Loss Prevention Advice
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A reefer container is a complex piece of engineering and has, over the years, become more reliable, and can be trusted to transport perishable goods vast distances, with little or no impact on quality.
It is easy to forget therefore, that the vessel crew still has an important part to play in ensuring that these fragile cargoes are delivered safely, and that the actions of those on board can make a significant difference to the claims experienced by an operator.
Reefer containers carry a wide variety of refrigerated goods, of which fresh produce, frozen meat and fish, dairy products and pharmaceuticals are only a few. A single reefer container may carry a cargo value of several hundred thousand US dollars or more.
Each type of cargo varies in its requirements for carriage temperature, humidity, stowage arrangements and ventilation.
Temperature:
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An oil tanker was on passage when the ship’s electrician, who had been working alone, was fatally electrocuted while performing maintenance of the inert gas scrubber electrical system (Figure 1).
Figure 1 Location of the electrician when found.
Source: Investigation report by Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator
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lessons learned from an incident where a chief engineer sustained a head laceration injury in the engine room.
What happened?
A Chief Engineer sustained a head laceration injury after accidentally striking his head on the sharp edge of a lighting protection grille rod installed at a height of 168 cm in the engine room.
Why did it happen?
- The head-room was low, and the lighting protection grille was lower still at 168 cm above deck, posing a physical hazard at head level.
- The “protective” grille was itself harmful, with sharp, unprotected rod ends which created a risk of laceration or impact injury.
- No adequate PPE (safety helmet) was worn at the time of the impact, increasing injury severity.
- This obvious hazard was overlooked during installation and routine checks following installation.
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On the storage and handling of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on LNG carriers, FSUs and FSRUs, focusing on the risks of stratification and rollover.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is stored and carried in an LNG/C’s (LNG Carrier) tanks at approximately -160°C. Additionally, there are LNG storage vessels called FSU (Floating Storage Units) and LNG vessels equipped with regasification plants – FSRUs (Floating Storage and Regasification Units).
These vessels are stationary at various locations around the world. FSRUs are designed to store and convert the liquid back into natural gas state (NG) and send it to shore to be utilised for heating and/or power generation. Two different batches of LNG with different compositions and densities may end up in the same tank. If they don’t mix properly, the liquid gas can settle in two layers, and this is called “stratification”.