B.Sc. Nautical Science – Semester IV Cargo Handling and Stowage- Unit 1

1. B.Sc. Nautical Science – Semester IV • Cargo Handling and Stowage- Unit 1 • Procedures for Receiving, Tallying and Delivering Cargo By Capt. K. Kumar

2. Objectives The students should understand: 1. The basic procedures involved in cargo operations, like, preparing the cargo Holds/Tanks for receiving the intended cargo, care of cargo during the voyage and safe delivery thereof at the discharge ports; 2. The Commercial and legal importance of various Shipping documents, like, Mate Receipt, Cargo Manifest and Bull of Lading etc; 3. The duties of the ship’s Master & Crew in the event of any damage to cargo and/or ship to protect the owner’s interest; and 4. The effects of loading and carrying heavy lifts on the ship’s seaworthiness and stability.

3. Mate’s Receipt • The practice for the goods when loaded aboard the carrying vessel to be counted or tallied, if packaged or somehow unitized, or measured or weighed if in bulk, and then for a Mate’s receipt, recording the description and number of packages or quantity of cargo and accurately noting any discrepant condition of the goods, to be signed by the Master or Chief officer of the ship. The information in the Mate’s receipt is then to be transferred word for word to the Bill of Lading including any discrepant remarks and it will then be presented to the Master or to any one delegated by him, e.g. Charterer or the agent, to sign. Bill of lading is issued against surrender of M/R.

4. THREE-ROLE FUNCTION OF A BILL OF LADING • i) a receipt for the goods on board; • ii)best available evidence of the contract of carriage ; and • Iii)a document of title. • In practice, however, Shipper may insist upon clean B/L despite the fact that the M/R may be claused, against a “Letter of Indemnity” issued by the Shipper undertaking to hold the carrier harmless in the event the consignee makes a claim against the carrier, attributable to such remarks in the M/R. However such, ‘L.O.I’ is only a gentleman’s agreement and has no legal binding on the Shipper. Acceptance of such L.O.I. by the owner/carrier will depend mainly upon the type of remarks in M/R and the business relationship between the Shipper and the Carrier. • The Bill of Lading is only evidence of the contract of carriage between the Shipper and the Carrier and not the contract itself, since it is signed only by one party, i.e. master or the delegated representative of the Carrier. It is the best available evidence and very likely to be the only written documented evidence and actual contract whether written (Booking Note) or verbal agreement, could have pre-existed the B/L.

5. The Passing of property in the Goods • The B/L is the Shipper’s security in the event of his yet not having been paid the purchase price. By withholding endorsement he can retain a hold on the property in the goods. In C.I.F. sales the customary practice of passing the property is by endorsement of the B/L. With F.O.B. sales the custom is for the property to pass on shipment so that B/L is not an instrument whereby the seller can retain his proprietary rights in the goods because he would have no need to. Bills of Lading have never been classed as negotiable instrument, only ‘negotiable document’.

6. NEGOTIABLE BILL OF LADING • Negotiability means that traders could buy or sell goods by buying or selling the document, representing the goods, particularly during the times when the goods were afloat ( i.e. sale in high seas). The buyer, not even having seen the goods, would be secure in the knowledge that if the goods were afloat he could and would take delivery at the agreed port or place of discharge, deprived of this right only by the ship itself having been sunk en-route, along with his cargo. It all depends upon what the Shipper prints in the box labeled ’consignee’. If he prints ‘ To bearer’ then no further endorsement is necessary, whoever has possession at any given time is entitled to take delivery. This is very rare procedure as it would put B/L on par with a Bank note.

7. If the Shipper prints in the consignee box ‘To order’ he has created a negotiable document which must be endorsed on the reverse by the Shipper with his own personal or Corporate name, known as an ‘open’ endorsement or ‘endorsement in blank’. This document may then be passed from hand to hand and whoever holds possession of it at the time the carrying vessel is ready and able to discharge/deliver goods named in it, will be absolutely entitled to claim delivery. If the words ‘To the order of X’ are printed then the option of disposal will be granted to X and it will be his endorsement which will ‘open up’ the B/L for transfer to whomsoever. • A Straight B/L is one which identifies the consignee ‘up front’ from the inception, by way of his name, personal or corporate, being inserted in the consignee box. Delivery can only be made to him. He need not produce the original B/L to take delivery but must simply identify himself by whatever reliable means.

