Tag: cargo damage

Load shifting is a commonly dangerous situation for ships carrying solid cargo, bulk cargo ships and containerships.  A good seamanship and compliance to safety regulations while loading or trimming, are some of the factors that should be considered before operations start.

The more common issues when transporting steel cargoes by sea can be broadly categorised as mechanical damage or rust-related problems and in many cases the damage occurs before it is even loaded onto the carrying vessel. North Club provided advice on these matters to minimise the risk of cargo damage.

Maersk informed that cargo discharge operations onboard the Maersk Honam have been completed. The first containers have now been released after three months because of a fire incident. Maersk Honam reached anchorage outside the Jebel Ali Port (UAE) on Tuesday 24 April 2018. 

The hotspots onboard the ultra large container ship 'Maersk Honam' have been almost extinguished and the vessel is now tentatively expected to berth next week, when the discharging operations will commence. If everything proceeds as planned, the operations are estimated to last 4 to 7 days.

A recent run of container loss claims by the London Club has highlighted some of the common contributory factors, emerging from the investigation process. The Club noted that the subject of mis-declared container weights continues to be a problem, however, it was the attending surveyor’s observations regarding cargo securing equipment that 'catch the eye'.

The marine transportation of containers is a complex operation, requiring close supervision from the moment the containers are taken until they are safely delivered to the receiver. As such, several claims are resulted from container trade, many of which could have been easily avoided had greater oversight and diligence been exercised.

Against the backdrop of encouraging global economic growth and an improved outlook for the shipping industry, the International Union of Marine Insurance provided an overview on the current state of the hull, cargo and offshore energy insurance markets, on the sidelines of its Spring Conference in Hamburg.

The two subsequent fire incidents involving Maersk vessels, as well as the boxship collision in Karachi Port earlier this month that forced the temporary closure of the port, highlighted the importance of always investing in cargo insurance, said iContainers, as the amount of insurance that all shipping carriers are obliged to offer by law is limited.

Heavy weather caused the vessel to roll and pitch despite the master’s efforts to alleviate the motion by altering course and speed. This set in motion a “domino effect” whereby cargo units progressively broke free and shifted, resulting in extensive damage to ship structure and cargo, with a number of units being lost overboard.

In its latest publication of the 'Lessons Learned' series, the UK Club presents an incident of liquid cargo contamination during tank cleaning onboard a tanker. Dealing with the contaminated cargo required a very expensive process of separate storage, refining at an alternative port and on-carriage on board another vessel.