This booklet has a number of objectives. The first is to reduce the risk of actual damage to cargo whilst in the Member's custody. Damage is not bound to happen. It can and will be avoided in the vast majority of cases if the cargo is handled, stowed and carried in the right way. This is good for the member concerned and for all the Club's Members.

A second objective is to help Members protect themselves from financial penalties resulting from circumstances outside their control, but for which they may be legally liable.

This booklet also offers guidance to the Surveyors who may be called upon to survey cargo and/or ship at one or other stage in the adventure. SKULD hopes that even for experts, this booklet will prove to be useful as a source of advice, as and aide memoire and as a back-up when differnces of opinion arise, as they often do.

SKULD

2nd Edition. 

INTRODUCTION

PART 1 TYPES OF STEEL CARGOES

• Category A – Packed or wrapped

• Category B – Not packed or wrapped

PART 2 CARGO CARE

Section 1 – Loading and stowage

• Planning

• Loading wet cargo

• Rain during loading

• Incompatible cargoes

• Strength of tank tops

• Stowage and lashing of different types of products

• Steel Coils

• Steel Slabs

• Hot and cold rolled steel in packages and bundles

• Single plates

• Structural steel

• Sheet pilings

• Pipes

• Wire Rods

• Stowage certificates

• The golden rules of Stowage

Section 2 – On the voyage

• Supervision of loading, stowage and discharging

• Maintenance of the vessel

• Watertightness

• Ventilation

PART 3 SURVEYS

Section 1 – Pre-shipment survey – cargo

• Information for the Surveyor

• When to instruct the Surveyor

• The Surveyor’s duties

• Preliminary report

• Final Report

Section 2 – Pre-shipment survey – the vessel

• Cargo holds

• Steel hatch covers and other deck opening

• Checklist

• General

• Panels

• Rubber packing (gaskets)

• Retaining channels

• Compression bars

• (a) Transverse guttering and (b) Hatch rims

• Steel to steel contact points

• Snugs

• Crutches

• Quick-Acting cleats, rods, nuts and washers/other cleating arrangements

• Cross wedges (cross joint cleats)

• Inboard drainage system

• Wheel tracks (guide rails)

• Wheels

• (a) panel side chains (b) Hinges (c) Hydraulics

• Access hatches

• Access doors

• Bilge sounding caps

• Sealing tape

• Testing for watertightness

• Ultrasonic test

• Hose test

• Chalk test

• The survey report

• Preliminary report

• Final report

Section 3 – Discharge Survey

• Instructions to surveyor

• The Survey

• Copy documents which should be obtained

• Contents of the surveyor’s report – Relative to the cause of any damage

• Non-return valves on Bilge Lines

• Final

• Stevedores’ outturn report

• Who should be authorised to board the vessel and examine cargo?

Section 4 – Cargo/commodity survey

• The Survey

• The Survey Report

• Preliminary

• Final

• Silver nitrate testing and sampling

PART 4 THE BILL OF LADING

Section 1 – The legal position

• A “clean” Bill of Lading

• Letters of Indemnity

• Claused Bills of Lading

Section 2 – Cargo condition clauses

• “rust Stained”

• “Partly rust stained”

• “Rusty”

• “Partly rusty”

• “Rust spots apparent”

• “Rust spotted”

• “Wet before shipment”

• “Rust with pittin”

• “Covered with snow”

• “Areas of steel surfaces reacting to silver nitrate solution tests”

• “Stained by an Unidentifiable Powder”

• “Streaks”

• Mechanical (handling) damages

• Unwrapped material

• Hot rolled steel sheeting in coils

• Hot rolled steel plates in bundles

• Single steel plates

• Large steel beams

• Merchant iron

• Pipes and tubes

• Wire Rods

• Unwrapped goods

• Wrapped goods

• Sheet pilings

• Wrapped Material

• Steel coils

• Packages

• General

PART 5 RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER CHARTERPARTIES

• Types of contracts

• The owner’s obligations under the Hague or Hague-Visby Rules

• Loading, stowage and discharging operations

• Time Charterparties

• The NYPE Inter-Club Agreement

• Voyage Charterparties

• Conclusion