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ship is flooded in the forward hold, the bulkhead between the two fore- most holds may not be able to with- stand the pressure, especially if the ship is loaded in alternate holds with high density cargoes. If the bulkhead collapses, the ship could sink in a matter of minutes.

The most vulnerable area on the ship, lACS concluded, are the bulkhead "between numbers one and two holds at the forward end of the vessel and the double bottom of the ship at this location. It pro- posed that during special surveys of ships, particular attention should be paid to these areas and, where necessary, reinforcements should be carried out.

The Conference also adopted amendments to IMO's "Guidelines on the enhanced program of inspections during surveys of bulk carriers and oil tankers" which were first adopted at IMO's 18th

Assembly in 1993.

Newbuild v. Secondhand

Of course, any matter regarding the world's bulk carrier fleet would be foolhardy without discussing the financial side of the business.

While freight rates are notoriously fickle, there is a plethora of new tonnage ready to come on stream in 1998, a situation which should harm freight rates, in the near term, significantly.

Combined with the financial fall-out in Asia, and the resultant slow down of goods shipped across the seas, the freight rates could stay depressed for some time.

In the long-term, however, investment in new, high-quality tonnage should be deemed a pru- dent business move, as it will become increasingly important — and mandated — that bulk carri- ers achieve the highest level of quality.

Scrapping activity will naturally be of high interest during the year, and according to Drewry's, 61

Capesize vessels will be 20 years of age or older soon, and should be regarded as prime scapping candi- dates. If history — near-term his- tory in this case — is taken into account though, it should be noted that in 1996, only 19 vessels of 70 "candidates" were actually scrapped.

Protecting The "Workhorse"

Modern bulk carriers, often described as the workhorses of maritime, can be traced back to the 1950s when shipyards began build- ing ships designed specifically for carrying non-packed commodities such as grains or ores.

Concerns regarding bulk carrier safety date back to 1959, and the original SOLAS included a chapter devoted to the carriage of grain, while a Code of Safe Practice for

Solid Bulk Cargoes (BC) was adopted in 1965. But a dramatic increase in bulk carrier losses in the early 1990s raised alarm bells at IMO. Severe structural damage to the ships, including some cases of the vessels literally breaking in two, resulted in heavy loss of life.

In 1990 alone, 20 bulk carriers were lost with 94 fatalities, and in 1991 24 bulk carriers were lost with 154 lives.

As a result, the Assembly of

IMO in 1991 adopted an interim resolution to improve bulk carrier safety, concentrating on the struc- tural integrity and seaworthiness of ships, and ensuring loading and carrying of cargo would not cause undue stresses.

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