Dry bulk loading: what a shipper should check before the grabs start

Dry bulk claims almost always trace back to something that could have been checked before loading began.

Stowage factor and hold capacity The stowage factor tells you how much volume a tonne of your cargo occupies. Get it wrong and you either leave the vessel part-loaded or cannot load the contracted quantity. Confirm it against a recent sample, not a textbook figure — coal and ore vary considerably by origin.

Moisture and the transportable moisture limit For cargoes that can liquefy — certain ores, concentrates and fines — the IMSBC Code requires a certificate showing moisture content below the transportable moisture limit. This is not paperwork for its own sake; cargo shift from liquefaction has sunk ships. Sampling must be recent and representative.

Hold cleanliness Grain-clean, normal-clean and hospital-clean are different standards. Fertiliser and food-grade cargoes need holds inspected and passed before loading. A rejected hold at the berth costs laytime you are paying for.

Draft survey The initial and final draft survey establishes the loaded quantity. Have an independent surveyor present if the quantity drives payment under the sale contract, and reconcile the survey figure against shore scale readings the same day.

Documentation to fix before departure - Mate's receipt and any remarks on cargo condition. - Certificate of quality and quantity from an accepted inspector. - Cargo declaration under the IMSBC Code. - Any fumigation or phytosanitary certificates for agricultural cargo.

We attend loadings and coordinate surveyors on behalf of cargo interests precisely because the cost of getting this right is small next to a discharge-port dispute.