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Cargo liquefaction continues to burden the marine insurance industry with large claims, despite significant attempts to heighten awareness among crew, owners and loaders of the threat posed by mineral concentrates with high moisture levels.
In fact, the regular cases of liquefaction suggest the situation is not improving at all.
Protection and indemnity (P&I) clubs have been particularly vocal about the threat posed by mineral concentrate cargoes such as nickel ore or iron ore fines with moisture contents that exceed the transportable moisture limit.
In countries such as India, Indonesia and the Philippines – all parts of the world prone to monsoons – products such as mineral concentrates can absorb large amounts of moisture. Once at sea, the movement of the vessel can cause these cargoes to take on the characteristics of a liquid, leaving vessels vulnerable to capsizing.
Almost a year ago, the Britannia Club highlighted the threat in a circular to its members, stating: “Liquefaction of some ore cargoes can be caused during a sea voyage by the motion of the ship in the seaway or vibrations caused by the main engine or other onboard machinery.”
The P&I clubs have been highlighting the issue with good reason, as there has been significant loss of life.
At the heart of the problem is accurate testing of the moisture content in the mineral concentrate, Neil Roberts, senior underwriting executive at the Lloyd’s Market Association, explained.
The International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargo (IMSBC) code promotes the safe carriage of loads and was made mandatory at the start of last year, but many shipowners and crews do not have the experience or knowledge to test moisture content accurately.
“The crew needs to know what to test for,” Roberts said. “There’s a very fine line between what is safe and what isn’t.”
Poor trading conditions may lead some shipowners to overlook high moisture contents in the hope the cargo does not deteriorate.
Liquefaction has been suggested as the reason behind the sinking of the 56,040 dwt, Vietnam-flagged bulk carrier Vinalines Queen on December 25, 2011. The vessel sank en route from Nagoya to Singapore with a crew of 23 and a cargo of 54,400 tonnes of nickel ore onboard. Only one of the seafarers was rescued, with the remaining 22 feared dead.
The deputy general director of Vietnam National Shipping Lines, Le Anh Son, confirmed Vinalines had a $27m policy in place for the vessel, while the families of each of the missing crew members can claim up to $40,000.
In addition, at the end of 2010, three vessels carrying nickel ore sank in less than two months, leading to the deaths of 44 people, and there have been other notable incidents as well.
fuente: http://www.insuranceday.com/insday/news/Marine,%20aviation%20&%20aerospace/liquefaction-still-a-threat-to-marine-insurers/279000.htm
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