8. NON-NEGOTIABLE BILL OF LADING • Seaway bill are non-negotiable and are therefore used in international transfer of goods where the seller does not require reliable documentary security pending full payment of the purchase price under the traditional Letter of Credit. It is normally used where goods are of no commercial value, like samples, Household or personal goods, or transfer of items between associated companies or parent company and subsidiary where payment, if any, is by way of running account. Thus Seaway bill has only two-way function- as a receipt of Goods and as written evidence of contract of carriage. An endorsement of a non-negotiable B/L is ineffective. • A B/L form can be used as a ‘Negotiable document’ and thus transferable by endorsement or as a ‘Straight B/L’ incapable of being endorsed over, and identifying a consignee by name. The method of filling in the blank spaces and deleting what printed words might be necessary for clarity must leave a innocent third party absolutely clear which is the intended option.

9. DATING OF BILL OF LADING & TYPES OF B/L • The B/L should always be correctly dated, coinciding with actual date of shipment, since it is oftenof extreme importance in the contract between shipper and the consignee. Very often it is related to the expiry date of LC opened by the buyer. Post-dating or anti-dating could lead to fraud or even prosecution. • Clean B/L- When it does not have any superimposed clause/remarks about the condition of cargo. • Foul or Claused B/L- A B/L which is not clean in the above sense is described as “foul”, “dirty”, “unclean”, or “claused”. In accordance with a resolution accepted by the International Chamber of Shipping, a B/L should not be considered foul, merely because it contains:- a) Clauses which do not expressly state that the goods or the packaging are unsatisfactory, e.g. second hand cases, used drums etc. b) Clauses which emphasize the carrier’s non-liability for risks arising from the nature of the goods or packaging. C) Clauses which disclaim on the part of the carrier knowledge of the contents, weight, measurement, quality or technical specifications of the goods.

10. Received for shipment B/L- Issued to a shipper when he delivers the goods to the carrier or his agent at the docks/ICD etc. pending shipment on board the carrier vessel. Shipped B/L- A B/L issued by the Carrier after the goods have actually been loaded into the ship. Direct B/L- B/L covering the carriage of goods in one ship from one port to another. Through B/L – A B/L used for multi-vessel transport which provides evidence of a contract of carriage from one place to another in separate stages of which at least one stage is on his ship and by which the issuing sea carrier accepts responsibility for the carriage on his ship and acts as agent for the shipper in arranging onward carriage to the final place of delivery.

11. Multimodal Transport Document • A negotiable document which evidences a multi-modal transport contract, taking in charge of the goods described by the Multi-modal Transport Document (MTD) at place of acceptance, and an undertaking by him to deliver the goods at a place of delivery against surrender of the document. The issuer MTO accepts responsibility for the entire movement, and acts as principal with respect to the shipper and other carriers. It was earlier known s Combined Transport Document (CTD). Open B/L- A B/L giving no indication whatsoever of whom the goods are consigned to with Shipper ‘endorsing it in blank’ would be described as ‘open’. The holder, at the time of the carrier vessel being ready to discharge & deliver, would be entitled to take delivery of the goods.

12. Bearer B/L- A B/L making goods deliverable “to bearer” does not require endorsement, the property passes by mere delivery. Order B/L- The vast majority of Bs/L are of this type and are negotiable documents. One part of the set must be surrendered, duly endorsed, in exchange for the goods or a delivery order. The person or party to whose order (Bank or Company or person) may by ‘blank endorsement’ convert it into “bearer B/L” or by “special endorsement” into a “straight B/L” in favour of a person. Liner B/L- This is the B/L issued by the owner or charterer of a general ship and, so far as the shipper and consignee are concerned, is in no way related to any charter party. The detailed contents of such bill vary widely, according to the nature of the trade in which the Liner Company’s ships are engaged.

13. Waybill or Seaway B/L • This is a non-negotiable document (like Airway bill) which provides a receipt for the goods by the carrier and evidence of the contract of carriage. It is not a document of title. ( A “Boat Note” is a temporary receipt of goods , describing identifying marks and nos. of packages of goods transported by boats/barges in Inland waters between a river point/jetty and the ship and can form the basis for preparing M/R by the ship’s Chief officer. Normally one copy is carried by the lighter-man, another to ship’s Agent and the third retained in the Boat Note book itself).

