On any ship type, your cargo is the reason for the ship's existence.

The proper planning,

loading, stowage, carriage and discharge should be the focus of all staff, after navigation
and the safety of the ship and those onboard. Paramount in this is where the cargo is
stowed, in tanks, holds or on deck.

Incorrectly stowed cargo may not end up where it was intended.

Each year cargo is destroyed, damaged or contaminated by seawater entering the holds
of ships, both old and new. The majority of these occurrences are on older ships, but
maintenance of hatch covers is a general problem on ships today.

The older a ship gets, the more problems it may have, particularly if it has been badly
maintained. When joining a ship a quick look for any rust staining inside the hold at the

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tops of the coamings will tell you the story, as will the state of the rubbers, drain channels
and compression bars. Signs of hatch sealing tape or foam sealant can also be a sign of
potential leaking, although this is not necessarily a sign of poor hatch seals. Your hatches
are weathertight not watertight. Submerge any hatch in water long enough and it will leak.
Hopefully this will not happen during your time onboard but there are times during bad
weather when the ship takes heavy seas on the decks, particularly on the forward
hatches. If you are on an old ship, taking a grain cargo across the ocean in northern
winter, would it not be prudent to take every care that you can of the cargo? I think so and
if I had the hatch tape and foam available, I would consider it a responsible decision to
use it, not as a repair but as an additional measure of care of the cargo.

39.1 The Testing of Hatch Covers

It would be easy to say that these should be tested before loading a cargo, but for ships
on short haul voyages it is usually unnecessary. Before waiting for the annual loadline
survey they should be tested periodically, on older ships more frequently than new ships.
Certainly if I was setting off on a grain voyage across the Atlantic on an old ship I would
test my hatch tops very thoroughly indeed, not wishing to be faced with a green topping to
the cargo at the other end.

Most of us tend to use the hose test and there is nothing wrong with this provided it is
done properly. Consider the force of water hitting your hatch tops in a storm and then use
your hose to try to emulate it. You should ensure that your hatchtops are well battened
down with the drain holes free and the non-return valves unblocked.

When you use the hose make sure that it is directed at the seals around the hatch sides
and along each seal on the top, with the nozzle close to the seal. Try hard to get the water
in!

Non-return valves are sometimes more of a hindrance. With many of them being made of
plastic they often get washed away in heavy weather or broken by various means.

It is wise to keep a few spares in your stores but should you find that you are short you
can attach a length of hose to the drain, put a 'u' bend in it and secure the hose end up
under the hatch coaming. Make sure the open end is below this though!
Another way of chocking is by using a chalk test. This has to be done in very good
weather at sea as it involves opening the hatch tops. If done in port it could mean a delay
in cargo operations. It is a test that takes longer than the hose test but it will give you a
very good indication of the state of the rubber seals on the compression bar. All you
have to do is open your hold and rub white chalk along the compression bar. Then close
the hatch and batten down tightly. When you open the hatch again you look for the chalk
marking on your rubber seal. If it is a continuous unbroken line your seal is good, the
wider the chalk line the better your seal. If you do not see this mark the area will need
repair.

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39.2 Hatch Repair

Rubber seals harden over the years and, as they harden, they become less effective.
When you examine the rubbers and see heavy grooving it suggests that the bearing
pads that your hatch rests on have become worn down, so the whole weight of the hatch
is now resting on the rubber seals. These pads will need to be built back up to
specification.

When repairing your seals you should not try to insert small pieces of rubber. Rather,
insert a longer length up to around 2 metres. Remember to clean out the channel first
and coat with a good anti-corrosive paint. Clean the ends of the old rubber that the new
rubber will butt onto to ensure that the adhesive will coat each end properly. Skilled
seafarers can scarf the rubbers to ensure a more secure joint. However, it is
recommended by manufacturers that when the rubber seal is in need of repair the whole
rubber length should be replaced, rather than just that

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section. In all my time at sea we have always repaired sections as not only have we
never had enough rubber to replace the whole section, but time would often have
precluded this. Whether shipowners are prepared to accept the expense of this or
allow skilled shore labour to be called in for this replacement, when only a small
section of the rubber has been damaged, is also doubtful.

