Circular
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Carriage of Cargoes and Containers - CCC.1- Circ.2 - Rev.1 - Carriage of Bauxite which may Liquefy (adopted on 20 September 2017) - Circular

Circular

 1 The Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC), at its second session (14 to 18 September 2015), considered matters related to the carriage of Bauxite, including some initial considerations of the circumstances surrounding the loss of the 10-year-old Bahamas flag Supramax bulk carrier Bulk Jupiter with the loss of 18 lives on 2 January 2015. In this context, the Sub-Committee noted that loss of the aforementioned ship may have been caused by liquefaction of the cargo.

 2 Bauxite is described in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code as a Group C cargo. However, subsequent work undertaken by the industry Global Bauxite Working Group (GBWG) in conjunction with competent Authorities indicate that Bauxite presents a risk caused by moisture. As such some Bauxite cargoes should be treated as Group A cargoes.

 3 The Sub-Committee, at its second session, approved CCC.1/Circ.2 to raise awareness on the potential risks posed by moisture in the carriage of Bauxite. The advice provided by this circular has been superseded by the outcome of the research undertaken.

 4 The Sub-Committee, at its fourth session (11 to 15 September 2017), having noted that some Bauxite cargoes should be classified as Group A, finalized:

  • .1 the draft Test Procedure for Determining the TML for Bauxite;

  • .2 the draft individual schedule for Bauxite of Group A having the Bulk Cargo Shipping Name "BAUXITE FINES"; and

  • .3 the draft amendments to the individual schedule for Bauxite of Group C,

as set out in annexes 1 to 3, respectively, for submission to the Maritime Safety Committee.

 5 The Sub-Committee, noting that:

  • .1 a Bauxite cargo of Group A is not listed in the IMSBC Code and shall be carried in accordance with subsection 1.3 of the Code; and

  • .2 the draft amendments referred to in paragraph 4 are expected to be adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 101, in 2019) and the date of entry into force of these draft amendments to the IMBSC Code is expected to be 1 January 2021,

decided to invite Member States to take the aforementioned draft Test Procedure and draft individual schedules for Bauxite of Group A and Group C into consideration at the time of:

  • .1 classification of Bauxite cargoes as Group A or Group C; and

  • .2 setting the preliminary suitable conditions for the carriage of this cargo in accordance with subsection 1.3 of the Code, when the cargo is classified as Group A.

 6 Member States are invited to note the following observation by the GBWG:

  • "That an atypical motion of the ship (wobbling) may also be indicative of cargo instability. The master should take appropriate action."

 This atypical motions (or wobble) is caused by the movement of a free surface slurry over the top of the cargo which is out of phase with the roll period of the ship. If left unchecked this movement of cargo has the potential to further reduce stability and the risk of capsize.

 7 Member States are also invited to bring the above information to the attention of shippers, terminal operators, shipowners, ship operators, charterers, shipmasters and all other entities concerned, requesting that extreme care and appropriate action be taken, taking into account the provisions of relevant IMO instruments when handling and carrying Bauxite in bulk.

 8 This circular supersedes CCC.1/Circ.2.

Parent topic: CCC.1- Circ.2 - Rev.1 - Carriage of Bauxite which may Liquefy (adopted on 20 September 2017)
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