The North P&I Club notes that cargo cranes on board ships calling at Longview, WA in the US are coming under scrutiny from International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) inspectors. Specifically, recent incidents regard calling vessels failing strict ILWU crane inspections conducted before cargo operations.
As North Club mentions, a common finding is grooving of crane sheaves which ILWU inspectors consider to be excessive and in breach of Rule 266 of the ILWU Code.
It would appear that Rule 266 is broad in scope so as a consequence any noticeable grooving, no matter how minor, is grounds for failing the inspection
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In fact, even if grooving is within the limits established by the crane manufacturer, it will be disregarded by the ILWU and they must be repaired before stevedores start work. The scope for negotiation is reported to be limited.
In the majority of the cases, these problems have been mitigated by appointing local workshops to perform repairs to the sheaves, but often at significant cost.
Berth/terminal fees are very high at Longview and can quickly accumulate if the vessel is sat waiting for repairs, while the parties agree who is responsible for paying for repairs.
Finally, stevedores in the port of Longview are reportedly very busy. For this reason, if a ship misses a slot during repair works are negotiated or carried out, it falls to the bottom of the queue and may have to wait several days before stevedores are available again.
