Ventilation of cargo
• Ventilation will not stop a cargo of soya beans from heating, but it will assist in reducing the risk of condensation (ship’s sweat).
• Ventilation should be conducted in accordance with sound maritime practice and/or fumigation instructions and/or voyage instructions.
• The decision to ventilate should be based on either the ‘Three Degree Rule’ or ‘Dew Point Rule’ when the weather/ sea conditions permit. The Three Degree Rule is normally recommended since it provides instructions which are more practicable whilst under sail.
• The decision to ventilate should be reviewed at least every four to six hours, since frequent changes in weather conditions may affect when ventilation should be undertaken.
• The ship should always record the ventilation strategy followed during the voyage. In other words, a ventilation log should be kept which notes which ventilation rule is being followed, all temperatures on which the ventilation decision is based and for how long each hold is ventilated. Any reason for lack of ventilation must also be noted in the ventilation log. If bad weather prevents ventilation, photographs should be taken as evidence and a sea protest which includes these photographs should be issued to all concerned parties.
Delays
• If the holds are sealed, all parties should be informed that the holds may require unsealing during prolonged delays in order to provide more efficient ventilation or permit regular cargo condition inspection.
• The condition of the cargo surface should be visually inspected on a regular basis to check for signs of ship’s sweat or cargo damage.
• Cargo subsurface temperatures should be measured using a
58 | The Report • June 2019 • Issue 88
calibrated temperature probe to assist in assessing whether the cargo is heating. Updated cargo temperatures also provide a more accurate basis for continued ventilation if following the Three Degree Rule.
If the holds cannot
be opened, the temperature should be monitored through the temperature/sounding pipes in each hold.
• The decision to ventilate must be reviewed during any delays. It may be necessary to partially open or crack the cargo hold hatch covers to allow a more efficient exchange of air. This must only be done under suitable sea and weather conditions, and is inadvisable at night since approaching precipitation is less visible.
Cargo damage during discharge
• Evidence: – Damaged soya beans usually appear brown to black in colour and/or mouldy. Compacted cargo is not always damaged and can be caused by cargo settling during the course of the voyage/delay.
– Notify the club as soon as possible in order to appoint a suitable/experienced local surveyor.
– The location, depth and (if possible) extent of the potential damage should be recorded immediately. Detailed photographs and drawings of the location and the pattern of damage are useful.
– Cargo temperatures of visibly damaged as well as visibly sound cargo must be obtained using a calibrated temperature probe to assess the extent of heating.
• Segregation: – Effective segregation of visibly damaged beans can reduce a claim amount significantly.
– If the damage is restricted to the cargo surface, then effective segregation can often be undertaken either by hand or by grab during the first stages of discharge, depending on the
extent of the damage.
– Segregation should take place as close to eventual discharge as possible so that the newly exposed layer of cargo does not have time to deteriorate.
– Damaged portions of soya beans uncovered during discharge should also be segregated.
• Sampling: – It is essential to sample the cargo according to FOSFA sampling rules throughout discharge if there are allegations of damage. Samples of any segregated cargo should be kept separate to samples obtained from accepted, sound cargo.
– Upon completion of discharge, the representative bulk sample material should be mixed and reduced by method of coning and quartering to produce laboratory samples for analysis.
– All laboratory samples should be approximately 2kg to 3kg in weight unless there are specific allegations of mycotoxins (which require greater sample sizes). The sample material should be placed in a clean, dry, plastic bag, which should be tied. This should then be placed inside another plastic bag and sealed with a numbered seal.
– All samples must be clearly labelled, stating the following: ship name, commodity, port of discharge, date of sampling, seal number, hold/quantity represented by sample/lot and from where it was taken.
– A sampling report should be produced and signed by all parties involved in the sampling operation.
– The samples should be analysed for the parameters specified within the commercial contract/quality certificate.
– All parties should be invited to jointly sample and analyse representative samples. Suitable accredited laboratories should be used.
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