Soybean Cargoes Risk Issues
in Respect of
The global trade in soybeans is dominated by three countries with Brazil and the USA accounting for around 80% of total export market, and China accounting for almost 60% of all soybean imports. Features of this trade associated with the countries of production, pre- shipment transport, and long voyages through various climate zones provide a number of potential opportunities for the condition of cargoes to deteriorate with consequent expensive claims exposure.
The period of safe storage for soybeans before deterioration occurs varies according to the temperature of the beans and moisture content and can shorten dramatically as both of these measures increase. The Club has received reports of increasing problems with soybean cargoes due to the increased moisture content. Soybean is a sensitive cargo and prone to deterioration and self- heating whenever its moisture content (MC) and temperature rise above the limits within which the seed is biologically stable. The soybean cargo condition can deteriorate during transit due to many factors such as:
• Ingress of water – in this respect, the weather tightness of cargo hold hatch covers is of paramount importance. It is recommended that an ultrasonic test (UST) is carried out on the hatch covers and associated parts to ensure that the sealing arrangement is effective and properly maintained. The hatch covers must be weathertight as any water ingress will damage the soybean cargo resulting in caked cargo or burned cargo as the result of self-heating caused by the increase in MC.
• Inherent vice of the cargo – like any other agricultural product, the soybean cargo itself respires and during this metabolic process gives off heat. This, in turn, increases the cargo temperature which leads to
microbiological reactions and mold growth, thus resulting in progressive deterioration of the cargo’s condition. If the cargo has not been treated and stored properly ashore and is loaded with a high moisture content, this might then lead to self-heating during the carriage onboard the vessel. The self-heating can affect a large amount of cargo and in some cases, the whole cargo can be damaged. A factor that contributes to this is that the soybean fields are at times far away from the ports and it might take days, by road or barge, for the cargo to arrive at the ports. If not protected properly during transit it can be exposed to the weather which then affects the seed quality, for example by increasing the moisture content.
• Once loaded, the cargo is susceptible to damage by having its temperature raised through contact with hot surfaces such as the engine room bulkhead, heated double bottom, and topside fuel tanks. Such damage is usually restricted to the cargo layer in contact with the hot surface and necessitates the damaged cargo being collected and segregated from sound cargo during discharge operations. Even in such instances of isolated areas of damage, the level of claim can be significant, particularly when taking into account, in addition to the value of the cargo loss, the logistics of segregation and the disposal of the damaged cargo.
60 | ISSUE 109 | SEP 2024 | THE REPORT
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