When checking your cleats, ensure that the rubber washers are in place. During any
voyage the ship is working and will be flexing the decks and hatches, so periodically the
crew have to tighten the cleats and this should be part of your weekly work list. The rubber
washers allow for the flexing and assist in keeping the cleats tight. Cleats can disappear
over the side during bad weather so make sure that you have spares. Cleats should not
be bar tight as this will force the hatch rubbers down onto the compression bar too hard
and cause damage to the rubbers.

39.3 Monthly Check of Hatches

• Cover tops, undersides and side panels - check for corrosion or cracks
• sealing arrangements - check rubbers, compression bars, drainage channels
and non-return valves
• hatch cleats and rubbers - check for missing, corroded or broken
• chains or wire pulleys
• guide rails and track wheels
• stoppers
• hydraulic system
• pontoon hinges and locking pins
• coamings, stiffeners and brackets - check for any sign of corrosion and
cracking, particularly at the corners of the hold and the deck plating in the way
of the coaming.

39.4 Ladders
Another strange custom of the sea is that if ladders are in holds or tanks then a certain
amount of damage or corrosion is acceptable, yet if they are outside on deck where they can
be seen then they must be repaired.

The most common damage that occurs in any hold on a dry cargo ship is to the
ladders. It is rare for any such ship, particularly a bulk carrier, not to have some
damage to its ladders within a voyage or two. All too often this goes unnoticed as the
damage cannot be found until it is too late. The stevedores certainly will not report it
either. On older vessels corrosion plays its part and many of us are familiar with the
odd missing step or corroded rung. While a bent rail can be acceptable provided the
safety of the ladder is not compromised, any damage which could result in an accident
must be attended to. This sometimes is not as easy as it sounds. Damage that has
been observed as being caused by shore labour in a port is their responsibility to fix but
other damage must be the ship's

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responsibility. All too often damage to a ladder cannot be safely reached by ship's staff
and this requires the use of scaffolding or a cherry-picker. This means shore
equipment and labour and a delay in work while the repair is effected, none of which
will make you popular with any operator. Quite a few will delay repairing the ladders
until the next dry dock if they can.

If it is possible, for the safety of all and to protect the ship, the ladders should be
inspected prior to arrival. If it is not, then they should be inspected as soon as possible
on opening up the holds and before anyone uses them. Most ships have ladders fore
and aft in the holds and if a ladder is deemed to be unsafe then it must be clearly
marked and closed off until repaired. In a number of ports you can be helped in this as,
owing to the general state of ships' hold ladders, they have a safety inspection before
work commences and they will order any unsafe ladders to be closed off or repaired if
required.

While on this subject don't forget to do the same for your tank ladders as well. Just
because it is crew using them rather than shore labour does not make the safety
requirement any less stringent.

39.5 Lighting
Lighting in holds is a nuisance as, not only do you have to try to maintain it, but there is
the danger of damage to the cabling and an ever present possible fire risk. Even
replacing light bulbs can be hazardous and in many ships where lighting is built in,
after some years the fuses are pulled and portable cargo lighting is rigged from above.
The main requirement is that adequate lighting is provided for crew to work safely and,
to prepare for this, have the cargo lights, whether fixed or portable, checked before
they are required. If fixed lighting is present, even if it is working correctly, the fuses
should always be pulled when the hatches are closed as a precaution against any
electrical damage.

You might find it wise, during your meeting with the supervisor before work in the hold
commences, to state what checks have been made and request that, if there is any
complaint or problem, the duty officer is notified so that he can arrange additional
lighting.

39.6 Completion of Loading or Discharge

Before you close the hatch you must ensure that all debris is clear of the channels and
that the drains and non-return valves are clear. Cargo is damaged on ship after ship
because of these very simple checks are being overlooked in the hurry to close the
hatches and sail. It is better to spend an extra hour or two ensuring that any water that
does leak in through the hatch rubbers can run freely down the channels and out of the
drains.

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