14. Salient features and comparison between different types of Charter parties • A charter party is an agreement between a ship owner and a charterer for the use or hire of a ship for a particular voyage or series of voyages, or for a stipulated period of time. Sometimes the employment of the ship can be by a Demise Charterer or Bareboat charterer, sometimes by a charterer under a simple Time charter for a stipulated period of time and sometimes the ship may be fixed by her owners for a voyage charter. It can also happen that a ship is time chartered by a Charterer for a period of time and he sublets it whole or in part to another time charterer or on a voyage charter. In the event of subletting the original Time charterer or Bareboat charterer shall be referred to as ‘Disponent owner’ and the sub-charterer as charterer.

15. If the ship is let on demise charter, the charterer acts as virtual owner, manages the ship both technically and commercially, appoints the Master, supplies the crew, acts as carrier, and takes over the full control of the ship, employing her as if she were a unit of her own fleet. The ship owner gets the hire money usually fixed at a certain rate per ton of Summer deadweight per calendar month, and payable in advance. The charterer earns the freight and passage money, if carrying passengers. In some cases Owner may retain the right to require the removal of the master and chief Engineer, if dissatisfied with their performance, specially, if the ship, as an asset, is not being maintained.

16. The apportionment of expenses in Bareboat charter is usually as follows • For owner’s account- Depreciation, Hull & Machinery Insurance (unless the C/P provides for the charterer to insure the vessel), Survey prior to delivery and the brokerage, if incurred. • For the Bareboat Charterer’s Account- Master & Crew wages, maintenance, repairs , spares and stores., Lubricating oil and water, Bunkers, Port charges, stevedoring costs, cost of hold cleaning and dunnage etc., Canal dues, towage and pilotage charges, Commissions and brokerage on cargo, Claims against the ship for loss of or damage to cargo & all the Administrative and overhead costs.

17. Time charter • If the ship is on Time Charter the ship owner appoints the Master and crew and is remunerated by charter hire money paid, usually at an agreed rate per month. The owner manages the ship technically and remains responsible for safe navigation and cargo care. The charterer operates the ship commercially and has little effective control over the ship. • The expenses are appropriated as under:- • For Ship owner’s account- Depreciation, Insurance surveys, and all overheads, Master and crew wages, provisions, maintenance & repairs, spares & stores, Lubricating oils and water ( unless otherwise agreed in the C/P) and certain cargo claims as agreed (normally attributable to the un-seaworthiness of the ship and negligence of owner/agent/master& crew)). • For the Charterer’s account- Bunkers, port charges, canal dues, Stevedoring, hold cleaning & dunnage, Ballast (if any), water (unless supplied by owners) , Commissions and brokerage on cargo and cargo claims not payable by the owners under the terms of the charter party.

18. VOYAGE CHARTER • If the ship is fixed on Voyage Charter the ship owner retains the complete control of the ship, appoints the Master and crew and acts as carrier (in this case as private carrier). Most commonly the contract will be for the full cargo, but it may be for the part cargo. The ship owner/disponent owner may carry liner/berth cargo on his own account and also let out part of the ship to a voyage charterer. The majority of the voyage charters, however, are for the carriage of homogenous cargoes like grain, timber, metallic ores, coal and so on. • The owner pays for all the running expenses and voyage costs with charterer paying only for the stevedoring charges (unless the C/P provides for the owner to share part of the cargo loading or discharging cost). The owner receives the Freight, Dead freight and the demurrage (sometime the owner may have to pay dispatch money to the charterer). According to the circumstance, the Bill of Lading freight will be collected from the consignee of the cargo by the ship owner’s or the charterer’s agent at the discharge port. • Ships habitually employed on voyage charters are referred to as “Tramps” as distinct from the “Liners” employed as general cargo/Container ships on more or less on fixed routes.

19. Many Oil Tankers are owned by the major oil companies and are employed by those companies to carry crude oil from the oil fields to their various refineries, or to carry refined products from the refineries to the marketing depots. In addition to the above, numerous large tanker fleets are owned by independent ship owners and are chartered by the oil Companies under various Charter parties, as convenient to them. • Subletting: In both Time charters and Voyage charters it is not uncommon for the C/P contract to be claused to permit the charterers to sublet the vessel in whole or in part on condition that they remain responsible to the ship owner for the due performance of the original C/P. Sub-letting in the case of a voyage charter usually means that other shippers book space in the ship from the charterers instead of directly from the ship owner.

