Why Is It Important To Clean The Cargo Hold?

Charter parties and off-hire claims may arise if adequate cleaning procedures are not followed. 

Vertidrive.com shows you 5 reasons why cargo hold cleaning matters:

1. Inadequate cleaning of goods might lead to claims of harm from the receivers due to contamination. Remaining leftovers may cause the cement to lose its ability to bond; salt to become watery; and sugar to ferment, among other things. The grip may be broken by a solitary lump of coal that has been left behind.
2. Non-compliance has the potential to be expensive. Ships can be detained in port until the surveyors are happy, but the time spent in port must be kept minimum.
3. Delays and charter party conflicts may result from insufficient sanitation of the intended cargo, which may even lead to off-hire. Charterers are exempt from paying hire from the time of delivery till redelivery if a condition is known as an “off-hire clause” is included in the contract.
4. Even while loading the same sort of cargo, new damage that may lead to a claim might be hidden by failing to sweep away cargo debris.
5. Leftover residues can hurt the next shipment’s goods, and they can also corrode the ship’s hull and ruin its painted surfaces.

It becomes apparent that a complete cargo hold cleaning is necessary for the overall shipping process to work well. When it comes to the cleaning of cargo holds, on-board and on-shore workers should have an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the process.

Tips on how to properly clean the cargo hold

• The operation should start with a risk assessment and a discussion of the toolbox to figure out where everyone might be at risk.
• For the disposal of cargo residues found in hold wash water, MARPOL Annex V or any local standards should be followed.
• In order to eliminate all traces of chloride, all items should be thoroughly rinsed in fresh water.
• A typical water washing procedure begins with the hatchcover and coaming areas, then moves to the underdeck, bulkheads, and finally the bilges. This is to ensure that all surfaces are thoroughly cleaned.
• To avoid streaks on the vertical surfaces, chemical cleaning should be performed from the bilges up, starting with the underdeck area, hatchcovers, and coamings.
• When cleaning holds while cargo is still aboard, special care must be taken to ensure that wash water does not seep into the cargo hold bilge system.
• If cleaning chemicals are not compatible with the paint system, they should not be used.