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Dangerous liaisons The IMO Maritime Safety Committee is considering a proposal to inert hazardous cargoes, writes Sandra Speares HAZARDOUS cargoes and dangerous goods have been high on the agenda at the International Maritime Organization recently, with a proposal to inert cargoes of some types of direct reduced iron to be put to the Maritime Safety Committee for adoption, writes Sandra Speares. Discussions on the transport of direct reduced iron were held by the IMO sub-committee on dangerous goods, solid cargoes and containers, while the IMO Legal Committee debated the Hazardous and Noxious Substances Convention. Newly-appointed Intercargo secretary-general Rob Lomas hailed the decision to inert cargoes of direct reduced iron as good news. But despite general agreement for inerting cargoes of DRI fines, it is possible to seek an exemption under section 1.5 of the IMSBC Code, under which shipment will be covered by a tripartite agreement between the country of shipment, the receiver and the flag state of the vessel. Venezuela is set to undertake further research on the carriage of high moisture DRI (C) fines with a view to obtaining an exemption for this particular cargo. DRI cargoes have become notorious for causing fires and explosions onboard vessels. One of the most high profile incidents involved the Ythan, which was carrying a cargo of metallic hot briquetted iron fines, and exploded and sank off Colombia in February 2004, resulting in the death of the master and five crew members, as well as the loss of the vessel and its cargo. Another was the Adamandas in 2003, which was laden with 21,000 tonnes of iron briquettes that combusted, following a period of rough weather, resulting in the ship being scuttled by the French Navy off the island of Reunion. In view of these and other incidents involving DRI cargoes, Intercargo has stated that the chemical composition of certain types of DRI makes its carriage unsafe in all but the most carefully planned operations. “Reaction with moisture and alleged incorrect pre-loading inconsistencies make the carriage of certain types of DRI a risky enterprise,” Intercargo said. DRI cargoes are prone to self-heating, possibly leading to combustion if moisture is present, which results in the cargo giving off hydrogen.
There is a new schedule for by-products — or DRI (C) — which covers the carriage of fines and small particles that are bi-products of the DRI (A) and DRI (B) processes. It is proposed that these cargoes should also be carried under inert conditions. Allowable moisture content for safe carriage is a maximum of 0.3% by volume and DRI (C) currently available does not meet this requirement, Intercargo said. Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson welcomed the decision to inert cargoes, but said the most important aspect was ensuring that officers “knew what they were doing” and that the crew had the necessary training. The proficiency of the crew and the companies that employed them was key to resolving the issue, which related back to compliance with the ISM Code, he said. Intercargo technical manager Ian Harrison said the reason why the moisture level for the carriage of fines was set at such a low level was that the science indicated this was the most prudent way. “The reaction that causes the evolution of hydrogen requires the presence of water, also there is experience of the carriage of DRI (B), a highly reactive type, under inert conditions with a low moisture content.” Mr Harrison said there was no experience of carriage of fines with a higher moisture content under inert conditions. “Although the Venezuelans have conducted small-scale experiments to United Nations standards under various conditions, the UN standard is explicitly not a standard to be used for testing carriage in bulk,” he said. They had monitored a number of shipments of fines under ventilation, Mr Harrison said, and the tests showed “temperature and hydrogen levels remain within tolerable limits”. Nevertheless, in one case hydrogen content had risen to unacceptable levels, apparently because ventilation had been halted for one or two days. “To us, this proves that the carriage of this product using ventilation is not acceptable. It appears to work, providing the hydrogen is removed by ventilation, but what happens if you have to stop the ventilation? It is quite possible that heavy weather will force the crew to stop the ventilation for days at a time, and there is also possibility of mechanical failure.” Venezuela, which has facilities to manufacture DRI fines, has thrown its weight behind the ventilation of cargoes for the removal of hydrogen from the holds of vessels. It submitted a report to the sub-committee on dangerous goods, solid cargoes and containers for consideration at the committee’s 13th session, and presented a statistical summary of 30 years’ DRI (A) shipments. In its paper it said that over that period approximately 65m tonnes of DRI (A) had been carried worldwide from various countries including Malaysia, India, Libya, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Venezuela. Only two or three incidents of overheating had occurred, according to its findings. While cargoes of DRI (A) will continue to be shipped under ventilated conditions, work will need to be carried out as to the position on DRI (C) cargoes. Insurers like the UK P&I Club have expressed concern that removing hydrogen from holds by ventilation would permit sea air to enter the hold space. “The moist sea air condenses on the steel surfaces, such as deckheads and bulkheads, before falling on the DRI beneath to produce the flammable explosive hydrogen in air mixes,” said the UK P&I Club. According to Karl Lumbers of the UK P&I Club, the club welcomed the fact that a decision had been made to inert cargoes of iron fines. But he said the club was concerned about the option, under section 1.5 of the code, for a shipper to move solid bulk cargoes without the safety measures proposed, provided the measures were “at least effective and safe as those required by the code”. A question mark remains over who would decide whether such alternative measures were sufficient, and whether in this case, the cargo must be carried. Some market sources suggest that cargo underwriters could stop providing cover for cargoes of iron fines, and the situation would have to be reconsidered when the Venezuelans went back with their proposals, Mr Lumbers said. It is certain that the industry will be watching the development of the situation very closely. Mr Harrison said Venezuela would submit the results of further work on transporting cargoes of DRI fines to the sub-committee on dangerous goods next year. “It is one we will watch closely as any method used must be backed up by sound research,” he said. “The consequences of this cargo self-heating and evolving hydrogen can be fatal, as the Ythan report makes clear. “It is also important to note that if the Venezuelans do come up with a method for safe carriage, this will only be for their particular cargo — their processes, storage, handling and method of shipment — and it will not necessarily be appropriate for other products, as there can be a lot of variation between one DRI and another.” Clyde & Co head of shipping Derek Hodgson said: “DRI is obviously a particularly sensitive cargo to carry and comes with a certain degree of notoriety. “Virtually all cargo is capable of being carried safely if its characteristics are known, and this is equally so with DRI. “However, it certainly exposes the shipowner to heightened risks of being found liable if there is an explosion but, at the same time, it exposes the shipper to the usual risks of shipping a dangerous cargo and the strict liability that often comes with this obligation. “The perhaps innocent [free onboard] buyer is often unaware of his obligations and could find that he also has to bear a major part of the loss. “These parties are often oblivious to the risks they are running. “All the main parties involved in the carriage of this cargo are seriously exposed no matter what safeguards they might take or whatever knowledge they might hold.”
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