20. NOTE OF PROTEST • In any of the following circumstances below it is advisable for the Master to note a protest: 1.Whenever during the voyage the ship has encountered conditions of wind and sea which may result in damage to cargo. 2. When from any cause the ship is damaged, or there is reason to fear that damage may be sustained. 3. Whenever through stress of weather it has not been practicable to adopt normal precautions in the matter of ventilation of perishable cargo. 4. When cargo is shipped in such condition that it is likely to suffer deterioration during the voyage. In this case, however the protest will not be effective unless the Bs/L were endorsed to show the condition of the cargo at the time of shipment. 5.When any serious breach of C/P terms is committed by the charterer or his agent, such as refusal to load, unduly delaying loading, loading improper cargo, refusal to pay demurrage, refusal to accept Bs/L in the form signed by the master, etc. 6. When Consignees fail to discharge cargo or take delivery thereof, and pay freight in accordance with C/P or B/L terms. 7. In all cases of general average.

21. Protest must be noted as soon as possible, certainly within 24 hours of arrival in port, and in the case of cargo protests before breaking bulk. • A “Note of Protest” is simply a declaration by the master of circumstances beyond his control which may give, or may have given, rise to loss or damage. Such declaration must be made before a Notary Public, Magistrate, a Consular officer, or other authority. Usually statements under oath will be taken from the master and other crew members and these statements will have to be supported by appropriate log book entries. At the time of noting protest the master should reserve the right to extend it. It is not essential that a protest should be made on a special from, but it is advisable and usual in practice.

22. Protest are admissible in evidence before legal tribunals and , in many cases, are essential to the establishment of a claim. In U.K. they are not accepted as evidence in favour of the party making the protest unless both [parties consent. The main use of a Protest in U.K. and India is to support a claim by a cargo owner against his underwriters. However, in U.K. the legal rights are in no way affected if a protest has not been noted. In the European continent the noting of protest is a condition precedent to certain legal remedies. The master, if he delivers the cargo and accepts the freight, will be barred from claiming the cargo’s contribution in general average unless he notes protest within 24 hours of safe arrival at a port, after the common adventure giving rise to G.A., and notifies the consignee that he has done so.

23. EXTENDED PROTEST • - It often happens that at the time when a protest is originally noted it has not been established definitely whether, in fact, loss or damage has occurred or not or full extent of the loss/damage may not be known. Should it transpire that there is no loss or damage, there will be no need to carry the matter any further, otherwise it is necessary to extent the protest. A ’Note of Protest’ may be noted at one port and extended at another. In some countries a time limit of six months is imposed while in others it may be extended within a reasonable time. • The first part of the extended protest consists of a statement of all the material circumstances leading up to the event and based on log book abstracts and other available documents like weather reports/charts etc., giving official information on the matter at issue. It should in no way vary from the original protest. It must be signed by the Master and countersigned by one or more responsible officers and other members of the crew. In the 2nd part the Appearers and the Notary protest against the accident and against losses and/or damages thereby caused. In the case of the General Average a copy of the extended protest will be one of the documents required by the Average Adjuster.

24. Comprehensive procedure to be followed in reference to the cargo damage, legislative requirements, and current commercial practices • After the B/L is negotiated and the third innocent party (the consignee or assignee) inherits the B/L, including the rights and duties contained or evidenced by the B/L. The consignee has the right to take delivery and possession of the cargo and even acquire the ownership title of such goods, at the disport. • The removal of goods, after the discharge from the carrier vessel, into the hands of the consignee and/or his representative shall be prima facie evidence of the delivery of goods as described in the B/L. In practice the consignee if he suspects loss or damage to his cargo, shall give due notice of such loss/damage to the carrier or his agent prior to discharge of goods from the vessel or after the discharge within the free days allowed by the local port Authorities or as per the prevailing trade practice. But in all cases such notice of loss/damage must be given prior to taking delivery from the port of discharge, if Port Authority is acting as the bailee of the cargo. Where the loss or damage is not apparent, the notice in writing must be given within 15 consecutive days after the day when the goods were handed over to the consignee(Hamburg Rules 1978).

25. If the state of the goods at the time they were handed over to the consignee has been the subject of a joint survey by the parties (mutually agreed and arranged), notice in writing need not be given of loss or damage ascertained during such survey. • The cargo underwriters shall, before settling any cargo claim, insist upon the following documents from the cargo owner/consignee, to retain their right of recovery against the carrier: • Written notice of loss/damage served on the carrier or his agent and acknowledgement thereof; • Reports of the joint survey, if mutually agreed and arranged by the carrier and the consignee; • Letter of subrogation duly signed by the consignee, surrendering all his rights to claim against the carrier under the B/L contract. • The cargo underwriter shall settle the claim of the consignee, depending upon the merits of the claim and the terms of the cargo insurance policy and shall inherit all the rights of the consignee against the carrier. • No compensation shall be payable for loss resulting from delay in delivery unless a notice has been given in writing to the carrier within 60 consecutive days after the day when the goods were handed over to the consignee (Hamburg Rules 1978).

