Operation Bulk carrier

1 operation

1.1 crew
1.2 voyages
1.3 loading , unloading

operation
crew

the crew on bulker typically consists of 20 30 people, though smaller ships can handled 8. crew includes captain or master, deck department, engineering department, , steward s department. practice of taking passengers aboard cargo ships, once universal, rare today , non-existent on bulkers.

during 1990s, bulkers involved in alarming number of shipwrecks. led ship-owners commission study seeking explain effect of various factors on crew s effectiveness , competence. study showed crew performance aboard bulk carriers lowest of groups studied. among bulker crews, best performance found aboard younger , larger ships. crews on better-maintained ships performed better, did crews on ships fewer languages spoken.

fewer deck officers employed on bulkers on sized ships of other types. mini-bulker carries 2 3 deck officers, while larger handysize , capesize bulkers carry four. liquid natural gas tankers of same size have additional deck officer , unlicensed mariner.

voyages

a bulker s voyages determined market forces; routes , cargoes vary. ship may engage in grain trade during harvest season , later move on carry other cargoes or work on different route. aboard coastal carrier in tramp trade, crew not know next port of call until cargo loaded.

because bulk cargo difficult discharge, bulkers spend more time in port other ships. study of mini-bulkers found takes, on average, twice time unload ship load it. mini-bulker spends 55 hours @ time in port, compared 35 hours lumber carrier of similar size. time in port increases 74 hours handymax , 120 hours panamax vessels. compared 12-hour turnarounds common container ships, 15-hour turnarounds car carriers, , 26-hour turnarounds large tankers, bulker crews have more opportunities spend time ashore.

loading , unloading

loading , unloading bulker time-consuming , dangerous. process planned ship s chief mate under direct , continued supervision of ship s captain. international regulations require captain , terminal master agree on detailed plan before operations begin. deck officers , stevedores oversee operations. loading errors made cause ship capsize or break in half @ pier.

the loading method used depends on both cargo , equipment available on ship , on dock. in least advanced ports, cargo can loaded shovels or bags poured hatch cover. system being replaced faster, less labor-intensive methods. double-articulation cranes, can load @ rate of 1,000 tons per hour, represent used method, , use of shore-based gantry cranes, reaching 2,000 tons per hour, growing. crane s discharge rate limited bucket s capacity (from 6 40 tons) , speed @ crane can take load, deposit @ terminal , return take next. modern gantry cranes, total time of grab-deposit-return cycle 50 seconds.

conveyor belts offer efficient method of loading, standard loading rates varying between 100 , 700 tons per hour, although advanced ports can offer rates of 16,000 tons per hour. start-up , shutdown procedures conveyor belts, though, complicated , require time carry out. self-discharging ships use conveyor belts load rates of around 1,000 tons per hour.

once cargo discharged, crew begins clean holds. particularly important if next cargo of different type. immense size of cargo holds , tendency of cargoes physically irritating add difficulty of cleaning holds. when holds clean, process of loading begins.

it crucial keep cargo level during loading in order maintain stability. hold filled, machines such excavators , bulldozers used keep cargo in check. leveling particularly important when hold partly full, since cargo more shift. precautions taken, such adding longitudinal divisions , securing wood atop cargo. if hold full, technique called tomming used, involves digging out 6 feet (2 m) hole below hatch cover , filling bagged cargo or weights.