INTERCARGO, the International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners, announced the introduction of a new project, from 1 August 2018, through a reporting scheme “INTERCARGO Bulk Carrier Reporting Form (II) – Safe Loading/Unloading at Anchorage”, in a bid to respond to the increasing issues related to safe loading/unloading at anchorage.
The new reporting project will follow the successful model of the existing reporting scheme of “Ship-Terminal Interface Experiences and Problems”. A similar database will be built with entries of “Experiences and Problems” from loading/unloading of bulk carriers at anchorage.
Specifically, the new INTERCARGO project aims at:
- Collecting feedback directly from masters of bulk carriers of INTERCARGO members;
- Sharing experiences and lessons learned which would help raise awareness of all members and implement new company safety procedures on board those bulk carries involved in loading/unloading at anchorage;
- Identifying common issues, concerns and problems, which, if relevant, may be brought up by INTERCARGO Secretariat with national Administration and/or local port safety Authorities to implement remedy safety measures.
In its annual Bulk Carrier Casualty Report, INTERCARGO identified cargo failure, including liquefaction, is one of the greatest concerns for the safe carriage of dry bulk and likely the cause of the loss of 101 seafarers’ lives and 9 vessel losses in the last ten years.