26. Failure to give written notice of loss/damage or carrier not agreeing to the steamer survey does not preclude the right of the consignee/cargo underwriter to initiate legal proceedings against the carrier. • Any action is time-barred if judicial or arbitral proceedings have not been instituted within a period of two years commencing on the day on which the carrier delivered the goods, or where no goods have been delivered, on the last day on which the goods should have been delivered (Hamburg Rules 1978). In judicial proceedings, the plaintiff, at his option, may institute an action in a court which, according to the law of the State where the court is situated, is competent, and within the jurisdiction of which is situated one of the following places: a) the principal place of business of the defendant; or b) the place where the contract was made provided that the defendant has there a place of business, branch or agency through which the contract was made; or c) the port of loading or the port of discharge; or d)any additional place designated for that purpose in the contract of carriage by sea. • The sooner the claim or suit is initiated by the consignee/underwriter better will be the chances of claim succeeding against the carrier as the surveyors/investigators will be able to collect documentary and/or circumstantial evidences.

27. In practice the carrier, in general, will keep denying any liability for cargo loss/damage on some pretext or the other. If the cargo owner/underwriter keep persisting with the claim under threat of filing a suit against the carrier, that the carrier/agent will approach their P & I club to handle the claim on carrier’s behalf in the best interest of the carrier, depending upon the merits of the claim. If P & I club deems fit it may offer, under advice to the carrier/agent, to either offer reasonable settlement or agree to appoint an arbitrator. If the cargo underwriter finds the carrier’s/ P&I club’s offer unacceptable, it may decide to file a suit against the carrier within the time limit provided by the B/L contract/COGSA Act, and in need case, request for extension of time from the carrier/agent/P&I club to facilitate filing of suit within the time limit.

28. Third Party Damage • - It often happens that the cargo and/or ship’s structure is damaged by the Stevedore/ Terminal operator/Handling Agent during the loading/discharging of cargo and for which the Stevedore is responsible/liable. In all such cases ship’s duty officer, under guidance from Master/Chief officer, must prepare a ‘Third Party Damage ‘ report stating among other details of ship and Stevedores, date/time of occurrence, particular of ship’s part/cargo damaged and holding the Stevedores fully responsible for the loss/damage. This report must be presented to the Stevedore’s representative soonest possible and acknowledgement obtained. Normally the Stevedore’s representative will receive the Notice ‘without prejudice’ or outright deny any liability for the damage. In case of dispute ship’s officer/Master must request for independent survey through the Agent and inform the Stevedores of date/time of survey and ask them to send their representative to be present during the survey. The Surveyor’s findings should be binding upon the ship as well as up on the Stevedores. • Normally a Company/ship will have a Standard format of “Third Party Damage Report” which is to be completed by the ship’s officer and presented to the Stevedores for their acknowledgement.Also most Stevedores/Terminal Operators do obtain the Insurance cover for the negligence of their /port workers. (Third Party cover)

29. Deep Tank Cargoes and Preparation of Deep Tanks • Many ships are fitted with ‘Deep Tanks’-employed as ballast tanks or forthe carriage of specialized liquid cargoes such as vegetable oils-Coconut oil, Bean oil, Palm oil, cottonseed oil, Linseed oil etc or even Molasses or Latex. The specialization of such cargoes often require rigid temperature control of the cargo and to this end most cargo Deep tanks are fitted with ‘Heating coils’ which may or may not be blanked of as the circumstances dictate. • The need for absolute cleanliness of Deep tanks is of paramount importance. Claims for contamination of these cargoes are high and meticulous cleaning of the tank itself and the pipelines employed for loading and discharging must be a matter of concern. To enable the classification Surveyor to certify that the tank has watertight integrity and is clean, Chief Officer should, depending upon the previous cargo carried, ensure that:

