rules are introduced, the error-of-management defence will be removed such that owners can be held liable for over-heating damage to cargo.

Summarized below some more details on general cargo ship cargo handling procedure and operational info:

Cargo handling procedure for general cargo ship

Cargo stowage plan guideline for general cargo ships

Planning and control of cargo handling

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