Page 56: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 1998)

The Vexing Issues Surrounding Bulk Carrier Safety

Since the early 1990s, bulk car- rier safety has been a priority mat- ter of world's maritime authorities, as representatives of the policy makers, classification societies, shipbuilders and ship owners have grappled with the means and methods necessary to ensure the safe and long-time performance of this vessel type.

While it is a definitive that there are no definitives in regards to vessel design, there have been some sweeping mandates imple- mented which are geared toward ensuring the long life and safe operation of bulk carriers.

The IMO Rules

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Developers of advanced hydrostatics software since 1972. Member adopted new measures — specifi- cally survivability and structural requirements — to improve the safety of bulk carriers, particularly to prevent them from sinking if water enters the ship. The new requirements apply to existing bulk carriers as well as new ones, which was necessary to help stem the rise in bulk carrier accidents which was seen in the early 1990s.

From 1990 to May 1997, 99 bulk carriers sank, killing 654.

The new regulations form a new

Chapter XII to the IMO's main maritime safety convention, the

International Convention for the

Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974.

Existing ships which do not comply with the appropriate requirements will have to be rein- forced — or they may have to limit either the loading pattern of the cargoes they carry or move to car- rying lighter cargoes such as grain or timber.

The new regulations are expect- ed to enter into force on July 1, 1999 under SOLAS's "tacit accep- tance" procedure. They state that all new bulk carriers 492 ft. (150 m) or more in length (built after that date) carrying cargoes with a density of 1,000 kg/cu.-m. and above should have sufficient strength to withstand flooding of any one cargo hold, taking into account dynamic effects resulting from presence of water in the hold and taking into account the recom- mendations adopted by IMO.

For existing ships (built before

July 1,1999) carrying bulk cargoes with a density of 1,780 kg/cu.-m. and above, the transverse water- tight bulkhead between the two foremost cargo holds and the dou- ble bottom of the foremost cargo hold should have sufficient strength to withstand flooding and the related dynamic effects in the foremost cargo hold.

Cargoes with a density of 1,780 kg/cu.-m. and above (heavy car- goes) include iron ore, pig iron, steel, bauxite and cement. Lighter cargoes, but with a density of more than 1,000 kg/cu.-m., include grains such as wheat and rice, and timber.

Working With Industry

At the request of IMO, the

International Association of

Classification Societies (IACS) car- ried out a study into bulk carrier survivability and found that if a

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