30. - After the carriage of a general cargo, the tank is swept down completely and all waste removed. - In the event of a liquid cargo of a non-hazardous nature puddle/squeeze any residual fluids to the suction and strip dry the tank. – If the tank is uncoated (in case of epoxy coating) the bulkheads, decks and deck head should be scrapped and wire brushed and all traces of corrosion removed- Heating coils should be rigged and tested. These coils may be ‘side coils’ or ‘bottom coils’, or a ‘combination of both’. - Hat boxes should be cleaned out and the suctions should be tested.- The tank should be filled with clean ballast and the tank lid pressure should be tested satisfactorily. Tanks are to be tested to a head of water equal to the maximum to which the tank will be subjected but not less than 2.44m above the crown of the tank. - The tank should be emptied to just above the heating coils, a cleansing agent added and the residual water heated by means of the coils. A wash down, using a hose and submersible pump, is then to be carried out. - After cleaning, the heating element should be turned off and the tank sluiced down with fresh water, pumped dry, with any residual puddles being mopped up. - Finally, bilge suction need to be cleaned and blanked off. (Note: Personnel so involved should be provided with protective clothing and footwear, together with goggle eye protection. Breathing apparatus may also be a requirement. A risk assessment should be carried out)

31. Securing of Deep Tank Lids • The lid of each tank should be checked for any damage like, wearing off of rubber packing etc which should be replaced/repaired as necessary. All the cleats should be in good condition (well greased and free of any rust etc). After the lid is properly placed over the tank (using ship’s crane/derrick) all the cleats should be properly closed and tightened to ensure oil/water-tightness. Care must be taken to ensure that the tank coaming, lid and cleats etc. are not damaged when loading General cargo over and around the tank.

32. Heavy Lifts & Effects of the Heavy lifts on the seaworthiness and the stability of the ship • Effect of Heavy lifts on the Stability of the ship- It must be anticipated that the vessel will heel over to one side when lifting the weight with derrick boom/Crane jib extended out board. This angle of heel and the loss of GM should be calculated and ascertained prior to commencement of loading. Clearly any loss of +ve GM should be kept to a minimum and to this end any Free Surface effects in the ship’s tanks should be eliminated (Tanks to be either empty or full) or minimized to the extent possible. • Not only during the loading/discharging of H/L the ship’s stability is adversely affected but also there is a potential risk to ship’s seaworthiness and stability during the voyage.

33. In the event the ship experiences heavy weather and the lashing of the H/L breaks loose resulting in damage to shipside or other structure of ship there is likelihood of ship becoming unseaworthy, especially if the damage adversely affects the watertight integrity of the ship. Therefore Master has to be very careful when handling the ship in rough weather. He should not rule out alteration of course and/or speed to minimize the ship’s rolling and pitching (due to high GM) and thus avoid/minimize the stresses on the lashings. Such manoeuvring of the ship may be essential until the weather improves when the ship may resume her voyage course. • In any case the ship’s stability will be affected due to reduction in GM due to consumption of Fuel, F.W. and stores etc. from the lower parts of the ship as well as due to Free Surface effect of the slack tanks, especially during the long voyage. To counteract the loss of GM it may be necessary to take ballast in the D.B. tanks.

34. Precautions to be taken whilst loading/discharging Heavy lifts • When loading or discharging heavy lifts Deck officers should be aware of the following precautions and procedures: • 1. The stability of the vessel should be adequate and the maximum angle of heel should be acceptable for the intended operation. All Free Surface Effects (FSE) should be eliminated by ether ‘pressing up’ or ‘emptying’ tanks. • 2. If a conventional Jumbo derrick is employed, then the Rigging plan (on the ship) should be referred to with regard to the positioning of ‘Preventer backstays’ to support any Mast structure. • 3. A careful check on the condition of the derrick and the associated gear should be made before commencing the lift. Particular attention should be paid to the SWL of Shackles/blocks/ wires. • 4. Ensure all the ship’s moorings are taut and that crew is standing by to tend as necessary. Fenders should be pre-rigged and the gangway lifted clear of the quayside. • 5. All cargo winches affecting the load should be placed in ‘double gear’.

35. 6. The deck area where the load is to be landed should be clear of obstructions, and heavy wooden‘bearers’ laid to accept and spread the deck weight. • 7. The ship’s deck capacity (permissible load density) plans should be checked to ensure that the deck space is capable of supporting he load. • 8. The winch drivers and controller should be competent and non-essential personnel should be clear of the lofting area. • 9. Any ship side rails in the way of the load should be lowered or removed and any barges secured to the ship’s side should be cast off. • 10. Steadying lines should be secured to the load itself and to the collar of the floating block if fitted. • 11. All relevant Heads of departments should be advised before commencing the lift. • 12. Use the designated lifting points and take the weight slowly. Stop, and inspect all round once the load clears the deck, before allowing the lift to continue. • _________________