Volume 9: Number 3: September 2002

RISK WATCH
The Britannia Steam Ship
Insurance Association Limited

California
The disposal of damaged bulk cement
The trade in bulk cement to California is significant and the
Association has recent experience of Californian receivers
refusing to discharge damaged cement, resulting in the
Member having difficulty disposing of the cargo without
incurring significant expense.
California has very strict dust control laws.

the only acceptable remedial operation

Accordingly, the discharge of cement is

is to transfer the damaged cargo into

extremely difficult to arrange unless

containers within the ships hold, cover

discharge is undertaken by a receiver

them and then discharge the containers.

utilising a fully enclosed pneumatic

Such an operation is costly with figures

facility designed to keep dust emissions

of US$200 per tonne being quoted. As a

to a minimum.

result, it has proved practically impossible

to discharge damaged cement cargoes in

Problems arise when, following water

California and salvage buyers in alternative

ingress to the cargo holds or sweating, the

locations must be sought.

cement which is normally free flowing is

found to be caked at the surface, to

Members intending to carry bulk cement

contain lumps or to have partially set.

to California are advised to ensure that the

Master is aware of these problems.The

Surveyors recently attending aboard ships

ventilation regime during the voyage

with wet damaged cement advise that the

must be aimed at eliminating sweating.

authorities will not allow grab discharge of

The hatch covers must also be reliably

the damaged cement to trucks as an

weathertight to prevent water ingress

alternative method of discharge. Indeed

during the voyage.

Members are also advised to expect long delays and high

disposal costs should wetting occur.

RISK WATCH The Britannia Steam Ship Insurance Association Limited

Export of light oil products from Bourgas Oil Port

We are grateful to Club Correspondents Kalimbassieris

Maritime for this warning about tankers at Bourgas Oil Port
loading light oil products which have been contaminated
with non-free (dispersed) water.
The problem with this type of contamination

shore facilities is restricted by the facility

is that it cannot be detected at the load port

owner and if access is requested, there

by means of dipping with water-finding paste.

are many bureaucratic formalities to

complete and access must be requested

In one recent incident, contamination was

48 hours in advance.

detected after sampling and following a

visual analysis of the first flow and first foot

The Managers recommend that the Master

samples. Further thorough examination of

and the ships crew pay special attention

the vessels tanks and the shore facilities

to the first flow and the first foot sampling

revealed that the same contamination in the

and recommend that samples should be

cargo was evident in the shore lines before

taken not only from the ships tanks and

the cargo was loaded on board the vessel.

manifolds but also from the shore lines and

shore sampling points.

The situation is not helped by the fact that

access to the loading terminals and adjacent

There should always be careful visual examination of the

samples to confirm that the colour of the sample is clear. If
there are any doubts at all about the quality of the cargo,
the loading must be stopped and the shore representative
and loading master contacted immediately.

Stowaways from Lagos, Nigeria

In recent months the Managers have noted an increasing
number of stowaway reports.
Whilst the Association normally recommends

to remain within the accommodation.

that security guards be employed in ports

Locals are known to congregate near the

where stowaways are known to be a problem,

ships galley and this should be prevented.

advice received from the Club correspondent

at Lagos, Nigeria suggests otherwise.

When the ship is carrying a cargo of edible

food, stowaways are reported to board the

Stowaways at Lagos are known to use

ship towards the end of discharge during

bona fide port passes issued by the port

the confusion of stevedores scuffling for

stevedores to gain access to ships. It must be

cargo sweepings.

assumed therefore that potential stowaways

will gain access to the ship by means of

The most practical means of preventing

bribery and that reliance upon local security

the carriage of stowaways is to conduct

guards will simply not suffice.

a thorough search of the ship prior to

departure. As spaces are searched and

The Club correspondent recommends that

found to be clear they must be locked.

a strict gangway watch be maintained at all

times and that the gangway be raised
whenever possible. In order to ensure that
anyone who has boarded the ship leaves
before the ship departs, a strict system of
logging individuals on and off the ship must
also be maintained.
Members are also advised to limit the number
of access ways to the accommodation to the
minimum considered safe and to ensure that
unauthorised individuals are not permitted

Stowaways in recent cases have been found in

the ships lifeboats, steering gear flats, funnel
casings and paint lockers.

RISK WATCH is published by The Britannia

Steam Ship Insurance Association Limited
Tindall Riley (Britannia) Limited
New City Court
20 St Thomas Street
London SE1 9RR

The Britannia Steam Ship Insurance Association

Limited is happy for any of the material in Risk
Watch to be reproduced but would ask that
written permission is obtained in advance from
the Editors.

Tel +44 (0)20 7407 3588

Fax +44 (0)20 7403 3942
www.britanniapandi.com

Witnessing and signing of tank samples

The increasing number of surveyors attending on board tankers
to draw samples from the numerous cargo tanks has become a
significant burden upon the Master and other ships officers.
It is desirable to have a ships officer

representing cargo interests must not be

witness the drawing of each sample taken

counter-signed by the Master or a ships

in order to verify the location, source,

officer.To do otherwise would expose the

nature and timing of the sample and the

Member to the risk that samples used as

method by which the sample was drawn.

evidence were in fact not representative

of the cargo that was loaded, discharged

These samples are used to evidence the

or being carried.

condition of the cargo at the various

custody points. It is therefore important

Members are asked to remind their

to ensure that the sampling is witnessed

Masters of the importance of witnessing

by an authorised ships officer. If, for

the drawing of cargo samples and the

whatever reason, this is not possible then

dangers of counter-signing any samples

any samples taken solely by a surveyor

of unknown origin.

The IKAROS MOB MK11 smoke/light unit

A Marine Guidance Note has been issued by the UK Maritime
and Coastguard Agency warning of dangerous incidents
where the IKAROS MOB MkII Smoke/Light Unit explodes.
The manufacturers, Hansson PyroTech,

instructions, indicating that the transport

have confirmed that unintentional ignition

safety pins were not re-inserted before the

incidents have led to the redesigning of

units were removed from their brackets.The

this unit and the production of the MkIII

warning letter states that it is vital that the

version in November 2001.The original

unit is not removed from its bracket for

MkII model has been removed from sale

inspection or maintenance purposes until

but MkII units already sold have not been

after the transport pin has been re-inserted.

recalled.This pyrotechnic unit has a

lifespan of up to 4 years and therefore the

Members are asked to check whether this

MkII versions may be found in service up

unit is used aboard any of their ships and if

until October 2005.

so to issue appropriate warnings to the

Master. Replacement of the unit may also

The manufacturers have issued a warning

be a wise precaution.

letter to retailers and chandlery outlets

advising that these incidents may have

A copy of the Marine Guidance Note can be

arisen because the units have not been

obtained from the Managers upon request.

handled in accordance with the operating