Question

Case study: TBS Shipping

1. Assuming the MV Hamburg Pearl has a DWT of 44,500 MT, an empty weight of 6,500 MT, and a crew, stores, and fuel weight of 1,000 MT, estimate how much of the following will fit into the cargo holds, without exceeding the ship's volume or weight limits:

Sunflower seeds: Blank 1 MT
Cobalt: Blank 2 MT
Peanuts (unshelled): Blank 3 MT

To answer this, you will need to look up standard values for stowage factors and calculate the answers. If you find the stowage factor is a range, use a value in the center of that range.

2. Why do you think the problem with the wood pellets happened without being caught ahead of time? Use your own words to explain the basic reason in a sentence or two.

3. What would you do to protect against this problem happening again?

Answer 1

(2) & (3). The problem with the wood pellets and protection against this problem happening again are-

(i) The wood pellets generate CO and causes oxygen depletion. It means that closed storage spaces must be ventilated and tested for the presence of CO before a person can enter safely.

(ii) The dust from wood pellets in high concentrations is explosive if it is exposed to an ignition source. To prevent this explosion the wood dust should not be allowed to accumulate beyond 3-mm depth. The electrical equipment near wood pellets should be grounded to prevent static discharge.

(iii) For sensitive persons, wood pellet dust may cause mild skin irritation and may cause allergy or asthma symptoms if inhaled. It can be prevented by using protective equipment’s.

(iv) When wood pellets are exposed to moisture and temperatures above 60C, then it is susceptible to self-heating and the potential to catch on fire. So wood pellets must be stored below 30C. In case of large-scale storage, temperature sensors connected to an alarm system are recommended to detect high temperatures and potential fires.

(v) When wood pellets are exposed to water it swells by about three to four times. It means that water should not be used for fire fighting in enclosed pellet storage vessels. Instead, nitrogen and carbon dioxide should be used for fire fighting.