North Club advises on the risks when carrying coal cargoes

The North P&I Club has issued a loss prevention briefing to advise on the risks involved when carrying coal cargoes due to a number of recent incidents and to remind operators of the importance of determining whether a coal cargo presented for shipment is liable to self-heat.

North’s Loss Prevention Briefing on the carriage of coal outlines the risks involved when carrying this potentially hazardous cargo. The briefing also highlights the need for vigilance during the loading operation and the need to comply with the requirements of the IMSBC Code.

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There are five main hazards associated with coal:

Flammable atmospheres
Liquefaction
Asphyxiation
Self Heating
Corrosion

Of these hazards, the risk of self- heating and the creation of a flammable atmosphere create the most problems during the voyage. The IMSBC Code contains advice that deals with each of these hazards in turn and coal should always be carried in accordance with the IMSBC Code.

The Club advises to ensure before loading that the vessel receives the shipper’s declaration with the information described in the IMSBC Code coal schedule. The declaration must include a section on whether or not a cargo is liable to emit methane or self- heat. If the cargo is declared as Group A then it should be accompanied by certificates showing TML and MC. The coal schedule in the IMSBC Code contains specific advice on weather precautions when loading Group A coal. The schedule contains details of the monitoring equipment that must be onboard and it is important that this equipment is fully operational and fitted in line with requirements of the code.

Cargos with a temperature above 550C should never be accepted for loading. This is a key safety precaution. Masters should exercise extreme caution when presented with hot cargo even where the cargo has not been declared as liable to self-heating.

This can be the case with Indonesian coal cargoes which, in general, are liable to self- heat but which are regularly declared as not liable to self -heating.

Learn more by reading the Loss Prevention Briefing issued by The North P&I Club on the carriage of coal

Source & Image Credit: The North P&I Club

Also, the Guard P&I Club has highlighted important issues to notice when loading coal cargoes due to recent incidents involving self-heating of coal. Learn more here