96003 Cargo Shift Bulk Cement

Shifting Cargo of Cement
North Sea
Report No 96003

I was Master on board a bulk carrier of about 4,000 deadweighttonnes which had been built in the mid sixties. The vessel loaded cementin bulk in two small ports in the Mediterranean. The cargo was loaded fromsilos and tank trucks by means of compressed air through holes cut intothe vessel's hatch covers. The cargo amounted to 3,400 metric tonnes andwas loaded in the vessel's after boxed hold which measures 40x10x8 m.
To provide even keel conditions the cargo, on completion, was slopinggradually with an ullage at the forward end of about 2m and 4 to 5m at theafter end. After completing loading, the vessel stayed on the berth forabout 12 hours to allow the cargo to settle. The weather at the beginningof the voyage was fine as far as Cape Finisterre where we experienced northeasterly winds of Force 6 to 7. This caused the vessel to pitch heavilyand ship considerable amounts of water.

The weather then improved gradually and was fine in the English Channeland the southern part of the North Sea. North of latitude 55N, an increasingswell from the north west was experienced. The vessel was rolling up to30 degrees and was shipping water all over. After a particularly sharp roll,the vessel developed a list of 8 to 10 degrees to starboard. The speed wasimmediately reduced and the vessel hove to. All the port ballast wing tankswere filled and the list decreased to less than 2 degrees. The vessel hoveto for about 15 hours, during this time the winds gradually decreased andwe were able to resume passage. On arrival at the discharge port, it wasconfirmed that the cargo had shifted considerably to starboard but therehad been no ingress of water.